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Man on the Moon: 1920
... go to http://mooncars.wordpress.com . (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/24/2017 - 1:27pm -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Moon auto." Its virtues being demonstrated in front of the building also seen here and here. Latest heavenly body in the Shorpy Orrery of Automotive Astronomy. 5x7 glass negative by Chris Helin. View full size. Jerry Built"Moonbeam" headlamps. [With Macbeth-Evans "Liberty Lenses." - Dave] Moons of St. LouisI became interested in Moon automobiles while researching my wife's family history. I came across three photo's of a Moon coupe One of them shows my wife's great-grandmother standing next to a son-in-laws's Moon Coupe in Minneapolis in 1923 or 1924. For more on Moon Motor Car Company go to http://mooncars.wordpress.com. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Pharmacy Alfresco: 1940
... and feel better fast with Goshert! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/17/2017 - 8:58am -

August 1940. "Street scenes. Port Gibson, Mississippi." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. "The oil in these bottles""is it made from real snakes?" Remedies And Red Goose ShoesHarris Frishman, born 1858 in Russia, immigrated to the US in 1894 and operated a retail dry goods store. On August 24, 1927, after being in “very bad health for several years“ and now “confined to his home,“ Mr. Frishman committed suicide while his family was managing the store. After his death, his sons Abraham and Aaron continued operating the business, which was still advertising in 1960. Step right up!Ladies, do you suffer from the vapors, tired blood, or corset fatigue? Gentlemen, are you burdened by masculine exhaustion, irritability, or excessive hair of the ears and nose? Then give a listen to what these Goshert nostrums can do for you! Goshert Elixir alleviates the symptoms of gout, dropsy, consumption, and the epizootic. Our Goshert medical appliances correct flat feet, trick knees, bow legs, corns, bunions, hernias, and floating kidney. Our Little Liver Pills contain actual tiny livers, our antiseptic eats the germs but spares the flesh, and our linament is good for man or beast (not for internal use). And remember, Goshert's Laudanum Gin is a medical tonic, not an alcoholic beverage, perfectly legal under all circumstances and in all jurisdictions. So stop the bleeding, clear the airway, and feel better fast with Goshert! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott, Stores & Markets)
Electro-Motive: 1943
... booster 1A. Brake wheels Brake wheels on freight cars were for many years in the horizontal position like this one, on the car ... this photo. For years, brakemen rode the tops of freight cars during yard switching procedures. This practice was outlawed for sound ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/11/2015 - 11:21am -

March 1943. "Sibley, Missouri. Passing one of the diesel passenger locomotives of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe." Medium format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Missouri RiverBottom land required the elevated tracks seen in the background. Clever title, but --The title may be Electro-Motive, but the picture actually shows AT&SF 50 and 50A, their lone pair of ALCO DL-109 units. Bad day coming to Black RockI see a hat, a coat, and a tie - is that Spencer Tracy sitting in the cab? East SibleyI'd say the photo was taken about right here. In the distance, to the left of the passenger train, you can see the trestles on the approach to the bridge over the Missouri River, where the track curves south. The pond and road on the south side of the tracks are still there. Today (and probably back then too), the line is double-track on either side of the bridge, but single-track on the bridge. The freight that Jack is on probably had to wait for the passenger train to come across the bridge. Even today, I sometimes hear the BNSF Marceline Subdivision dispatcher (on the scanner) asking a train to wait at "East Sibley" for another train. Currently, the only passenger train on this route is Amtrak's Southwest Chief - its next stop west is Kansas City, MO and its next stop east is La Plata, MO. Also, the guy on the near side of the passenger locomotive seems to be really well dressed - hat, shirt, tie, jacket. Would the conductor normally ride up there, or is something else going on? Rare Breed.When the 50 set was delivered, the Super Chief was usually powered by an A-B set of E-units, so an A-B set of Alcos fit the operating practice. They got off to a bad start - Santa Fe Locomotive Development says the Santa Fe rep attending the roll-out at Schenectady observed the carbodies shaking vigorously to the beat of the four idling 539's and refused to accept them. The structure was stiffened to reduce the shake and Santa Fe eventually took them, but even then, the locomotives' gyrations could reportedly be felt back in the train at station stops. The account of their first westbound run on the Super in McCall's Santa Fe Early Diesel Daze suggests that they all but melted the traction motors down to the ballast going over Raton Pass. After returning east, their career on extra-fare long distance trains was over, and naturally no repeat orders were forthcoming. Santa Fe wouldn't look to Alco for passenger power again until the PA's and PB's were introduced after the war. Santa Fe generally found uses for the 50L&A on lower grade assignments east of the Rockies like the Chicagoan or the Tulsan. Unlike the PA's, 50L&A could and did MU with EMD power, and several photos exist of them in mixed consists with E-units, turret cab 1L, or booster 1A. Brake wheelsBrake wheels on freight cars were for many years in the horizontal position like this one, on the car ahead of the caboose, from which Delano took this photo. For years, brakemen rode the tops of freight cars during yard switching procedures. This practice was outlawed for sound safety reasons. I seem to recall after WWII that brake wheels started to appear on the ends on cars instead. Does anyone know the date that this transition took place? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
The Greats: 1955
... Axelsson was my uncle. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by lara - 09/16/2011 - 5:26pm -

