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Cane: 1938
January 1938. "Train loaded with cane on a sugar plantation near Ponce, Puerto Rico." Nitrate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/06/2019 - 11:34am -

January 1938. "Train loaded with cane on a sugar plantation near Ponce, Puerto Rico." Nitrate negative by Edwin Rosskam. View full size. Flag Cars?I think you mean flat cars. A lot of sugar plantations - at least in Hawaii - had their own narrow gauge railroads to carry the cut cane from the fields to the processing plants. [The L.O.C. record of the photographer's caption for this image says "flag cars," two words. - Dave] (The Gallery, Agriculture, Edwin Rosskam, Puerto Rico)
Serious Fun: 1942
... they all look like a scene from Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. (The Gallery, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2016 - 8:51pm -

July 1942. Klamath Falls, Oregon. "At the sideshow of the circus." Step right up, folks, and SEE the pop-eyed girl! For a paltry dime, BEHOLD the Serious Boy! Photo by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. And For a MERE Three-cents Moreyou can shake the hand of the perpetual sleeping man directly behind them. Respectably Dressed FolksAs in so many of old photos, people are neatly dressed with freshly ironed clothes. You can see the creases on the girl's blouse; it was ironed, folded and put in a drawer to come out for occasions such as this. The young man has on dress pants and also a freshly pressed shirt. The older couple behind them are the same. Anything to do with fairgrounds from the 1940s always seem ominous to me; they all look like a scene from Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
N.Y. See: 1925
... The Kramdens' apartment or, add an elevated train track and you've got Elwood Blues'. Chauncey Street Take away the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2018 - 12:35pm -

"New York Window." Glass transparency by Margaret Watkins, exhibited at the 2nd International Salon of Pictorial Photography in 1925. View full size. Before HitchcockThis picture is reminiscent of the film "Rear Window" and if you live in NYC (or any big city with buildings arranged like this) you cannot help but see into your neighbors' apartments and lives, especially if they keep their windows uncovered. While visiting relatives in New York for Christmas a few years back, we were unintentionally witnesses to seeing a family directly across the alley from us having their holiday celebration in their beautifully furnished and decorated living quarters since they constantly kept their lights on and their windows uncovered. We made an effort not to look and felt like snoops, but it would be dark there by 4 or 5 and they'd have their place all lit up. I can see how someone who couldn't leave their house would be drawn into the neighbors' business though and it was not a comfortable feeling. Talk about life in a fishbowl. Seemed like a very nice family though. I know it is easy to say "Just don't look over there" but with the placement of the buildings it was really unavoidable. [Until the binoculars broke. - Dave] Could be worseActually, in New York, this would be advertised as a "view apartment." Some people have a view of a brick wall across the air shaft. Actually, this view is kinda picturesque -- almost looks like a European village scene. The Kramdens' apartmentor, add an elevated train track and you've got Elwood Blues'. Chauncey StreetTake away the curtains and flowers and you have the Kramdens' apartment (The Gallery, NYC)
New 737: 1969
... Daylight, particularly the steam locomotives for that train. I looked on Air Cal's Wikipedia page for some sort of connection between ... 
 
Posted by Islander800 - 12/14/2012 - 8:20pm -

First generation 737 - Air California, Orange County, March 1969 I travelled an Air California flight from Orange County Airport (now John Wayne?) to San Francisco in March 1969 in the just-introduced Boeing 737. This airline is long gone, as is, I suspect, the skyline view from the boarding area where I took this shot. The 737 has proven to be a design success in over 40 years of refinement on the same airframe. Am I right in thinking the 737 was introduced before the 747? Love the paint scheme and engine configuration of this first-generation 737. View full size. Santa AnaYes, that is John Wayne airport, Santa Ana, back when it was still out in the sticks. I am an airline pilot and fly 737s in and out of SNA all the time. The airport is today completely enveloped by commercial development and requires a strict noise-abatement take-off procedure be performed to avoid a monetary fine. Worthy of note is that this airport was the first sanctioned drag strip in California, opening in 1950 using a runway as the drag strip. LIFE magazine did a feature on the "Santa Ana Drags" back in the mid-50s and the photos can be seen in the LIFE archive. Drag racing moved to Orange County International Raceway in the 1960s but it is long gone, replaced by said commercial development. 737 FirstIslander800 you are correct in your thinking. The 737 entered airline service in February 1968. The 747 entered commercial service in January 1970 (for PanAm of course). The paint job on the Air California 737 is a beauty. It reminds me of the Southern Pacific's Coast Daylight, particularly the steam locomotives for that train. I looked on Air Cal's Wikipedia page for some sort of connection between the two companies but its not there. Love that paint job!I flew Air Cal many times, along with PSA and Hughes Air West. These airlines are just part of history. I loved going to the OC airport, climbing to the second floor of the terminal and watching the arrivals and departures, free from security and related hassles. You could see the passengers boarding, the engines start and so on. My dad would take me down there to pick up a business colleague or friend. Later on, I would go on my own to hang out on the second story and watch arrivals and departures. I fondly remember PSA and their Lockheed Electra. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Masques de Guerre: 1918
... So for two years through their bandages they watch the train pull out for Blighty, while the damage which was done them in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2018 - 2:56pm -

