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Swartzell R.R.: 1925
December 11, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Margaret Swartzell -- Swartzell railroad system." Not just a model train, it's a "system" -- who can ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:55pm -

December 11, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Margaret Swartzell -- Swartzell railroad system." Not just a model train, it's a "system" -- who can tell us more? National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. A frustrated engineer!According to that 1934 Popular Science article, Mr. Swartzell had attended the railroad engineering program at the U of I, Urbana-Champaign, which was one of the two most respected programs in steam locomotive design at the time (the other was Purdue--you know, the "Boilermakers"). Mr. Swartzell, it seems, had real talent. I'm sure he made excellent money in his father's real estate business, but technology must have been a hard thing to give up. Especially such a romantic technology--the call of a steam whistle still tugs at our heartstrings to this day. I suppose it was for the best, though. Steam was essentially dead within 25 years of this photo. A practical treatiseEarly model railroaders used mechanisms from England. English models were built to 7mm = 1 foot (1:43). When the Americans compared the size of locomotives it was thought that ¼ inch = 1 foot (1:48) was close enough. The boilers were made of lead pipe solder (origin of the phrase "lead pipe modelers"). Details were cast in homemade patterns. Tin cans and old crates were used for various parts. The commercial model kits were very expensive. Railroads had their apprentices build working models of steam engines in larger scales for practice. Lindsay Publications Inc. has old books on this subject. Railroad Real EstateFrom Popular Science, Oct. 1934. GrungyDidn't they ever clean anything back then? Maybe they were going for an authentic rail yard look. What's that hanging from the spider web under the table? Bug? Leaf? Booger? The system must be larger than what we see here; looks like it goes through a tunnel in the wall in that back corner. The Man's domainI doubt very much that Mrs. Swartzell ventured down in the basement (or out to the garage, just as likely) to dust the train set. Our basements over the years were cement or dirt floors where spiders and other buggly critters abounded. Obviously Mr. Swartzell cared little about dusting the odd footprint off the platform (probably had to plug and unplug from the ceiling light every time he wanted to use the trains). He probably had more interest in playing with his trains than worrying about whether or not the odd cocoon or spider eggball hung from the bottom of his tracks. J.N. Swartzell...and from Popular Mechanics, 1925 PiffleIt's not as exaborate as the basement railway of two friends in the 50s whose father worked for Lionel. I coveted the GG1, and the sound of trains going over the maze of switches in the rail yard they parked in. Amazing model railroad for the time.What is most amazing about this model railroad is that it is two rail at a time when toy trains like Lionel and American Flyer were three rail. The effort that went into insulating all the wheels on all the locomotives and rolling stock is mind boggling since all the modern plastics and adhesives we have today were unknown and not available. The two major model railroad magazines, "Model Railroad Craftsman" and "Model Railoroader" go back to the early 1930's so there were not a lot of resources for Mr. Swartzell to refer to. "Every Bit of the System Hand-Built!"If the Popular Science article is correct and this fellow built everything in the photographs himself, by hand, that's not a "piffling" achievement. It's an accomplishment that deserved every bit of recognition he received, in my opinion. Eddie LaytonA friend of mine who passed away a few years ago, Eddie Layton, was the organist at Yankee Stadium. He had a model railroad collection that he assembled over many years. It ran on a reinforced plywood panel about 12 feet by 10 feet. He lived in an apartment in Forest hills, Queens. He had it in his living room, rigged to lines that he could lower from the ceiling to the floor. Eddie was the subject of a well known Trivia question, "Who was the man that played for the Yankees, Knicks and Rangers in the same season?" The answer was of course Eddie, as he was also the organist at Madison Square Garden. Ironically he also played for the NY Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum for a few of those seasons as well. Fair River JunctionMr. Swartzell's layout was also featured in a 1929 article in Machinists Monthly Journal, the "Official Organ of the International Association of Machinists." Fortunately, that issue is available in PDF format courtesy of Georgia State University Library. (link to PDF [3.2 MB], article begins on pg. 584.) The photos in that article, poorly rendered within the PDF, are also in the LOC archives. Perhaps Dave will share them with us one day. A few excerpts... The "railroad" is supposed to be located in a valley of the Alleghenys, with the mountains away to the west and north. The main line stretches westward, enters a tunnel, swings around a long loop and returns, down the banks of a river, across a steel bridge, to the terminal. In the west foreground is the roundhouse, with turntable, coal dock, oil, sand and supply house, etc. Behind it is the back shop, with two "drop-pits" for