Due to anonymity concerns I don't usually get to name the platoon of contributors who help me with my information gathering operations. Other times they are simply friends or family I am able to browbeat into going on a photo mission for me. One such friend was Chris Meadows and although he was not at all a railfan or rail industry professional, when IU tower in Indianapolis was faced with impending demolition, Chris went out of his way to get me some photos for no other reason than I asked.
This week Chris was killed by a hit and run driver in a fat tired Bro SUV while biking around Indianapolis. Although not a rail enthusiast Chris preferred public transport and bicycle transportation and was a consummate urbanist. Chris' passion was reading and writing and had been a long time contributor to the e-Reading news website Teleread.org. I made his acquaintance years ago in a fiction group and the work and enthusiasm he put into his interests was a positive force in the lives of those around him. Chris and I have different hobbies, but we both engaged in non-market driven, hyper niche reporting because if we don't do it nobody else will as all the real money seems to be in promoting conspiracy theories 😢
Unfortunately I didn't get to use the photos Chris got for me back in May of 2019. I figured I was going to do an "IU Tower Demolished" post, but the event happened without fanfare or demo photos and they just sat on my drive. Nevertheless they are still an important part of the historical record so I am sharing them below.
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| The last days of IU, May 2019 |
2020 has been a very challenging year for a large number of reasons. If there is one takeaway it's keep yourself safe. If you're taking some risks getting some rail photos, keep your head on a swivel. If you're following all the rules riding your bike downtown it's not going to stop some dude bro from rolling coal right over you. Stay alert, be prepared, have a plan and let your friends and family know how much you care about them.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Thanks for telling us about him.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteHowever IU demolition pictures DO exist.
Look on the fourth page on this forum
http://indianarailroads.org/board/index.php?topic=21181.0
I am Indyspy on that forum, and if you ever need a central Indiana contributor let me know.
The other interesting thread on that forum is a long long thread detailing the entire PTC swapover of most of the Central Indiana ex CR lines. There are photos of mine, of the 2018 IU reconfiguration
http://indianarailroads.org/board/index.php?topic=15615.0
Like I said I was expecting to see photos and such of the demo, but just never did. I normally do not actively seeking out bad news. :-( Thanks for the info tho.
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