August 1918. "Mutiles. Paris, France. Masks showing different stages in the work done by Mrs. Anna Coleman Ladd of the American Red Cross for soldiers whose faces have been mutilated in the war. The upper row shows casts taken from the faces as they actually are, the lower row shows the faces which Mrs. Ladd has modelled on the foundation of the life mask with the help of photographs taken before the wound was received & on the table may be seen some of the final masks made for fit over the disfigured part of the face & colored as exactly as possible like life." 5x7 glass negative by Henri A. Coles for the ANRC. View full size. Trench warfareSerious wounds to the head and face were not uncommon during the First World War, particularly on the Western Front where grueling trench warfare slogged on for years. Soldiers who peeked over the top of the trench were often picked off by snipers on the opposing side. Head wounds were often fatal but facial wounds frequently resulted in terrible disfiguremrnt. In the days before plastic surgery was common, masks like these made it possible for a wounded veteran to appear in public without being stared at. For the full story, the Smithsonian Magazine has a fascinating and detailed article on Anna Coleman and her labor of love in its archives. Face cases"The first morning [at the French base hospital] an officer came in to visit a friend; his face was entirely swathed in bandages, with gaps left for his breathing and his eyes. He had been like that for two years, and looked like a leper. When he spoke he made hollow noises. His nose and lower jaw and been torn away by an exploding shell. Little by little, with infinite skill, by the grafting of bone and flesh, his face was being built up. Could any surgery be more merciful? "In the days that followed I saw several of these masked men. The worse cases were not allowed to walk about. The ones I saw were invariably dressed with the most scrupulous care in the smartest uniforms, Sam Browns polished and buttons shining. They had hope, and took a pride in themselves – a splendid sign! "Perhaps you ask why the face-cases should be kept in France. I was not told, but I can guess – because they dread going back to England to their girls until they've got rid of their disfigurements. So for two years through their bandages they watch the train pull out for Blighty, while the damage which was done them in the fragment of a second is repaired." -- From "The Glory of the Trenches," by Lieutenant Coningsby Dawson, Canadian Field Artillery, 1918. (The Gallery, ANRC, WWI)
Pennsy Parthenon: 1909
... in 1963, only the above ground portion was torn down. The train tracks and lower platforms still exist. This is now the site of Madison ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/31/2017 - 4:54pm -

Manhattan circa 1909. "New Pennsylvania Station, New York, N.Y." The Beaux-Arts behemoth whose demolition in 1963 lit a fire under the nation's armchair architects. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Hold your HorsesWhile I was working in the Hotel Pennsylvania (where that hole is in the foreground) a few years ago, I realized that the bulk of the construction material for the Station, and the hotel, were brought there by horse and wagon. Now look at the size of the building materials. Did you know?That it took about nine years to build the station. It was completed about a year after this picture was taken. The building itself covers about 8 acres and is about 1150 ft. tall. When the station was demolished in 1963, only the above ground portion was torn down. The train tracks and lower platforms still exist. This is now the site of Madison Square Garden and the Penn Hotel. [Over a thousand feet tall? I definitely did not know that. - Dave] The size of itThe size and scale of the building becomes really apparent when compared to the men working on the roof. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Telluride Tracks: 1940
September 1940. "Narrow gauge railway yards, train and water tank at Telluride, Colorado." Medium format negative by Russell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/22/2019 - 9:34am -