light repairs and, beside it, the freight and storage yards. "To the east is the coach yard and the express and freight depot while the main switch tower and dispatcher's office are opposite the passenger depot, with a maze of switches and crossovers between. The town lies beyond the main line, on the river flats, with hotel, farm houses, residences, etc. Highways run across the flats and up into the mountains. Everything is accurately built to a scale of one-fourth of an inch to the foot. ... "It is not, as has been stated, a reproduction of the B. & O. Mountain Division," Mr. Swartzell said. "It is, however, a faithful copy of B. & O. equipment located at an imaginary mountain division point which I have called 'Fair River.'" ... The passenger rolling stock consists of Pullmans, day coaches, observation and chair cars, baggage, mail, express and express refrigerators and even combination mail, baggage and express cars. The freight equipment is equally varied, but much of it is out of date and must be replaced when, as Superintendent Swartzell says, "the appropriations for maintenance of equipment permit." ... "That tunnel is a problem," Swartzell confided. "It is right at the foot of a steep grade with sharp curves. "The worst wreck the division ever had occurred right inside it. You have recently written something about freak wrecks. This was a queer one. "We sent out a solid express and baggage train and a freight right behind it, westbound. A careless baggageman left a door open and some trunks fell out on the opposite main. The freight had been swung over on the east-bound main so it hit the trunks and piled up. We had a lot of trouble picking up the wreckage and clearing the line." Sidenote: This basement looks so typical of the row-homes in D.C: exposed brick walls and beams spanning the width of the house. One of the first things that caught my eye was the brickwork: another fine vernacular sample of "American" or "Common" bond. Fascinating!The little Girl couldn't have been more perfect for this photo! Her expression is priceless. Then there's the detail in the buildings, cars and engines. The engineer who designed this layout had the passion! If one looks under the left half of the table, one clearly sees whatlooks to be left over track. And the water tower! Very nice. There's quite a bit going on here. CellargatorMy great-aunts bought a tiny alligator back from their jaunt to Florida in the 1920s. Back then, those living souvenirs were all the rage. After a few months, it disappeared from its tank. They figured it would show up dessicated under a radiator within a few months. Three years later, one of them went down to shovel coal for the stove. She heard a loud hissing and saw red eyes glowing down in a corner underneath the foundation, behind the coal cellar. They got the fire department and the police to kill the "monster," which was now about three feet long. It had dug itself a nice warm wet hole in the dirt floor, where it survived eating rats and stray cats and squirrels. The hide was nailed to the garage, where it still freaked me out 40 years later. End of the LineWashington Post, Nov. 20, 1937 J.N. Swartzell's Funeral Is Set for Tomorrow Funeral services for John N. Swartzell, retired Washington business man, will be held at 11 a. m. tomorrow at his home, 2725 Thirty-sixth place northwest. Burial will be in Rock Creek Cemetery. Swartzell, who was 47-years-old, died Thursday at his home. He retired in 1925 from the firm of Swartzell, Rheem & Hensey because of ill health. His father, G. W. F. Swartzell, was one of the founders of the firm, which failed in 1931. Born in Washington, Swartzell was educated at Friends School and at George Washington University, where he was a member of Theta Delta Chi. He was a past president and honorary member of the Civitan Club, secretary of the board of managers of the Methodist Home and a director of the Columbia National Bank. He was also a past master of Temple Noyes Masonic Lodge and a member of Mount Pleasant Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Anna Drury Swartzell; a daughter, Margaret Swartzell; a sister, Mrs. C. C. Davis, and a brother, Henry R. Swartzell. All live in Washington. B&O Jr. According to the July 1936 issue of Model Railroader the name of the railroad was "The B&O Jr." The article notes that Mr. Swartzell began construction of his model railroad "shortly after the end of the war." (The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, Railroads)
Smallville: 1929
... 5, 1929. Washington, D.C. "Miniature R.R. of John N. Swartzell." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. ... steam loco? Impressive I'm duly impressed with Mr. Swartzell's modeling skills, in 1929 he couldn't purchase much (if any) scale ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:56pm -

