I was able to get a couple of pictures of the back wall of the substation from the L this morning. It is being finished with the same brick and cinderblock as the front.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Year 2, Day 180: 26 April 2014
It is an exceptionally busy and noisy day at the substation site, and i confess that, as much as i've enjoyed getting to see this project take shape over the past year and a half, i miss the simple pleasure of being able to sleep past 7AM on a Saturday morning. Hurry up and finish, guys,
i need my beauty sleep!
Ordinarily, i organize the shots in chronological order, but today they are arranged to show all that's going on from south to north, just to illustrate how much activity there is today.
Activity at track-level at the southern end of the work area:
Heavy cable is being fed off this huge spool into the building through the southern entrance:
The cinderblocks and circular saws were my least favorite part of the early morning symphony.
Here, a large stack of cinderblocks is being moved by forklift:
Once again, Farwell Ave. is closed to traffic from the CTA viaduct to Wayne Ave.
The view from north of the substation:
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Year 2, Day 176: 22 April 2014
Lots of activity at every level today. Farwell was closed to traffic while more equipment was brought in; the opening that had been blasted open with jackhammers has been cinder blocked up again; there was gravel, digging in the street, and a man in a hole at track level.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Year 2, Day 171: 17 April 2014
A few shots of the lower section of the substation. There are attractive wrought-iron sections that will fit over the semicircular windows.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Year 2, Day 164: 10 April 2014
Here is a recap of the past several days at the substation:
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| Sunday: All is calm and peaceful. The only real activity was the arrival of a fuel truck in the morning to gas up the generator. |
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| Monday evening: the ground is gradually being cleared of construction materials. |
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| Monday evening: This picture shows the contrast between the treated and untreated brick. |
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| Another view of the brickwork on Monday evening. |
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| Tuesday: Jackhammers taking out some of the cinderblocks to reopen what had been one of the portals through which the equipment had been brought into the substation previously. After the relative peace and quiet of recent weeks, the noise was a real shock to the system. |
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| Thursday: The finishing of the brickwork continues. The brick looks gorgeous, which makes me wonder once again, what if anything is planned for finishing the cinderblocked areas. The contrast between the beautiful bricks and the rough-looking cinderblocks is striking. |
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| Thursday: Bringing in another piece of equipment. |
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| Thursday: The covering over the west wall (facing the L tracks) is being taken down. I first noticed this while riding past on the L this morning, but couldn't get my camera out quickly enough to take a picture through the train window. |
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| Thursday: A closer view of the west wall. |
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Year 2, Day 159: 5 April 2014
What a pleasant surprise! Although this was supposed to be the third weekend of round-the-clock work and disruptions to the L, peace reigns supreme. Last weekend, the work--scheduled to last into the wee hours of Monday--wrapped up on Saturday afternoon, so i guess it's safe to assume that this entire phase of the job was completed well ahead of schedule. Nice work, folks!
Friday, April 4, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Year 2, Day 157: 3 April 2014
In the past couple of days, the brick facade of the substation has been getting a final coat of what i hope is a graffiti-proof finish.
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| Before and after. This picture, taken yesterday, shows how much nicer the brick will look when finished (the white blobby area to the right has been cleaned up as well, as of Thursday morning). |
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| Worker in a cherrypicker on his way to work on the upper section of the wall. The angle of the picture makes it look as though he's about to get tangled in the power lines, but he's actually at a safe distance. |
Thursday morning:
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| Finishing up in the pouring rain. |
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| A sure sign that this project is wrapping up: The two large portals through which all the substation equipment was delivered have been walled off. I'm still hoping that something will be done to cover the bare cinderblocks. They really detract from the appearance of the building, making it look a little bit like an abandoned factory. |
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