September 1940. "Narrow gauge railway yards, train and water tank at Telluride, Colorado." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Aspen & DepotThe photo is taken from near the present location of the Cosmopolitan restaurant, looking west along what is now Depot Avenue. Most of the houses and sheds just to the right of frame are still there and in great condition. Here's a more recent photo (at night) looking west along Depot Avenue toward the original Telluride depot: Victim of the scrapyardBaldwin built #453 and fourteen of her sisters in the 125 class (later reclassed as K-27 and nicknamed “Mudhens”) in 1903 for the Denver & Rio Grande. 453 was used in her later years as a switcher in the Durango, Colorado yard, finally meeting the scrapper’s torch in 1954. The last two K-27s built are preserved and still in operation: #463 on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad running between Antonito, CO and Chama, NM, and #464 on the Huckleberry Railroad near Flint, MI. (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Cozy Depot: 1943
January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago & North Western Railroad between Chicago ... ] waits at the little railroad station for a suburban train to take him back home to Chicago. A welder who works at the rip tracks is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/08/2014 - 10:29am -

January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago & North Western Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. At the end of the trip, conductor John Wolfsmith [last seen here] waits at the little railroad station for a suburban train to take him back home to Chicago. A welder who works at the rip tracks is trying to thaw out his frozen air hose." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Detroit during 1967 Riots
... Went with grandmother on a Norfolk and Western passenger train. Had just turned 12. Remember riding a bike down a street and being ... 
 
Posted by brianvnt90 - 08/17/2012 - 8:12pm -

Another of the collection of slides. View full size. Grand River and Livernois AvenuesThis photo was taken at the intersection of Grand River and Livernois Avenues in Detroit, MI. Key to the identification is the Dawson Taylor Chevrolet sign at the far left of the image. Here is their ad that appeared in the 1967 Detroit Yellow Pages: I was there for the riots, too.Got in the morning the riots started. Went with grandmother on a Norfolk and Western passenger train. Had just turned 12. Remember riding a bike down a street and being passed by a tank. Interesting times. Saw a lot of destruction in certain parts of town. Our area stayed safe. "Commando"The vehicle may be a Cadillac Gage V-100 "Commando" Armored Car. Known as an XM-706 in the Army. Usually operated by Military Police. Not related to the Cadillac car company Cadillac Gage is now Textron Marine & Land Systems. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
A Bird in the Pan: 1943
... cooks on dining cars, and also the excellent restaurants train passengers knew were in the Loop. Sad to say, Union Station is all ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/22/2017 - 1:40pm -

January 1943. "Chicago, Illinois. In the kitchen of one of the Fred Harvey restaurants at Union Station." A tray of turkeys, a hill of beans, and thou. Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Thought bubblesThey're fashioned out of copper. Aluminium, I believeEither way, I'd guess those pans are the survivors of a larger "stash", much of which made trips over Berlin and Tokyo. Look how battered a lot of them are, and the insides as well. They've been well used and well loved. I would bet those cooks knew their business--they had to compete both with the excellent cooks on dining cars, and also the excellent restaurants train passengers knew were in the Loop. Sad to say, Union Station is all fast food now. It's still a beautiful building--my wife and I have gone there a few times, including on our honeymoon--but it's a shell of what it used to be. (The Gallery, Chicago, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc.)
Modern Signal: 1939
... in the dark with a truckload of flash apparatus. Oh, and a train might be nice, too. The Rutland Road This is most likely the main ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/16/2018 - 5:08pm -

October 1939. "Railroad crossing near Shaftsbury, Vermont." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Shades of O. Winston Link!All it needs is to be taken in the dark with a truckload of flash apparatus. Oh, and a train might be nice, too. The Rutland RoadThis is most likely the main line of the Rutland Railroad Co. The Rutland Road went into receivership on May 5, 1938, and was still operating that way when the picture was taken. It recovered a bit during WWII but lost most of its stone, milk and passenger traffic in the 1950s and was bought by the State of Vermont in 1963. It is still(?) state-owned as the Vermont Railway Inc., and does see some traffic. Shaftsbury was just north of the Rutland's connection to Troy via North Bennington, which was one of the more profitable parts of the route because it allowed traffic from Albany and points south to go north to Montreal via Rouse's Point, N.Y., without traversing of the mountains on the south and west side of Lake Champlain via Plattsburg. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Playing Along: 1958
... I see 3 rail track on the floor. Somebody has a Lionel train just out of sight. (Christmas, Kids, Pa. Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2013 - 1:36pm -

Pennsylvania circa 1958. This little boy was evidently on the "nice" list. (Isn't it funny how Santa and Uncle Bert have the same eyeglasses?) Note the abundance of mid-century tchotchkes. 35mm Kodachrome found on eBay. View full size. ArtLooks like a paint by numbers picture over Santa's head. They were very popular back then. The trains are somewhereI see 3 rail track on the floor. Somebody has a Lionel train just out of sight. (Christmas, Kids, Pa. Kodachromes)
Key System: 1939
... these tracks to the Transbay Terminal, the photo shows a train of the 3rd user, the Southern Pacific RR's Interurban Electric Railway ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 05/20/2015 - 8:37am -

