Carved stone panel depicting a bi-directional electric locomotive, located on the facade of the ComEd 16th Street substation at 1618-1620 South Prairie Avenue. Most electric locomotives are bi-directional for flexibility of use, eliminating the need to turn them around to reverse the route. The stylized trees behind the train, and the detailing of the frame, show the influence of the Art Deco style. The substation was designed by architect Hermann V. von Holst in 1925 and completed the next year. It was one of dozens of substations designed by von Holst for Commonwealth Edison in the 1910s and 1920s to power the CTA elevated trains and traditional railroads. This particular substation is one of several placed into service in the summer of 1926 to serve the nearby Illinois Central Railroad (now the Metra Electric), which switched to electric service in August of that year.
The building, constructed on the site of the former Robert H. Law mansion, features Flemish bond brickwork with alternating stretchers and headers (the short ends of the bricks), which were burnt to provide visual contrast. The facade also features tilework and additional carved stone panels. The panel shown here is located at the top center portion of the facade, directly above the middle of three huge brick arches.