Chicago El Train — Elevated Railway Loop
203.73 $
The Chicago ‘L’ elevated railway photographed from below in the Loop district — the steel lattice station and track structure emerging from the canyon of office buildings, a train approaching in a shower of brake sparks.
Description
Chicago’s ‘L’ — elevated railway — has operated continuously since 1892 and its Loop district track circuit, which circles the central business district above street level, is one of American urban infrastructure’s most photogenic legacy elements: the steel I-beam columns and cross-bracing that support the track at second-storey height create a characteristic overhead grid that both defines and reduces the Loop’s street-level environment. This photograph was made from a position on Wabash Avenue beneath the track at the point where a curve in the alignment forces the approaching Brown Line train to apply its brakes — the resulting friction producing the characteristic spray of iron sparks that lights up the underside of the track structure with momentary orange flashes. A 1/500 second exposure was used to freeze the sparks at maximum definition while retaining the ambient illumination of the surrounding building facades. The Chicago winter light creates the image’s characteristic cool blue-grey palette.