April 1939. "San Francisco, California, seen from the First Street ramp of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge." Before BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) crossed the bay, there was the Key System. Photo by Dorothea Lange. View full size. KeylessWhile Key System trains with lettered routes and also Sacramento Northern Railroad trains did use these tracks to the Transbay Terminal, the photo shows a train of the 3rd user, the Southern Pacific RR's Interurban Electric Railway with numbered routes. (Dorothea Lange, San Francisco)
Where I'm Coming From: 1943
January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago and North Western Railroad between Chicago and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/24/2017 - 6:32pm -

January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago and North Western Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa." Somewhere in Illinois between Cortland and Malta, en route to Clinton. Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Romance of the RailsWhat I wouldn't give for a ride in the caboose. BarnspottingI wonder if that's the Nadig Family Farm over there on the right? Small townsTrouble with these small towns is that they all look the same, and I live right in the area where this was taken. My guess is that we see Creston in the background. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Little Girl Blue: 1931
... as if she was sitting next to two strangers on a train while little Paulina looks like she's empty of feelings. In their ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/27/2014 - 9:43am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1931. "Longworth, Paulina, with parents." Paulina (1925-1957), last seen here with her mother Alice Roosevelt Longworth, oldest daughter of Teddy, is now joined by her legal father, House Speaker Nicholas Longworth. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Mommy dearestWhat a sad picture. Alice looks totally uninvolved, as if she was sitting next to two strangers on a train while little Paulina looks like she's empty of feelings. In their own wayAlice's hands say it all. Too bad she couldn't have reached out to Paulina a bit. What was that Tolstoy said about unhappy families? (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids, Portraits)
First of the Mohicans: 1904
... at Caldwell just in time to catch the 11:25 am southbound train. She then left Caldwell to head back up to Ti at 2:45 pm and (once again ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/11/2016 - 8:02pm -

1904. "Sagamore Hotel dock, Green Island, Lake George, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. SkiffsThose row boats are what we called St Lawrence skiffs when I was a kid. My family had a cottage on the St Lawrence River at Point Vivian, near the International Bridge. Our only boat was a double oar-lock skiff very similar to the ones pictured. It was a beautifully made and maintained wooden boat, but I yearned for something with an outboard motor and drooled over the Chris-Crafts and other inboards seen at the public docks in Alexandria Bay! Mohican I (1894 - 1908)"The first Mohican [shown here] was built in Lake George Village on Pine Point. She was launched in 1894, she was 93 feet long and 17 feet wide and weighed 150 tons (the current Mo weighs 200 tons). She was propelled by a single 200 horsepower steam engine which worked a single propeller. "She wasn't originally built for the Steamboat Company, but she was later purchased by the company. The company then improved the main deck, added steam heating, carpeting, and toilets among other things. "She sailed daily from Baldwin (Ticonderoga) at 7:20 am, stopping at all of the landings when signaled to, and arrived at Caldwell just in time to catch the 11:25 am southbound train. She then left Caldwell to head back up to Ti at 2:45 pm and (once again after making all her landings) arrived in Baldwin at 6:30 pm. During busy times in the summer, she also made stops in Paradise Bay and the Narrows. "After 14 years of faithful service the Mohican (I) was retired on 1908, just as the new steel-hulled Mohican (II) was rolled into service to replace her. The first Mohican was dismantled in Ticonderoga that same year." Source: Lake George Steamboat Company. The Lake George Steamboat Company turns 200 years old in 2017. The Mohican II, which is still in service and is on the National Register of Historic Places, also has the antlers mounted at the top of the wheel house. The Mohican II is shown in the first photo below, and the other photo shows another view of the Mohican I. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Orphan Odyssey: 1924
... that in addition to the "Opera House", where "we teach and train our children every thing necessary for first class Musical Comedy and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2015 - 12:29pm -