Great Aunt Clara Johnson and her brother Great Uncle Sam Sturlaugson who was born in Iceland. I am driving and although the plate says 1952 the year is 1955 as I am 4 years old here. Sam was a police officer before going into real estate with his sister Clara. She was widowed at age 23 and he never married, they lived together with their Mother Gudrun Helgidotter in a large house they built in Selkirk Manitoba all their lives, my Grandmother joining them in her later years. Gudrun had inherited a good sum of money from her Father Helgi Helgesson in Iceland and they used that to buy a fleet of houses, they became very wealthy. When Great Aunt Clara passed away in 1983 this car was still in the garage in mint condition. Clara had a sterling silver plate with her name engraved on it attached to the car, also a led box of sorts with her deceased dog , a poodle Francois who rode in the trunk....did I mention she was eccentric? Clara's son in law Axel Axelsson who was widowed from Clara's only child drove the car to Pasadena California where he lived, most likely sold it. View full size. Delightful Picture and StoryI loved reading about the rest of the story! Sounds like your great-aunt and uncle were quite the pair... This is one huge car. I'd forgotten how big Cadillacs were back then. My eyes were also drawn to the big bug screen (I think that's what that is) on the front. Hope the car's resting comfortably in the hands of a collector or museum. ScreenedIs that a bug shield? 1953 CadillacAxel Axelsson sent this Cadillac to Iceland and it is still here, well preserved, owned by Axel Ketilsson who is son of Axel's brother. Axel Axelsson was my uncle. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Skillet Worker: 1940
... (The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2019 - 5:47pm -

December 1940. "John H. Poole Jr. cooking while sitting on side of car. He is a carpenter on construction job at Camp Livingston. He comes from Monroe, Louisiana, where he has an electrical shop." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. John Hardy Poole Jr?This seems a likely candidate for our subject. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19349286/john-hardy-poole https://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/Louisiana/John-Hardy-Poole-Juni... (The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott)
Shelbyville: 1938
... 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 12:57pm -

October 1938. Shelbyville, Indiana. Hearse meeting casket at railroad station. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Railroads)
Erie 2601
... Sunday night. It was pulling a train of about eighty cars and was running along at a fairly good rate of speed when suddenly it left ... 
 
Posted by Lost World - 09/22/2011 - 11:39pm -

Erie 0-8-8-0 Camelback locomotive at Port Jervis, N.Y., in 1911. The camelback design was unique in that the engineer sat in the tiny cab alongside the boiler, while the fireman worked at the usual spot behind the boiler. One of the main disadvantages was the obvious communication problem between engineer and the rest of the train crew while the engine was in operation. The Erie camelback mallets didn't last long, but smaller camelback locomotives survived well into the 1950's on roads like the Jersey Central. View full size. Photo's History?What might you know of the photo's history? Interesting shot of a very rare locomotive. Don Hall Yreka, CA Erie 0-8-8-0 CamelbackAt Port Jervis, N.Y., in 1911.I model trains in HO scale. I have never seen anything like this engine. I have seen 0-4-0, 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 camel engines, but never an articulated camel. I have a 2-6-6-2 articulated and have seen the 4-8-8-4 UP engines, but not this one. Anyone know where I could get more pictures of this engine? Don Rowland - donhotrains@cinci.rr.com [You could try contacting the person who posted this picture. First sign up for a user account, log in, click on his username, and then "contact." - Dave] Erie 0-8-8-0 malletThe "Mother Hubbards," sometimes called "camelbacks", common on railroads in the Anthricite (hard coal) region of Pennsylvania. IIRC there weren't many articulated locomotives built this way. I believe this particular type of locomotive was typically used in "helper service," pushing coal trains over the mountains. The design comes from the need for a very large firebox on locomotives burning hard coal. Hard coal required a fairly thin fire to burn well, thus a large area was required to burn the amount of fuel required to generate enough steam. The fact that they burned the lowest quality of coal available didn't help! This particular locomotive is interesting in that it is a true compound; notice the size of the front low pressure cylinders compared to the high pressure cylinders on the rear engine. This makes it a "true" Mallet. It turned out that compounding didn't work as well as expected on railroad locomotives, and later articulated locomotives were built as "simple" engines. I've never seen any of the larger Mother Hubbards in service, but I did see several of the smaller 0-6-0s and 0-4-0s in active service. BTW & FWIW - in the 70's we lived in McCloud for four years. Beautiful country in that end of the state! Erie 0-8-8-0- More photos (Link)There are a few more photos of these engines at: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/erie-lmn.html Erie Engine No. 2601 Derailed at Gulf SummitIn my wife's hometown paper (The Deposit Courier), the "Looking Back" section "100 Years Ago, 12 October 1910" says, "Erie engine No. 2,601, one of the largest engines in the world, was derailed at Gulf Summit Sunday night. It was pulling a train of about eighty cars and was running along at a fairly good rate of speed when suddenly it left the track. The big engine pounded along the rails for about 500 yards, cutting off the ends of the ties and tearing up the roadbed for a considerable distance. The Susquehanna wrecking crew was called and repaired the damage." Only oneThere was only one of this type of locomotive ever built, and it was used for only one thing. Hump work. Basically this engine spent its whole life pushing long trains up the hump of a yard where they would be gravity sorted. The idea behind the placement of the cab was more for visibility than anything. As for communication, the engineer and fireman used their own whistles to communicate between themselves. The engineer used the train whistle, the fireman had a lighter, lower whistle he used. There were three of theseThere were three of these used for pusher service, not hump service. Only the ERIE had articulated camelbacks, no other road had them. They were all rebuilt later with their cabs at the back. There were alot of camelbacks in the east and even some western roads had them: Santa Fe, Canadian Pacific, MKT, Chicago & Indiana Coalm, C&IE, to name a few. There are more pictures all over the Internet, even a color painting. An HO scale model just sold on Ebay for over $3000.00! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads)
Texas 1939
... 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2008 - 2:34am -

