Worker Train Arriving at Union Station in Terre Haute, 1942 Workers are shown getting off the train, walking toward the parking lot or train station. They are all men, most of whom are wearing work clothes and carrying lunch pails. The train depot is in the background. Freight carts are parked near the tracks. Martin Collection
During WWII, I am surprised there are not more women. I see windows open on the passenger cars so it must be seasonal. I see "Chicago" on the letter board of the car on the right. In the back ground, I see someone's big castle with a turret on the top. Maybe a flak tower?
Nice photo. A war-related industry or factory nearby would explain the presence of mostly men. Early in the war, before woman had been organized and trained to provide war-related essential skills, men with these skills were exempted from the draft. This was only a temporary situation until the men could be replaced by women. Roger indicates the photo was taken in '42, and since the windows are open, I assume this photo could have been taken as early as April or May, 4-5 months into the war. Women didn't begin to make a major employment difference in the war effort until '43 or '44. I remember the issue of women employees being a cultural problem more than any other reason for the delay. In 1942 women were still viewed as the "weaker" sex, merely child-bearing home-makers totally dependent upon men for all their needs, unimaginable in today's youthful uni-sex oriented society.
Agree with Hank - looks like early evening of a late spring or early summer day. What a different world it was. I love staring at these old photos and soaking up all the details.
Yes, a better time, even with war going on. Roger, another classic. Does that depot still stand in Terre Haute? :tb-confused:
Yes, it's the Union Station. No its gone. I think that Indiana State University was built on the site. Not sure exactly when it was ton down. The tower was so tall because they wanted to be noticed back when the station was built. There were many stations with tall towers at the turn of the last century.
It might have been a Milwaukee Road shuttle train for movement of government workers between Terre Haute and the ordinance plant at Crane, Indiana. Barry
Union Station was torn down in 1960 and ISU has an athletic track and field there now. The Big Four Depot was torn down in the early 1980s and ISU has a parking lot there now. So much for history.
The station with the tall turret was built by the Vandalia RR (later PRR)along with the C&EI around 1910. The New York Central and Milwaukee Road were serviced by there respective stations and were not participants in the Union Station in Terre Haute. There were several locals from Milw, C&EI, NYC(mostly EI&TH) & PRR that were dedicated to the numerous coal collieries scattered around this part of Indiana. Miners relied heavily on these and it was not unusual to have weekly passes issued by the railroads and/or from the mines themselves. A different time indeed. Thanks for the pics Roger. Dan Parr
Is there another station, like the one story building on the left of the train, short of the towered structure? Which one is Union Station? :tb-confused:
That's funny. I didn't even notice the small building to the left of the train. now, I'll have to ask what is what.
Quote from: rogerhensley "Ok, guys. I have this photo showing the large building with the tower and the smaller building just to the left of the train. I assume that the larger one is the Union Station and the smaller is a station. Which is which?" Quote from indrr, Administrator & President of indianarailroads.org The whole thing is Union Station, with the main building being the passenger depot. It was flanked on each end by freight/baggage depots. At one time, both main lines were covered by train sheds. The Rose Hulman Model Railroad Club has an HO model of it, with photos of the model and the prototype here: MRRC Terre Haute Union Depot Replica End Quote
Great page with the THUD model. Great model, too. The tower certainly doesn't look so very tall as I thought it did in the first picture. The model page states that it is 200 feet tall.
Now for the record... This was the Big Four station in Terre Haute. It was along the south side of the tracks, west of 7th. There is an ISU parking lot there now. That view is approximately the same as the attached postcard (from the above mentioned website). As far as the C&EI and PRR Union Station, all traces of that facilty have been erased. Its difficult to even tell where the PRR once ran though there.
