Monon Railroad | McDoel Yard
These shots were taken in the Monon Railroad Yard (McDoel Yard) in Bloomington Indiana. I chose this subject because my grandfather, Ed Meyers, worked on the Monon Railroad as an engineer, and he took me on runs between Bloomington Indiana and Louisville Kentucky before he retired when I was 11 years old. He started out coaling steam engines in 1906 and retired in 1961, putting over 55 years into the only job he ever had.
To me, the railroad signifies the industrial growth of America and the westward expansion of our nation. The people exemplify the hard work and determination that built this country and made it what it is. This type of work ethic seems to be fading from our culture, for better or worse, and I’m glad I was able to experience the railroad on my grandfather’s terms and to give me some railroad history.
I chose to do this shoot for one of my photojournalism classes at Indiana University under my professors, Will Counts and Jeff Hardenfeld. As a long-haired hippie looking college student showing up at the yard office, I didn’t really think I would get many shots because it’s a dangerous place and I figured I would have limited access. As I laid out my plans to the yard master, I was amazed to find out that as soon as I mentioned who my grandfather was, I had total access to the yard. I could hop on and off engines at will and move freely through the yard, even traveling out to industrial areas with the crew who were more than happy to tell me stories of my grandfather and explain the workings of the freight yard.
I shot this project over the course of three months in 1973 on bulk load Tri-X. When I came across the negatives a couple of months ago, I couldn’t wait to start scanning them and working on the images. Much has changed since 1973; the Monon line doesn’t exist anymore, the track has been taken up and the rail yard has been converted into a park; although you can still see the foundation of the roundhouse from space using Google Earth. I hope you enjoy this homage to my grandfather and all the other railroad workers, past and present.
Jim
I chose to do this shoot for one of my photojournalism classes at Indiana University under my professors, Will Counts and Jeff Hardenfeld. As a long-haired hippie looking college student showing up at the yard office, I didn’t really think I would get many shots because it’s a dangerous place and I figured I would have limited access. As I laid out my plans to the yard master, I was amazed to find out that as soon as I mentioned who my grandfather was, I had total access to the yard. I could hop on and off engines at will and move freely through the yard, even traveling out to industrial areas with the crew who were more than happy to tell me stories of my grandfather and explain the workings of the freight yard.
I shot this project over the course of three months in 1973 on bulk load Tri-X. When I came across the negatives a couple of months ago, I couldn’t wait to start scanning them and working on the images. Much has changed since 1973; the Monon line doesn’t exist anymore, the track has been taken up and the rail yard has been converted into a park; although you can still see the foundation of the roundhouse from space using Google Earth. I hope you enjoy this homage to my grandfather and all the other railroad workers, past and present.
Jim