May 1939. "Seeds for sale on luggage carrier of automobile, farmers' market, Weatherford, Texas." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Red Light and Siren: 1963
... View Larger Map (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix) ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:01pm -

Firemen and volunteers cling to the back of the Larkspur Fire Department's 1946 American-LaFrance engine as it roars down Magnolia Ave. on the way to a call one late afternoon in 1963. These days we're used to seeing firemen suited up like they were about to take a moon walk; check out the casual attire here. Only one guy even has his fireman's hat on; two of the volunteers are sporting baseball caps. Everybody else is in shirtsleeves, even the full-time guy at the wheel (although it's his official blue uniform shirt). That's our house at the very top of the frame. The fire department had been a governmental entity only 6 years. Up until 1957, it was privately operated by the volunteers, completely funded by dances held at The Rose Bowl, an outdoor dance floor under the redwoods that featured name bands and drew crowds from all over the Bay Area each Saturday during the summer months. My Kodachrome slide. Magnolia Avenue todayThat apartment building certainly is an ugly shade of sage green. View Larger Map (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
On Time All the Time: 1921
... little history of Frederick, Maryland (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Natl Photo, Patriotic) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/04/2019 - 9:17am -

October 1921. Frederick, Maryland. "Washington Herald tours -- Duplex truck, Frederick Fair." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Duplex LimitedAn alternate view, and a newspaper ad from 1922. Click to embiggen: DuplexiaIn addition to a fleet of Duplex buses used by the Washington Rapid Transit Company, which can be seen here, there was also a platoon of Duplex trucks on duty with the Washington branch of the Post Office Department. One of these trucks is below along with an ad for the fair from the Adams County Independent in Littlestown, Pennsylvania, and a summary of the gate receipts from the Catoctin Clarion in Mechanicstown, Maryland. What a DragIn the 'Alternate View', the vehicle appears to have a 'drag' attached by chains. A drag is used to level the ruts in an unpaved road, or to eliminate vehicle tracks for film production. In the depicted instance, I suspect that the drag was used in an equestrian arena. The drag shown here has had brush cuttings attached to its trailing edge, probably to produce a smooth, photogenic surface devoid of the characteristic small ridges that remain behind the drag. From Truck Bodies to Human BodiesHoover Bodies went from building truck bodies to building caskets. It survived the depression and continued in business through WWII by making ambulance bodies, cargo boxes and trailers. After the war it manufactured commercial dairy and step-van bodies into the mid 1950s. In 1958, York-Hoover decided to concentrate its efforts on casket-making and sold the assets of its Truck Body Division to the Pittman Manufacturing Co. York-Hoover’s surviving casket division is now known as the York Group, and is the second largest producer of caskets in the United States. The Hoover Bodies Story The Great Frederick Fair has survived. Frederick County's single largest event, featuring 18,000 competitive exhibits, ranging from livestock, home arts, farm & garden to 4-H/FFA. A premier showcase for agriculture and education. Talent coming this fall Creedence Clearwater Revisited and the Temptations. A little history of Frederick, Maryland (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Natl Photo, Patriotic)
Proviso South: 1942
... to special handling. Somebody kept track of those cars at all times. In the foreground appears to be a program to rehab a batch of old passenger train insulated milk cars (note the express trucks, more visible in another shot apparently in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 12:01pm -

