Note in FLIMSIES from the Chicago Tribune that the Illinois Railway Museum has been awarded the large sign that for years adorned the top of the building that housed Santa Fe headquarters in Chicago. This sign was a landmark sitting on the top of the white terra cotta building at 224 South Michigan Avenue and overlooking Grant Park. Kudo's to IRM for being able to add this gem to their wonderful collection of railroad imagery!

Les

After I posted the above, I got to checking into this a little bit. For the many years that I commuted into Chicago on the old IC (now METRA), this sign at the top of the 224 S. Michigan Avenue building had a SANTA FE centered on the buildings roof in large white letters, and to the left of those letters, the old Santa Fe herald, which I think might have been blue and white. Many of the photos I have seen on the internet, show only the letters; no herald. So, did IRM get just those letters, or did they get the herald too?

Les

I remember the sign, but it was hard for me to judge how large it really was. Fortunately Bob Kutella posted a picture in the IRM Blog of the sign laid out on the grass. Its pretty darned big!

http://www2.irm.org/blogs/

Scroll down to find the "First Look" entry.

Pete Schmidt

"Thought it was bigger."

Steve