Another Fine Job by Ponchaveli

Yesterday, while the temperature was still under 100 degrees F., venturing out was done in a abbreviated version. There were several projects that I wanted to check to see how they have changed. It never fails. There is always a discovery that turns up as a serendipitous event. For years, I have well discovered the old biblical saying that where the Lord closes one window, He opens another. In this case, it was shoe stores. One popular shoe store near Love Field closed and yesterday, I discovered on a walk-about a very nice shoe store that I have missed somehow. And, who happened to be celebrating their two year anniversary in business. They liked the printed canvas.  I even found one print pattern on one of their shoes that I have on the canvas low cuts.

Then, as I have done for 16-years, I either walk or drive down one Deep Ellum street and this street really is a named alley. My first trip down that street (alley) was when I was doing the research for the Fortune 100 for a Deep Ellum Foundation grant. This garage door was open and the sound of voices was coming at me. As it turned out, I'm standing in the owners living room by accident. Since then, I have discovered it is a loft and a photo studio. Yesterday, as I turned onto the alley, I saw the man sitting in the alley in a chair with camera on his lap. A photo shoot was going on and the assist personnel were changing models. Work is work and while it might have been observed for a while longer on foot, I was in the car and did not want to distract. It's kind of like shooting and some wiseguy goes by on the street and blows his horn to distract or break your concentration. I didn't want to be that guy with the horn if you understand the thought here.

On the crossover from Deep Ellum to downtown, I wanted to see Jackson street as it comes out on Harwood. The news that DART might be running the new rail line underground rather than down the middle of Jackson Street had me curious. First Presbyterian Church is a beautiful architectural domed feat and it is also a very active church with Dallas' homeless. So, it makes sense to run the train subway-style rather than on-grade right through the First Presbyterian campus. The two Masonic Temples on the opposite corner agree.

I drove Jackson (which to me is more of an alley than a street) down to Lamar and then took Commerce Street across the Trinity to a place that is a source of colorful art. Some would call tags or graffiti. It's also a noted place for photographers. It is somewhat common property for shooting but there is a respectfulness between artist and photographers. That's the part I like best. It's old school respect that my grandfathers knew as a deal with a handshake. While there, a guy told me about an artist (who he did not know by name) that was just about to finish a mural of Mohammad Ali nearby. In a flash, I was on my way to check it out. I had been waiting for the so-called "break out" when someone would do a large scale mural of Ali. This was the photo call so to speak. I was stunned. Not only was the mural a living tribute, the artist, Ponchaveli, was still there. I was able to get some shots and with a signed release, submitted the image to a world-wide live feed. The image is up an running as I write this.

There is so much going on in Dallas. Things are happening all over the Metroplex. Every one is chomping at the bit to get the first shots of the "THE STAR" the new home of the Cowboys in Frisco. Friday was the last day at Valley Ranch, the home for the past 31-years. For those of you that don't know..... that's the office or where the players go to work every day. The AT&T Stadium is where the games are played. Two seperate venues. I'm more interested with what is going to happen to the old place in Valley Ranch.

Now that hot weather has set in..... it's up early in the cool of the day now and I'll be shooting with morning sun rather than mid afternoon over my shoulders. The change will show up in the images. However, I am still having focus issues with the camera at the present time. I need to call support and talk to them again about the issues, but, until then I work around it the best that I can.

The old Pythian Temple in Deep Ellum--if ever there was a building that needed to be restored to its days of grandeur, this is it! The ball room is on the 5th floor.

The barrier between downtown and Deep Ellum appears to be coming down. The real question is when? The view looks west into downtown on Elm street.

If you want to see the full image, go to my home page, click on the far right tab, scroll down to the button "alamy", click it on and either click on the dallaspaparazzo above the search box or type in Ali mural in Dallas, but for the next 24-30 hours check the live news feed first.

The Trains at Fair Park Are Thinning

The next consist to move at month's end

The brakes are being rebuilt.

The Big Boy on the left. Over 1 million pounds of steel!

     The old trains at the former Museum are just about gone. The next big consist is being readied to move across the Union Pacific tracks out of Fair Park to the BNSF yard in Irving before being moved those final miles to the new Museum at Frisco. Looking at what's left, shows the years of neglect while on display at Fair Park.
     Of course, the Big Boy move will be the last to go. It is the biggest locomotive under steam that I have ever seen. I must say that. This is the one that everyone has been waiting to see on live rail again. The enjoyment of seeing an old steam locomotive under it's own power moving on the tracks is still exciting. To see this locomotive under it's own power will be an experience of a life time.
     Meanwhile--here are a few pictures from Fair Park. There are a couple taken from the other side of a chain link fence and the slight grey blur is the camera's reaction to the object in the lens. The Facebook page for the museum is saying that the move will be March 31. That's a Sunday and the TRE will not be running. That means that the trip should have live rail free from traffic to move to Frisco. It would not be expected to have this piece of equipment sitting on a yard siding at Mockingbird or Irving yard. It would be assumed that it will move non-stop from Fair Park to Frisco in one move. That is, of course, just an assumption. There is a little bit of politics being played out by a few and that always spoils the broth some.

A Train of Trains

History moving up the road from Dallas to Frisco. This is the consist of the hospital move of two engines and two diesels on their own wheels. It had left Irving about 45 minutes prior from this spot and from the Gribble siding going north toward Carrollton.

Just north of Gribble siding. The train behind waited as this consist passed it on the right, then back on the main track .

The Santa Fe diesel familiar to every one at Fair Park

Spot No7 and another moved as a hospital move

Chained Down and 20'06" on the move

Moving on the Rails (1 of 2 post)

The tank cars were used for support in the move and are not part of the museum collection.

The Last Car

Here are a few images of the old rail cars moving to a museum as they passed between the Medical District and the Wye at Irving where they are spending at least one night.