South Yards at the Chicago & North Western Proviso Yards. December 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. ExplosivesNote the big white X's on the doors of that row of boxcars in the distance. Explosives, subject to special handling. Somebody kept track of those cars at all times. In the foreground appears to be a program to rehab a batch of old passenger train insulated milk cars (note the express trucks, more visible in another shot apparently in the same session). That other shot also shows one car lettered as MILK. They don't appear to be iced, no hatches at the ends of the roof, but there may have been some other way to ice them, at least in hot weather. They ran in passenger trains to gather milk to the city. Milk cars were also used in passenger trains extensively in the east, Boston + NYC. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Sunshine Laundry: 1920
... than in all the photos I had seen. Why? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 1:20pm -

Washington circa 1920. "Sunshine Laundry." The new plant of the Arcade Laundry and Sunshine Dry Cleaning and Dyeing Co. on Lamont Street N.W. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Eternal Sunshine.Much to my surprise, the building is still there, and still looking pretty much the same. View Larger Map LOTWThose buildings are now the corporate headquarters of a commercial linen service called Linens of the Week. No Injurious Wringers Seeing Is Believing Every Washington housewife is invited to inspect the cleanest, largest, and sunniest and most scientific establishment for laundrying, cleaning and dyeing clothes in America - right in our own city. The Arcade Laundry and Sunshine Dry Cleaning & Dyeing Co. Inc. The Arcade Laundry and Sunshine Dry Cleaning & Dyeing Co., is such an institution, the largest of its line in the city and one of the largest in America. ... We want you to see and inspect the plant. We want you to see for yourself the mammoth tanks where 55,000 gallons of water are softened each day, so that every lot of clothes is washed without rubbing in 700 gallons of water as soft as rain water, with seven changes of water to each lot. You will be interested in the Mending Department, where all minor repairs are made without extra charge; the Individual Net Bags, where Handkerchiefs, Fine Waists, and Fancy Linens are protected; the Collar Ironers where even the edges are ironed, eliminating all roughness, the Clothes Extractors, which have replaced the injurious wringers. ... You will see the finest of Silk Shirts, Dainty and Lacey Underwear being carefully Ironed by Electric Hand Irons. ... In the Department of Dry Cleaning we will show you the plant for Naphtha Distilling, removing all grease and oil from naphtha and gasoline before being used. You will see the Spotting Department, where all spots are removed by experts, each spot requiring different treatment, so as not to injure the fabric. ... The Special Room for Dyeing is always of interest. Here Outer Apparel of all kinds is dyed by our Guaranteed Process, without injury, even Rugs and Carpets, where colors are faded, can be made to look like new by a change in shade. A feature of the Dyeing Department is made of a Special Emergency 24-Hour Mourning Service. Families or individuals needing such service will have our undivided attention with every facility of this department at their disposal to prevent disappointment. Advertisement, Washington Post, Nov 20, 1921 Outside the Plant"We want you to see and inspect the plant." Thus saith management, but if those invited housewives showed up, they might have had a few words to say about the plant yard. [The plant hasn't opened yet -- it's still under construction. - Dave] I must say that, as much as I appreciate the various landmarks of classical D.C. architecture Shorpy shows us, these old industrial buildings and plants are a special treat. A matter of ScaleA question for photo experts: Why do these old photographs convey a much larger sense of scale than their modern-day equivalent? For example, when you look at Google street view of the Sunshine Laundry, the environment seems much smaller and more congested than the 1920 photo. I've noticed this with real life in-person comparisons as well; the first time I visited the Golden Gate bridge it seemed much smaller than in all the photos I had seen. Why? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Fire Truck: 1950
... when I hear Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Fires, Floods etc., News Photo Archive) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2017 - 8:06pm -

"Truck fire." A burned-out, watered-down International somewhere in Oregon. 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. He stood six foot six and weighed two forty-fiveThe large fellow wearing rubber boots resembles the image my imagination creates when I hear Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Fires, Floods etc., News Photo Archive)
Backslider: 1935
... Balloons on the brand new Studebaker. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2018 - 11:32am -

San Francisco, 1935. "Interior Dept. truck -- Studebaker tilt bed on Leavenworth Street." 8x10 inch nitrate negative, formerly of the Marilyn Blaisdell and Wyland Stanley collections. View full size. National ServiceIf the license plate is a clue, this truck is destined for the National Park Service. Interesting that it still has a hang-tag on the radiator -- we're talking spanking new here. Balloon TiresThose are Goodyear Balloons on the brand new Studebaker. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
Model Tee: 1928
... there any of people actually playing? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2017 - 9:13pm -