23 Students Here After Crossing Continent on Way to Florida.         The tourists' camp in East Potomac park has been temporarily converted into a school. Twenty-three children from 3 to 19 years of age, students of the Draper's Children's Home, of Des Moines, Wash., are making their home there after a five month's trip across the continent.         They left Des Moines in June in a caravan of sleeping trucks, kitchen wagons and closed automobiles, bound for Florida, where they will pass the winter. They arrived here Friday. H.M. Draper, superintendent, heads the school-caravan.         A tutor is with the caravan and the children have daily school sessions. The report of their progress is mailed back to the superintendent of schools in Spokane, Wash., where they normally attend.         Most of the children are musicians or singers. Saturday they serenaded The Washington Post and the District commissioners and they are planning outdoor concerts here for this week. -- The Washington Post, Nov. 24, 1924 Nov. 25, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Orphans of Des Moines, Wash., at tourist camp." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. "Children's Industrial Home of Des Moines"I wonder if they didn't go to school in Spokane, but had to report back to some sort of state education board? According to the Highline Historical Society, Des Moines had 4 room school house at this time. http://www.highlinehistory.org/PHOTO_COLLECTION_FINDING_AID.pdf The Des Moines Historical Society has a fabulous monograph on the Draper's and their home. http://dmhs.org/monographs/draper-childrens-home.html Although it doesn't elaborate much on their traditional schooling, it does have some great insights into why all these orphans are musicians and singers. I love that in addition to the "Opera House", where "we teach and train our children every thing necessary for first class Musical Comedy and Vaudeville Entertainments" (as printed in a flyer c. 1915),there was an operating "Printing Plant" in which students did all the typesetting and printing for a monthly newsletter that they helped write. Not everyone was born to be an entertainer after all. It seems like the Draper's really cared for the well being of these children and were obviously aware of the struggles that would face them after leaving an orphanage or other such institution. Why Spokane?It strikes me as odd that they are reporting back to the Spokane school, which is on the opposite side of the state from Des Moines. In 1924 it was a 2 day trip from one to the other (according to my mom, who did it back then). [They're reporting back to Spokane because that's where they go to school, according to the news item. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Kids, Music, Natl Photo)
Paris Wheel
... at the cars on the Ferris Wheel. They're huge--like small train cars almost--exactly what I imagined the cars on the original Ferris ... 
 
Posted by LindseyKBrennan - 07/10/2008 - 11:39pm -

Look closely at the cars on the Ferris Wheel. They're huge--like small train cars almost--exactly what I imagined the cars on the original Ferris Wheel looked like at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. This Ferris Wheel appears to have been located in Paris, according to the writing on the bottom of the photo. I can't be absolutely positive, obviously (if anyone just so happens to be sure of the location, please let me know). According to my estimation (some of the cars are obscured by the building at the bottom), it even has 36 cars, like the original Ferris Wheel. I read in The Devil In The White City (a fantastic book by Erik Larson) that each of the cars on the original Ferris Wheel weighed 13 tons, bringing the total to about 1 million tons. Grande Roue de ParisThe Grande Roue de Paris was a 100 metre Ferris wheel built in 1900 for the Exposition Universelle world exhibition at Paris, France. It must have been bigger (328 ft) than the original Chicago Wheel (264 ft). The cars were indeed huge, they were used as homes for French families in the region devastated during WW I That was actually hereI actually have found no reference to families relocated in the cars (capable of lifting 30 persons) during WW1. Exploitation has been a financial disaster, and it has been removed in 1937. Some 50' then 70's buildings have been built there. You can imagine where the wheel was using those pairs of photos: http://parisavant.com/index.php?showimage=1337 and there http://parisavant.com/index.php?showimage=2100 (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Hanging at Rainbow Ridge: 1976
... the loading area for various incarnations of a miniature train ride. Some of it remains in the current version at the start of the Big ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 07/27/2015 - 5:42am -

Rainbow Ridge is a community of scale model and forced-perspective buildings in Frontierland in Disneyland. It traces back to the earliest days of the park, decorating the loading area for various incarnations of a miniature train ride. Some of it remains in the current version at the start of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction. I was always gaga over models, so it was one of my favorite places in Disneyland. Little did I know there was a photo of me there; in fact, my friend who took this Kodachrome slide didn't know about it either, until we came upon a box of forgotten slides at his place. I think it's around closing time, thus the absence of crowds. View full size. Great ThreadsThat shirt is FAR OUT! ShirtI remember having those shirts back then. Loved them and their mother of pearl snaps. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Downtown Atlanta (Colorized): 1864
... of right half . The title is “Atlanta, Ga. Wagon Train on Marietta Street”; however, this is in error. In fact, it was ... 
 