August 5, 1929. Washington, D.C. "Miniature R.R. of John N. Swartzell." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Miniature weatherScale model snow on the railroad cars and locomotives. Neat. Actually, would snow adhere to the main part of a steam loco? ImpressiveI'm duly impressed with Mr. Swartzell's modeling skills, in 1929 he couldn't purchase much (if any) scale equipment. About all he purchased commercially in this photograph is the rail. Looks Handmade This pic shows attention to detail that is amazing. Whats more impressive is that this train set looks like it predates the trains we had in the 50s and 60s. The engines and cars look to be handmade out of wood or something. I am impressed. Is that supposed to be snow or sand on some of the cars? Nice, butIt's missing stray dogs, a baseball game and roaming chickens. ScaleWow! There are things on this layout that rival work of the great modelers today. One item is the forced perspective; where you model a building smaller than the rest of the structures so that it looks like it is in the distance. Does Mr. Swartzell's layout still exist?Model train villages are such intense labors of love, but they can take up a lot of space. Was this one kept intact, perhaps transferred to another location? Or was it taken apart and stored, forgotten, in someone's attic as "Grandpa's Train Set"? If you live on the East Coast and like model train villages, there is none better than "Roadside America," in Shartlesville, PA. (Route 78 between Allentown and Harrisburg.) From its description, you might dismiss it as corny hokum - and there is a bit of the cornball about it. But it truly is amazing. And it, like Mr. Swartzell's village, is the work of one man, essentially. Their wives always knew where to find them. For some amazingly accurate photos of Roadside America, try these. Third railThe third rail is visible in this picture. Wherever there are gaps in the switches there are buttons or nails sticking up.. Early tinplaters modified three rail tracks like this. Another development was the outside third rail. Three rail has the advantage of not having to insulate the the frogs of the switches as two rail does. It also makes signaling simple. Two rail became popular as model trains became more detailed. No White Shoes, No ServiceNotice the men at the right with dark shoes. Cannot sit with the other patrons! [It's amazing what you can see here, isn't it? - Dave] FantasticAs someone in the world of model railroading (I'm a 3 railer if anyone is curious) it is always enjoyable to see what the pioneers of the hobby were able to accomplish with so little to work with. Odds also are that the switches and trackage were handlaid, and quite possibly much of the rolling stock and buildings were built from scratch. Hand laid railThis is no "out of the box" rail layout. The ties are all individually set and the rail laid and spiked. The switches and frogs are all handmade and filed. Amazing track work, done only by the most smitten of model R.R.'ers. AuthenticityThat layout is filthy. Just like actual areas adjoining train tracks. Timeless!It must have been even more impressive in color! Although today's scale material is more sophisticated, this man's work proves that imagination and hard work was and still is the basis to this "hobby." It's fun going in to the enlarged versions and looking at the detail that went into creating this layout. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads, Small Towns)
Trainville: 1929
... August 5, 1929. Washington, D.C. "Miniature RR of John N. Swartzell." Our fourth look at the Swartzell rail empire. National Photo glass negative. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 7:06pm -

August 5, 1929. Washington, D.C. "Miniature RR of John N. Swartzell." Our fourth look at the Swartzell rail empire. National Photo glass negative. View full size. "Should have dusted it"Is what Mr. Swartzell (or the Missus) would have thought. I like the fallen-over cow at bottom right. Third railThis shot gives an interesting hint about the third rail question, mentioned on some of the other shots. While there doesn't seem to be an actual center rail on the tracks, there does seem to be a wire down the middle of some sort. Do you suppose this wire operates the same as a Lionel central rail, to provide power? Very interesting. And regarding Mr. S's serious expression, "model railroading" is a SERIOUS activity. Don't call them toy trains! Toy trains are a whole different kettle of fish! Beyond ImaginationI can only wonder what Mr.Swartzell would have thought if he was told his model railroad would be admired by thousands of people all over the world in the next century. Is that his dad?The man who insisted John give up trains for real estate? John Swartzell isn't smiling in any of these photos. Is it because his dreams of train engineering have been reduced to model train construction? Wow!Those two boys look like they are having such fun! All smiles!! Ground beefIt looks like something knocked over the cows on the bottom right. Maybe those dogs barking at the nearby horse cart began by attacking the cattle? Men at WorkA colleague once told me that never in history has a model railroad ever been finished. Mr. Swartzell is doubtless pondering the next phase of construction and that's why he's not smiling. The center wireObviously the center wire is there for this purpose, as in Lionel setups. What other purpose could it serve? The sidings however, have no center conductor, so I imagine he used these as stationary rolling stock positions and moved the engines and cars by hand. There was a railroad maneuver whereby the engine released a rolling car to go into a siding under its own momentum. Perhaps another Shorpy railfan knows the name of this technique. Attention to DetailNotice the bank of miniature throw levers to operate the switches. Today you would just use push buttons, but these copies of the full sized units are so much more elegant. Train ConductorYes, that is the "third rail." I didn't have to be an actual rail -- simply a metal electrical conductor. Pickup was by a roller, wiper or bar rubbing on the wire. In fact, Maerklin of Germany used a series of black "studs" which were very nearly invisible. I have been a model railroader for over 55 years. I cannot imagine that much dust on any of my layouts. Can't see how he kept them running. Moooooo!I see someone has been cow tipping. I wonder which one of the naughty plastic people did it? (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Union Station: 1908