San Francisco, 1928. "Essex Super Six sedan at golf course." Topping the Shorpy Leaderboard of Fairway Phaetons. Glass negative by Chris Helin. View full size. Clocks on socksDecorations on stockings or socks were called clocks. I like the clocks - stripes - on the stockings worn by the woman on the left. This could almost be an advertisement for golf clubs or the car, or for the women's sportswear. Grandmother and her best friendMy "Aunt" Polly (my grandmother's lifelong best friend from childhood) had a 1922 Essex, a rare one in that it did not have electric headlights; instead, kerosene lanterns were mounted where the headlamps would have been (my guess is that electric headlamps were optional in 1922 and the lanterns were aftermarket). The car was regularly trotted out at big family get-togethers as late as the late 1980s, where folks would be allowed a ride around the block in the Essex. However, the favorite passtime of the two ladies was golf, something they would do nearly every day they were together when my grandmother came back up to "home" here in Hampton Roads from her place in Fort Lauderdale. The year of this car is different, there's a third woman where there would only sometimes have been a third (Ann), and 1928 would have been slightly too early for the duo or trio by 5-10 years, but the spirit of this picture captures the duo. Thanks for posting this picture Dave! It brings back fun memories of my grandmother and "Aunt" Polly. Golfers' posesMuch as I enjoy seeing these women animatedly chatting as they lounge with their clubs, especially with a splendid car right out on the course, I would much rather see them in mid-swing. So many lounging golfers in ancient pix, but are there any of people actually playing? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco, Sports)
A Diamond for Lil: 1959
... large guy wire cutters (bolt cutters). (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/10/2014 - 7:28am -

March 3, 1959. "Long Island Lighting Co. trucks and men." A Diamond T truck bearing the likeness of Lilco's "Lil." Photo by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Hmmmmm, let's see nowis it repairing streetlights or artificially inseminating cows? ? "Up the pole!"The command from our foreman every morning was "Let's get up the pole!" As if to hurry us along or to make his point that maybe we weren't moving fast enough. Back then, it was a lot like being in the Army. You had to learn the work and learn it well for the simple fact that you dealt with high voltage electricity every working day! The fellow you see with his "Hooks" on (climbers) with his safety belt and strap and his rubber gloves and sleeves. No idea what rating his gloves and sleeves are but he is definitely dressed to work primary (high) voltages well above 1,000 volts. The equipment lying on the ground includes line hose, which are long rubber tubes split down the middle and used to slide over the electrical conductors. The large rubber items behind them are "hoods" that fit over the insulators on the crossarms and interconnected the line hose to cover every inch of the "hot" conductors. Other items include a lineman's handline, mechanical jacks to pull tension in guy wires, hand tools and large guy wire cutters (bolt cutters). (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner)
1948 Hudson Again
... View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix) ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 11/27/2017 - 1:30pm -

Another view of our 1948 Hudson Super Six, first seen here. Now it's parked in front of our summer place in East Guernewood, California. Presumably this is where we were headed in the previous shot. Once again, a 2-1/4 square Ektachrome transparency. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Market Movers: 1910
... Of the Men Must Wear a Hat law. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/28/2015 - 7:37pm -

New York circa 1910. "Broad Street and the curb brokers." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I Counted Eight ViolatorsOf the Men Must Wear a Hat law. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Shampoo: 1937
... tackle if the pole wasn't straight. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Theodor Horydczak) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/18/2014 - 11:40am -