Posted by Rob - 08/24/2011 - 8:44am -

This is my attempt at colorizing George N. Barnard’s photograph found on the Library of Congress’s Web site - Digital file from original negative of right half. The title is “Atlanta, Ga. Wagon Train on Marietta Street”; however, this is in error. In fact, it was probably taken from the upper floor of a building at the NW corner of the intersection of Whitehall (now Peachtree) and Alabama Streets looking SE down Alabama. (See details in “Mapping Barnard's Alabama Street” at Bing map) The lamppost in the foreground is almost certainly the one from which a cannon ball ricocheted killing Solomon Luckie on 8/9/1864. Luckie was a free African American barber, and the Lamppost is still standing with reinforcements placed over the shell damage in Underground Atlanta. There are still some refinements that I would like to make to this image, but the file is so large my computer – or my old version of Photoshop – won’t take any more changes. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
Heaven and El: 1905
... standing While the church still stands the elevated train tracks were taken down in the late 1980's. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2017 - 8:54am -

Circa 1905. "Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, Massachusetts." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. In the fullness of timeThe mind fairly reels to think that this photo had to wait 112 years for its proper captioning to occur. Well done, Dave. Church is still proudly standingWhile the church still stands the elevated train tracks were taken down in the late 1980's. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC, Railroads)
Utah Copper: 1942
... 1942. "Utah Copper -- Bingham Mine. Brakeman of an ore train at the open-pit mining operations of Utah Copper Company at Bingham ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2017 - 4:34pm -

November 1942. "Utah Copper -- Bingham Mine. Brakeman of an ore train at the open-pit mining operations of Utah Copper Company at Bingham Canyon, Utah." Photo by Andreas Feininger for the Office of War Information. View full size. Snowflakes need not apply. I had the pleasure of knowing a few railheads that worked during this period. They worked hard, drank hard and generally lived hard. And on occasion some of their associates died hard. The Hours of Service Law was set at 16 hours at the time. Webster's definition of 'tough' fell short. The rail car in the picture is an air dump. The cargo container rotated slightly along the long axis of the car, enabling the contents (ore in this case) to be quickly dumped wherever desired. The dump was activated by compressed air, hence the need for multiple air hoses. On occasion an air dump car would self activate while moving on the main, resulting in some interesting outcomes. Bad orderThose severely deformed ladders and grab irons would easily render this car unusable if it was employed in 'interchange service" with the national rail network. I presume that it is used in "isolated service," hence no one gives a flying hoot about safety standards. (The Gallery, Andreas Feininger, Mining, Railroads)
Hamming It Up: 1951
... Then the most frightening ride was the old passenger train on which actors boarded and staged a train robbery. This had to be discontinued though because of a 'heart attack' ... 
 
Posted by woodchuck - 12/29/2009 - 4:57pm -

Knott's Berry Farm Buena Park, CA. 1951. My Mom, Dad and Maternal Grandmother in the 'Pitchur Gallery' at Knott’s Berry Farm. During the 50's Knott's was not commercialized as today. Then the most frightening ride was the old passenger train on which actors boarded and staged a train robbery. This had to be discontinued though because of a 'heart attack' by a passenger who sued. Today the park is more about modern wild amusement rides than a historical replica of the Wild West days. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Geo. Barnard)
California Western Railroad
The station for the "Skunk Train" in Fort Bragg, California. One of many Kodachromes taken by Ruth Cooper, ... in 1923-24. The soft yellow with added "Skunk" train emblem and railroad name on the crest of the roofline came with the ... 
 
Posted by d4xycrq - 02/07/2014 - 7:57pm -

The station for the "Skunk Train" in Fort Bragg, California. One of many Kodachromes taken by Ruth Cooper, Pocasset, MA. View full size. 1965The lovely little passenger depot (in Colonial Revival style) at Fort Bragg, California is so familiar to me. This view was taken circa 1965, or slightly after. Before '65 it was painted white with black sash and gray trim, the "colors" it wore since its construction in 1923-24. The soft yellow with added "Skunk" train emblem and railroad name on the crest of the roofline came with the re-introduction of summer-season steam passenger excursion trains, a.k.a. the "Super Skunk." Man, does, this photo take me back. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Full Steam Ahead: 1913
... a lever is swung into the first car from the side. As the train moves the lever pries the rock out of the cars to the open side. In ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2014 - 4:59pm -

