Description:
In 1953, Willis McCaleb, the Nickel Plate's in-house photographer, made numberous photographs of the the railroad's workers. This example shows the station force at Hoopeston--James Hoover (left), Agent Fred Flora (center), and Don Tranbarger (right). The photograph appeared in the September 1953 issue of the Nickel Plate Road magazine on page 11. It was included in a picture story entitled "Along the Peoria Division" (first of a series of picture stories on various divisions of the Nickel Plate). The station was on the Peoria Division of the Lake Erie & Western District. Hoopeston is located on the east central edge of Illinois, and calls itself the "Sweetcorn Capital of the World.” Flora (1889-1977) lived in Paxton, 22 miles to the west, on the Nickel Plate.
Creator Description:
Willis A. McCaleb (1919-96) was the last company photograher for the Nickel Plate, working from 1950 to 1964. When the railroad was sold to the Norfolk & Western, he continued for another five years before retiring. After service in the Army in World War II, he worked as a photographer for the Chesapeake & Ohio for six years. His photos are in books edited by James M. Semon and Bruce K. Dicken.