Washington, D.C., or vicinity circa 1937. "Potomac Electric Power Co. -- Pole setting." Safety negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. My father would also have loved this photoMy late father, a 55-year IBEW man, worked for an electrical contractor in Mount Vernon NY in the very late 1950's and early 1960's. They had trucks with the same A-frame "Shear Legs". The trucks were know as "Pole Setters", for obvious reasons. Obviously, those truck's chassis were much more recent than this 1930's model, but the body and the hoist were similar. I was then about five years old. I can remember those trucks as if it was yesterday......also the green 1950's "panel trucks" that accompanied them. The hoist might seem crude to today's eyes, but there was very little to get out of order In those days, the winch was driven from the truck's transmission via a "power take-off". The truck's clutch became the winch clutch. No pesky hydraulics to leak ! However, lowering a load gently might have been a challenge. Line of sightOne can only hope that those utility poles will not impair passing motorists' view of the Breck Girl! Pa McG would have loved this photoMy dad started working for Con Edison in 1948 and described how they had to raise poles mostly by hand. Those long poles the two men on the right are holding would be used to push the utility pole into plumb. A-Frame crew truck My first job as an apprentice lineman for a large New York Electric Utility, was working on one of these rigs. Our truck was set up exactly like this one in the picture except we had a 3 man crew cab behind the front cab (where the Driver/Groundman and the Foreman rode). It was called a "Bull Crew" or a Seven Man Line Gang (two senior linemen rode in a separate Dodge Power Wagon). The winch was operated from inside the driver's compartment as stated in another post. The Bed Winch was located in the back end of the truck, up front, on the floor of the truck. The poles being held by the linemen are called Pike Poles made of wood back then with steel points to jab into the poles and as stated, are used to straighten the pole into a plumb position usually sighted in by the Foreman using a string with a weight on the end of it held out to arm's length. "Put the top over the bottom Ed!" Poles which weren't set as straight as possible were a little harder to climb but also were much harder to "land" a transformer on with block and tackle if the pole wasn't straight. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Theodor Horydczak)
Peerless and Poised: 1920
... height is the same as your 'wing span'. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/17/2014 - 3:24pm -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Peerless touring car." Along with what could be a demonstration of either aerodynamics or sobriety at the start of Prohibition. 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative by the prolific Christopher Helin. View full size. The Benefits of WealthThose fortunate enough to own a Peerless cared not a whit what passing proles thought of their poses. DemonstrationShe is merely proving the old theory that your height is the same as your 'wing span'. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin)
Queen Cole: 1920
... They look like they could be sisters. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/23/2016 - 3:38pm -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Cole Aero 8 roadster." A solid hit with this stylish miss. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Stylish Miss & Tony Curtis Had The Same Furrier They look like they could be sisters. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Mr. Right: 1920
... poles are survivors of the 1915 fair. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/21/2014 - 1:00pm -

San Francisco in 1920. "Oldsmobile touring car." Its dapper driver signaling either "hello" or a right turn. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. FortifiedBetter clues as to location in this view: the southwest corner of Bay Street and Van Ness Avenue looking north. The trees and flagpole in the background are inside San Francisco's diminutive Fort Mason on the north waterfront, while at extreme right a portion of the tall retaining wall separating the fort from Van Ness Avenue is visible. The empty blocks behind the Oldsmobile mark the site of the recently-demolished 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition fair grounds. Same view today reveals World War II-era military quarters inside Fort Mason. The elaborate street poles are survivors of the 1915 fair. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Fiber to Fabric: 1941
... that look similar, but this one matches. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Jack Delano) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2019 - 3:47pm -

January 1941. "A large textile mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I think this is it. There are quite a few buildings in the town that look similar, but this one matches. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Jack Delano)
The Ubiquitous Banana: 1920
... confusion with International Harvester. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/10/2016 - 8:52pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "National Fruit Co. banana truck." 8x10 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. Big MikeIf I am not mistaken those are Gros Michele bananas, "the bananas your grandfather enjoyed". Sadly they have gone almost extinct and are almost impossible to find now a days. We have have currently what is called the Cavendish banana which is also on the way out. The Cavendish banana is virtually tasteless compared to the Big Mike which was a lot sweeter and more creamier, tasted more like candy according to people who were fortunate enough to try one. -Al He's Got A Lovely Bunch Of Bananas"Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head." The photo location is in front of the National Fruit Company, Inc. building (921 Louisiana Ave.). If you wanted fruit, produce, meat, fish, butter, soft drinks, or poultry this was the block of the city to go. Almost nothing else was there except for two restaurants and a guy selling birds (another poultry dealer?). The Mack Truck is a Model AB with either worm drive (note the lack of chains) made between 1916-1919 or double reduction drive 1920-1937. Chain drive remained an option. The International Motor Co. (IMC) name on the side of the truck refers to the holding company that owned Mack at that time (previously also selling Hewitt and Saurer trucks). In 1922 IMC changed their name to Mack Truck, Incorporated to avoid confusion with International Harvester. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Shady Six: 1925
... to sit still for the photo! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/13/2017 - 11:59am -

San Francisco, 1925. "Overland Six sedan." Latest entry on the Shorpy Shortlist of Incognito Conveyances. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. VentsWhat are those vents under the door? IntensityIt takes a lot of concentration to sit still for the photo! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Cave of the Winds: 1963
... Cadillacs generally advertised as eight- or nine-passenger cars? - Dave] You're right. They were 8 or 9 passenger cars. I don't know what I was thinking. I should get the thing finished and ... 
 