"Panama Canal excavation, 1913." The world's most celebrated shortcut marks its centennial this month. Copy negative; Harris & Ewing glass plate. View full size. Blast Hole DrillsHere is a beautiful restoration of a similar blast hole drill, although this one is run by a gas engine, instead of piped in steam or air... http://youtu.be/h-A6qXwfe-Y?list=UUFi8qTmbq8tIIyCap45cEGA Moving the shovelBeside winding up with a very useful canal, this operation showed the way to large open pit mining that followed in places like Utah and Minnesota. The same equipment was used there. The shovels are steam operated and move on railroad track. There are outriggers near the front to stabilize the shovel while digging. On this type of shovel only the boom swings to load the railroad cars. The same railroad that took the rock away also delivered coal and water to the shovels and drills. In normal digging the shovel was supported on short panels of track, about 10 feet long. As the shovel dug its way forward a track gang would leap frog the panels from the rear of the shovel to the front. I can't tell for sure who made these particular shovels but the shovels used for the canal were made by the Bucyrus and Marion companies. Both made similar machines. It appears in the picture that they are laying track to back the first shovel out of the cut to get it out of the way of the other shovel and prepare for the next blast. The machines on the bench above the trains are drills, drilling holes in the rock for the next blast. Before the blast can take place, both shovels have to be moved out and the tracks have to be removed. Then the holes can be filled with that new fangled dynamite and the rock can be blasted, the rail re-laid, and the shovels moved back in to start digging. The railroad track was also probably panels to speed up assembly and disassembly, sort of like Lionel track. A crane would come along and lift out 39 ft long panels, ties and all, and put them on a flat car behind it. The process would be repeated in reverse to lay new track. The railroad cars are flat cars with a bulkhead on one side. At the dump where they are unloaded a lever is swung into the first car from the side. As the train moves the lever pries the rock out of the cars to the open side. In later operations, side dump cars were used where the car bed itself was tilted to the side with air cylinders to dump the load. It was very labor intensive, dangerous, hard work to do these things, especially in the tropical heat. Hats off to these guys. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Sunset on Fotomat: 1978
... Fotomate just a year before this! I had worked hard to train for it, and it was a pretty good job, overall. I had only worked there ... 
 
Posted by rizzman1953 - 10/20/2012 - 1:25pm -

Bedford, Massachusetts, circa 1978. The end is near for this kiosk and many like them across the country. After the demise it turned into a video rental store; now it is gone. It was in the Bedford Plaza. All gone now. Taken on Ektachrome 35mm film. View full size. Almost a miracleIt was something of a revolution, not having to wait a week for the pharmacy (or Kodak's mail-in service) to get your prints back to you. But quality wasn't as much of a priority -- prints too dark, too light, or speckled with dust was the tradeoff for speed. A nicely captured bit of modern history. (Did anyone ever actually USE a roll of Fotomat-branded film?) Fotomat FotomateI was a Fotomat Fotomate just a year before this! I had worked hard to train for it, and it was a pretty good job, overall. I had only worked there for a few months, though, when my husband graduated from college at BYU and we had to move to Lexington, Kentucky for grad school. Unfortunately, there was no Fotomat there. Only two years later, when we returned to Utah, Fotomat was just going under. I heard that the creator of it ran off with his secretary and the investor's money, or something on that order. I thought the film was fine, and the service generally was, too. Sometimes, things were late coming back and people would yell at me, like they thought I had a darkroom in that little 6X6 building, and did the developing myself! There were dozens of imitators, for the few years that it was around. Every parking lot of any size had either a Fotomat or an imitator, for a few years, there. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
King George V and Queen Mary
... nose. I had a good view of him when he passed in the train. We all lined the track and cheered him as he slowly went by looking very ... 
 
