Alley--now and then

[kiev4a]

I shot essentially the same photo, from the same spot, in black and white, 30 years ago. Alleys don't change much.




Here's the high contrast print I made about 1970. I may have the original negative around somewhere. The building on the left has been "remodeled" somewhat since then and the first photo ws shot from a position that defined the doorways and windows better (wider angle lens, too). I may have to go by there again and try to get the same angle as the original photo. I suspect there were just as many overhead wires in 1970--they just don't show up in high contrast.

[doubs43]

No wonder it doesn't change; It's blocked on one end! LOL

Do you have the original B&W image you took all those years ago? It would be nice to compare.

Lotta detail in that image. It could be almost any city in the US. Nice shot.

Walker

[PeterW]

Wayne,
Nice detailed clear shot. It'll change one day and then you'll have two 'what it was like' pictures, plus the opportunity for a comparison 'what it's like now' shot.

I couldn't help noticing the masses of untidy overhead cables, and I've noticed the same thing in US films in scenes shot in city back alleys. What do they all carry? I can understand the masses of telephone lines along the rail tracks in your picture of the loco (nice one!) because of the vast distances in the US. But in the towns?

In the UK, at least in the south east where I am, overhead cables are very seldom seen except in a few country districts. In the towns almost every cable was put underground some years ago, or the owners would have had an environmental injunction slapped on them.

When I first bought my house 35 years ago we still had overhead telephone lines, and there was a telephone pole (we still called them telegraph poles when I was a kid) at the bottom of my back garden feeding a distribution bracket and big ugly junction box on the side of my house with overhead cables to about ten other houses. They'd been there for years and years, and the company paid me £3 (about $4.50) a year 'wayleave' rent which also hadn't changed for years.

When the telephone cables were put underground the company took the pole and all the wiring away but left the empty junction box and bracket hanging on my house.

After months of asking them to come and take it away and make good the brickwork pointing, but with no response, I sent them a pro-forma invoice for £100 for removing the bracket and box and a further £100 for disposing of them environmentally, payment within 30 days, with the alternative of £5000 a year wayleave for them being there. I didn't expect a response, but they were removed two days after they got my letter - and the pointing was made good. Not a word from the company. Co-incidence? Yeah!! .

PeterW

[kiev4a]

Peter:

Some of the recently developed areas have underground power and telephone. In fact, our neighborhood which was developed in the late '70s has underground utilities. But the line running into the area is on poles as are the power lines along most roads and streets. In fact, just down the road from us they are replacing a 60- or 70-year-old transmission line with a new one with even taller poles. There is a big project under way to get all telephone lines underground but not power. Don't know if it's the same in the Eastern U.S. but I think it's the same way out side the metro areas. It's a lot cheaper to build, I'm sure. Of curse, when we get high winds or and ice storm everything turns to -----.
Here the utility companies have government granted rights-of-way along roads, streets and alleys so they don't have to pay the property owners anything. The new cell phone towers are different. they have to pay property owners for them.

[doubs43]

kiev4a said:

Peter: Here the utility companies have government granted rights-of-way along roads, streets and alleys so they don't have to pay the property owners anything. The new cell phone towers are different. they have to pay property owners for them.

In fact, property owners who want power run to a new home or building where none previously existed must pay for the poles, installation, wires etc. and then the power companies own the new right-of-way. At least that's my understanding.

Peter, here's how telephone lines used to be run in the US years back. I cropped this from a much larger image. Note the glass insulators that each line is attached to. People actually pay for those things now.... antiques I suppose.



Walker