Posted by K. McCool - 08/02/2018 - 7:51pm -

June 1963. A tourist stop in Manitou Springs, Colorado, with mineral water springs and all the usual "souvenirs." Captured on 35mm Kodachrome by my great-uncle Herbert F. Krahn of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. View full size. Oh GoogleFunny that Google automatically blurred out the face of the statue of the Indian chief in the Google Maps picture, to protect the privacy of the statue, I guess! The Trading Post and the Mineral SpringIf you zoom out a little and view to the right on the Google Map posted by John Howard, you can see the remains of the Trading Post souvenir shop and the statue of the Ute Chief that dispensed the spring water. Here's what they looked like in 1963. The charm is missingAt some point, the road less travelled was given an arch less inspiring. That's a 1953 Cadillac FleetwoodSeven-passenger series 75 in the foreground. I have the same model in a '51 which I've been trying to restore for 24 years. In the background is a 1960 Mercury, or there's a slight outside chance it could be a 1960 Canadian Monarch. If only I could read the script on the right rear fender. Both are magnificent automobiles. [The Mercury is a Monterey. The 1960 Monarch had different taillight lenses and a crown on the trunk lid. And weren't Series 75 Cadillacs generally advertised as eight- or nine-passenger cars? - Dave] You're right. They were 8 or 9 passenger cars. I don't know what I was thinking. I should get the thing finished and drive it. Not the best purchaseMy father bought that exact white 1960 Mercury Monterey new when I was 18. A huge slow beast based on the Lincoln unibody. Not a teenager's favorite, to say the least. [Mercurys of this era used body-and frame construction and were not based on the unit-body Lincolns. - Dave] A matter of tasteMy father had a 1960 Mercury Monterey just like this, even the same color. It was about 4 years old by the time he acquired it. My brother and I thought it about the ugliest car ever built. I have to admit I still feel pretty much the same over 50 years later. I guess it's a matter of taste though, my father liked it, as he did just about anything else built by Ford. Was There, ThenI could have been riding by when this picture was taken. I was 5 and in the back of one of my dad's cherished Buicks, reading Scholastic Books that kindly teacher Mrs. Hanks had loaned me for the long trip from Ohio. I had some Silver Surfer and Sgt. Rock comics that I read over and over too, often sitting on the floor in the back in a tent made of a beach towel held up by tucking the edge behind my parents' backs. Dad had a job interview in Denver, so he and Mom made a trip out of it. We also drove through the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore on that trip. I remember the pine smell and the friendly chipmunks. He didn't get the job. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Conductor Cunningham: 1943
... Cunningham telephones his yardmaster with the number of cars he has to handle and where the delivery is to be made." Medium-format ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2016 - 10:36am -

January 1943. "Freight operations on the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad between Chicago and Hammond, Indiana. Getting his waybills, Conductor Cunningham telephones his yardmaster with the number of cars he has to handle and where the delivery is to be made." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Poster in the upper rightBuy Bonds! Win the War! oh REAL-ly@Kcamp I know Adolph Treidler worked out of New York, but when he made that poster he must have been using a reference photo from the Norfolk & Western, because that's one of the better portraits of a Y6 Class I've seen, in the foreground. Paper rolled into cylindersI wonder what the function was for the paper rolled into cylinders in front? [I'd say print-outs of previous schedules, bundled for convenient storage. -tterrace] Also, you never see anything with scissor extensions anymore, they're the most steampunk thing ever. American ingenuity at workCoffee can used as a lampshade. Gotta love that. Poster in Upper LeftAdolph Treidler poster from the early 1940s. I like my coffee lightA pot light made from a coffee can (from 1943) will look great hanging over any kitchen island. Going to add it to my list of options. Blue IslandChances are good the location is the Blue Island yard office. The rolled paper looks like stored train lists that came over teletype machines. Notice the two tubes (left side of image) that carried waybills, train lists and such over the pneumatic tube system to various offices within the yard. Gibson in Hammond Indianamight also be where this pic was taken. The IHB had their main offices located there, along with a big hump (Classification) yard. The Indiana Harbor Belt at Gibson is where the billing offices processed and mailed out their accounts payable. Tube jobLove pics having anything to do with the 40's and trains. The pneumatic tubes remind me of a summer job I had once at a large wholesaler. I worked the central tube room and distributed the tubes to stations all over the building. Fun job and the learning curve was a straight line. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
High Spirits: 1956
... or hideous, but the chance to see happy people, great old cars, wonderful clothes, high-waisted trousers and full-fashion hosiery-with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/16/2012 - 4:14am -

