Another Film Role For Union Station and Route 66

Walking to work this morning I was greeted by film trucks up and down Clinton between old 66, i.e. Adams and Jackson. What ever is being made today must be a big, big, production. I remember last year when Doohma 2 a Bollywood action flick was being filmed here. There weren't half as many trucks, and no reporters where roaming around either. 

Panavision Employee looking up Jackson in the shadow of Union Station

I don't know when the trucks arrived but I have to assume they arrived in the middle of the night. An assumption that I will hold fast to since a large and elaborate catering operation was making breakfast for these guys on a grill trailer this morning, right in the middle of Clinton. I also have no idea what is being filmed either although most of us suspect Transformers 4. 

I got a little excited when I spotted a crowd of photographers on the next door  parking garage roof this morning. I waited with them from the comfort of my air conditioned office but no limo or anything came, and eventually they all left. 

Union Station as you can tell is no stranger to Hollywood. Last year the final fight scene in Man of Steel was filmed here. In 1950 the movie Union Station was set here and although the station used in the movie is actually LA Union Station, most of the other scenes such as the chase at the stockyards, and final tunnel scenes where filmed on location here. Other recent films of note filmed here include Public Enemy's, and the Untouchables. But, it's estimated that as many as 50 films and television shows have been filmed, in, on, or outside Union Station most of them in the past 40 years. 

Either way its good to see that the old station, a little bit of a movie star. Guess that connection to the descendent's of the Super Chief are paying off. 

The National Old Trail

Before Route 66, there was the Santa Fe Railway, and before the Santa Fe Railway was the National Old Trails Road. 

You see as you study the history of our nation, you will find that over and over again their are very few routes cut direct from the wilderness, and most tend to be built and rebuilt on, or near each other over and over. The National Old Trails Road itself essentially followed pre-existing trails from the pioneer era such as the Santa Fe Trail, and the National Road. 

The Santa Fe Railway does not follow the National Old Trail directly, since its main routes like those of the California Limited and later the Super Chief started their westward trek in Chicago. These trains would finally catch up with the National Old Trail near Kansas City, MO and follow it closely to Los Angeles. 

Route 66 travels the National Old Trail in a both direct and indirect way. Route 66 like the Santa Fe's premier passenger liners started its westward trip in Chicago. For the most part Route 66 and  the Santa Fe crisscross each other between Cicero and Joliet, IL, when the finally go their separate directions meeting up again in Las Vegas, NM or Albuquerque, NM depending on the alignment of Route 66 at the time. 

Route 66 catches up with the National

Old Trail in St. Louis, MO. However, a Route 66 breaks southwest after St. Louis, as to where the National Old Trail continues west. Route 66 meets up again with the National Old Trail in either   Las Vegas, NM or Albuquerque, NM, the the latter indicating one of the later alignments of Route 66 in which Las Vegas, and Santa Fe, NM where bypassed. 

The National Old Trail and Santa Fe Trail basically served as templates for both the Santa Fe Railway, and Route 66. Part of the reason is because this southern route allows travel from the Easts last big city to the west coast through terrain that is devoid of the mountainous terrain found further north, terrain that was taxing on locomotives, cars, and particularly travelers. 

If you study old trails you will find this type of planning common. Look at the way the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail,Transcontinental  Railway route, Lincoln Highway, US 30, and now modern I-80 all follow along the same basic path and terrain. This is a perfect example of how terrain and primitive trails can dictate travel, and interstate commerce, as is what we see with the routes predating Route 66, and Santa Fe.