... clean and pristine that I thought it was another shot of Swartzell's model railroad. One thing has definitely changed That is the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 4:05pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1908-1910. "Switch yards, Union Station." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Not Much Has ChangedWith the exception of the steam locomotives and the Pullman coaches the photo looks like it could be taken any decade within the past one-hundred years. A wondrous journeyI just wanted to express my thanks for having experienced your wonderful website. I have been looking at the photographs, almost on a daily basis, for several weeks now. I am on page 634 and feel sad that my journey is about to end ... except for the new daily entries. I love photography and to able to learn about the photographer, the setting and people in them, and so much more, has been a life-changing experience. Thanks you so much for enriching my life with these marvelous photos. [You have 287 more pages to go, if you haven't checked out the 1,000 or so user-submitted photos. - Dave] Washington Terminal Co.Union Station, which opened in 1907, was owned and operated by the Washington Terminal Co., a joint venture of the Baltimore & Ohio and the Pennsylvania railroads. My grandfather, a stonemason, came to Washington in the early part of the last century to work on the station and for the next 30 years worked for Washington Terminal in its Maintenance of Way department. Hide and SeekThat's the statue on the very top of the Capitol dome appearing to sit on top of the curved roof of the Station. It's actually about a quarter of a mile behind it. Shoving to a jointThe little teapot switch engine (second engine from the left) looks like it is gently rolling to a coupling joint adding a baggage car and a coach (dining car with side door?) to a passenger consist. The fireman ("tallow pot") is leaning out of the window to pass signals to the hoghead from the man (men) riding point. They are working on that side because of the curve in the track. I think they are adding cars rather than taking them away because there is minimum smoke issuing from the switcher. What a pleasure it is to see old railroad photos like this on Shorpy. Many thanks for all the work you do to bring them to us. Red LightTough place to get into. I don't see one semaphore that's not in the stop position. Train Now LeavingTrain now leaving on Track 5 for Anaheim, Azusa and CUC ... amonga!! It's so clean and pristineIt's so clean and pristine that I thought it was another shot of Swartzell's model railroad. One thing has definitely changedThat is the squeakiest clean ballast I have ever seen. Hundreds of locomotives and trainmen were waiting for the chance to drop grease, cinders, coal, spikes, tie plates, and whatever else would drip or come loose. Clean sceneIs this not the tidiest industrial area ever? And that switcher with the ladderback tender is a modeler's dream. In scaleBest model train layout ever! The CameraAny idea what kind of camera/equip. was this picture taken with? it seems so remarkably clear! [Standard 8x10 view camera. - Dave] Split couplersIf you will look closely, you will see that most, if not all, of the locomotives have a slot in the coupler knuckle. This allowed the use of link and pin coupling so either the locos are quite old or else they have to handle some older equipment still equipped with link and pin. I would have thought that most every loco and car would have had patent Janney automatic couplers at this late date. The exception to this would be industrial or lumber company equipment where the combination couplers were common. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Railroads)
Off the Rails: 1925
Dec. 11, 1925. Washington, D.C. "J.N. Swartzell with miniature railroad." Finally we see the man behind the trains. ... like it was raining when the picture was taken. If so, Mr. Swartzell is probably looking a little uncomfortable because he wants to get ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:55pm -

Dec. 11, 1925. Washington, D.C. "J.N. Swartzell with miniature railroad." Finally we see the man behind the trains. National Photo glass negative. View full size. RaindropsTo judge from the spatters on his shirt, it looks like it was raining when the picture was taken. If so, Mr. Swartzell is probably looking a little uncomfortable because he wants to get his engines back indoors where it is dry. FascinatingThe more I see of this fellow and his work the curiouser and curiouser become. I'd love to see his machine shop and I wonder if he cast parts himself before machining. Railroad TieCan't have those locomotives running over your neckwear. CastingsThe item in his right hand is a pattern (likely made from wood) for the locomotive boiler. Note the round extensions sticking out either end. These are "core prints" that locate a inner piece of the mold that makes a hollow part when cast. More than likely the locomotive boiler was cast in brass or bronze in a sand mold. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
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