Southern California circa 1956. The Oldsmobile and Mrs. Binoculars are back! Everyone seems to be in a jolly mood. 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. Rhapsody in BlueLove them wide whitewalls and bosomy bumper guards! How do they end up on eBay??Love the blue and pink dress in the middle! Dave, do you think people toss or hand off their slides because they've converted them to dvd's? I simply can't believe that no one in a large family would take charge of the slides, for privacy's sake if nothing else. Perhaps they tell the conversion business to dispose of them and they end up on eBay? I find this really strange when there clearly are other family members or friends in these images. Families usually go through deceased members' belongings to share/divvy up what is there. House clearance sales are usually for people with uninterested family, or for loners, aren't they? What do you think? Thanks for this amazing site. Between yours and Retronaut, I end up spending hours in old memories of my life in the States quite often. Gail in Kent, England [Someone dies, and then there's an estate sale. That's how most of these end up on eBay. - Dave] About that beltlineIt's hard to believe now, but high-waisted pants were considered hip in some parts of the LA scene in the '56-58 era. Dick Contino's fashion choice in this much-mocked excerpt from "Daddy-O" (1958) shows it wasn't limited to kids whose mamas dressed them funny. Zoot SuitIndeed the high waist and baggy legs were considered high style starting in the 1930's. Movies from that period commonly show pants worn well above the elbows -- with varying states of bagginess. The kid looks like he was the inspiration for the 'Urkel' TV character. Glad they ended up on eBayIt is sad that there was apparently no one left to cherish these photos, but 60 or so years can work a lot of changes within a family. I'm glad these made it onto Shorpy. It might be different if they were laughable or hideous, but the chance to see happy people, great old cars, wonderful clothes, high-waisted trousers and full-fashion hosiery-with the seams, makes their appearance here a fitting memorial to this lovely group of folks. Good TimesI agree with Bull City Boy that Shorpy readers are the benefactors of these delightful photos which present to us historically accurate and joyful times in the lives of this particular group of amicable friends. These are real moments in time preserved for future reference and even the personalities of the characters express themselves through body language, laughter, shared jokes and revealed joy. The little boy with both belt and suspenders (and grass stains on his knees) tells us he is all boy, but very disciplined in being the only one to stand at attention while posing for the picture. The lady with the flowered dress is sharing a humorous thought and amusing her friends. The turned-around lady and girl on the extreme left are looking for something they have misplaced. Everybody has a story, but rarely is it captured for all eternity in a permanent etching. I'm lovin' this group of pictures because in my lifetime the fabulous fifties stands out as the best of times. It is so much better than having them stashed in a shoebox and forgotten at the bottom of someone's closet, like a gift that keeps on giving. Thank you Shorpy for stirring some spectacular memories. Keep 'em coming.I come to Shorpy for the older photos however I can not remember the last time I enjoyed a set of photos as much as I do these. I'll echo the sentiment that it is tragic that nobody from the family could have kept these. Thanks for letting us see them. What gets them on eBayPeople die and the ones who inherit the photos don't know any of the people in the photographs, so the emotional tie is broken. Maybe they keep them for a while but then they move, or downsize, or get a little paranoid that they're a little like those people on the hoarder TV shows. Anyway, the person who is in charge of getting rid of the stuff decides that they'll try selling the slides instead of dumping them in the garbage because he's heard that there are people who collect old slides, and the few bucks he'll get for selling them might come in handy some day. [Actually how it works is you hire someone to dispose of the contents of the house and don't even look at the slides, or you just toss the contents of that closet in a Dumpster somewhere. I've helped clean out the houses of various deceased relatives, and there was no careful inspection of the zillion items that had to be gotten rid of before the house could go on the market. We certainly weren't looking at slides. That kind of stuff just went in the trash. Dozens of Kodak Carousel boxes from my grandmother's house, for instance, containing what must have been thousands of slides. They took up an entire closet wall. - Dave] I feel like I know this family!I am so glad we got to see glimpses into the life of this wonderful family. Thanks for posting this series of photos! I wantthe satin dress on the right and the shiny Olds! (SoCal 1956 Kodachromes)
Breuner's Furniture: 1919
... dreams were made of, back in the day. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2015 - 12:46am -

San Francisco, 1919. "Federal truck -- Breuner's van." Delivering the goods for a furniture retailer that got its start in the California Gold Rush, declared bankruptcy in 2004 and reconstituted itself as an online business. View full size. Furnished Our HouseMost of the furniture in my parent's home in Albany CA came from Breuner's; the rest from Capwell's in Oakland. I loved trips to the latter store because it had a great hobby shop -- the stuff boys' dreams were made of, back in the day. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Ready to Rumble: 1928
... long as you keep the rumble seat closed. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/12/2014 - 7:28pm -

"1928 Hudson." Somewhere in the Bay Area. Pass me the flask, will you? (And who's driving this rig?) 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. The Ignored HudsonThis must be the only picture of a car on Shorpy without comments. Could it be because of the dangerous and thoughtlessly designed rumble seat? Perhaps it is the driverless aspect that frightens so many as we approach this Halloween season. Whatever the reason, I will step forward and say what a fine looking car this Hudson is, so long as you keep the rumble seat closed. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
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