Posted by erilor - 06/13/2014 - 8:32pm -

King George V and Queen Mary attending a military function, accompanied by Canadian Army officers (notice the maple leaf cap badges of the officers standing behind the VIPs). The reverse of the photo is stamped "Geo. Collard, Press Photographer, 19, Hartfield Crescent, Wimbledon, S.W. 19". This photo belonged to my great-grandfather Frank H. Briggs of Hamilton, Ontario, who was a dentist in the British Army. Not sure of the date, but judging by the King's appearance, probably the 1930s (he died in 1936). View full size. Probably before 1921This photo was taken during 1902-1921. The officers are wearing their rank on the sleeve cuffs, except for the King and the generals who wear their rank on their shoulders. This system was changed in 1921 when all officers began wearing rank on their shoulders. Also, the dresses and hats of the women look pre-1920. Regarding the King, his expression suggests, "Another endless parade". UpdateSince submitting the photo, I've uncovered a bit more information. I believe it was taken on 4 February 1915 during WW I when the King reviewed 30 000 troops of the Canadian Division on Salisbury Plain in England, prior to their embarkation for the continent. Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener was also present at the review - that may be him seated to the left of the Queen. This would be consistent with DoninVa's comment below. [It's not Kitchener. -tterrace] Very depressedI would very much like to know the identity of the fellow with the white moustache sitting to the left of Queen Mary. I considered Kitchener, Douglas Haig, Edwin Alderson, Sam Hughes. I don't believe he's any of those. And definitely not Kitchener, who was a big chap (see below, on left, with distinctive moustache). In a letter to his mother, written on February 5, 1915, 22-year-old John Francklyn Peters, a Canadian private who died in the Second Battle of Ypres on April 24 that same year, wrote from Salisbury Plain, "The King and Kitchener together with a small army of generals and a stray admiral reviewed us yesterday. We were stationed just opposite the royal stand so we were able to see nearly all the contingent march past. It certainly was a wonderful sight. [...] Kitchener said that there had been a great improvement since he last reviewed the Canadians. He himself looked quite a mild, good-natured old man. His mustache is quite gray. He towered head and shoulders above the others. The King looks very worried and has rather a strawberry nose. I had a good view of him when he passed in the train. We all lined the track and cheered him as he slowly went by looking very depressed. This was our farewell review before going to France." IdentificationThe gentleman in question is Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. He was the third son of Queen Victoria and uncle to King George V. He was a lifelong soldier, a British Field Marshal, and despite his age was very active during WW1. He had also served as Governor General of Canada in the years preceding WW1 and the famous regiment of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the "Princess Pat's" which was named for his daughter Patricia and she served as it's honorary Colonel in Chief until her death. (Then taken over by her goddaughter and namesake Lady Patricia Brabourne, daughter of Earl Mountbatten) The Duke survived until 1942. I would imagine that this photo was taken around 1916-1919. The King was seen in uniform throughout the war years and for a good part of 1919 as there were still many commemorative events. The age of Princess Mary, the King's daughter, who is also in the front row would correspond to these dates as well. Other royals shown: Princess Beatrice (Queen Victoria's youngest daughter) is next to Queen Mary, the young woman one seat down from the Duke of Connaught is Princess Mary and next to her is Princess Helena Victoria, the King's cousin. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Midnight Special (Colorized): 1957
... & Western Ry in its last years of steam operation. The train is the "Birmingham Special" en-route from Washington, DC via Bristol, VA in December, 1957. Southern Ry handled the train from Washington to Monroe, VA with N&W taking it to Bristol where ... 
 
Posted by RR Jim - 11/15/2013 - 9:09pm -

Colorized from this Shorpy original. My take on the O. Winston Link Rural Retreat, VA photo. The original B&W is one of many classic photos Mr. Link shot on the Norfolk & Western Ry in its last years of steam operation. The train is the "Birmingham Special" en-route from Washington, DC via Bristol, VA in December, 1957. Southern Ry handled the train from Washington to Monroe, VA with N&W taking it to Bristol where Southern Ry resumed the operation on to Birmingham, AL. The locomotive us one of N&W's famous class J 4-8-4's. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
The Greatest Generation: 1922
... in addition to the plentiful sand and that would be the train engine and the metal shovel (which could be made into a lethal weapon if ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2016 - 10:19am -

Washington, D.C., 1922. "Children playing in sand." We'd love to stay and chat, but our trike is double-parked. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Hey Nanny, pay attention!Something has captured the attention of the governess who is completely turned around and looking the other way, not at the children. I see only two toys here in addition to the plentiful sand and that would be the train engine and the metal shovel (which could be made into a lethal weapon if swung around one's head). Imagine seven youngsters all being happy and occupied with just a massive pile of sand to play with. Times really were a lot simpler then. I clearly remember also that even in recent years, people still used insect netting on baby buggies to protect their infants and every child had to be taken outdoors for fresh air on a daily basis. The picture's title is thought-provoking too as just 18 to 20 yrs. later, these toddlers may have been fighting WW2. Cherish your babies parents. Kids grow up too fast and life is short. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)
American Smelting: 1938
... Model trains Another photo of someone's outstanding HO train set. Other modelers say odd things like "You've got a nice water tower." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2018 - 11:14am -

November 1938. "Largest smelting furnace in the world. Omaha, Nebraska." Photo by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Gone but not forgottenPlant closed in 1999, and is now a superfund site. http://www.kvnonews.com/2014/05/omaha-stand-15-years-epa-cleanup/ http://omahamagazine.com/articles/tag/american-smelting-and-refining-co/ Model trainsAnother photo of someone's outstanding HO train set. Other modelers say odd things like "You've got a nice water tower." "Nice smoke effect." (The Gallery, Factories, John Vachon, Omaha, Railroads)
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