Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Hold Your Breath!! We're Going Under Water.

This is a picture of the entrance to the tunnel that runs under the Detroit River so that trains can travel back and forth from Detroit, Michigan in the United States to Winsor, Ontario in Canada. Here are the words on the back of the post card: "The Detroit River Tunnel has the unique disctiction of being the only tunnel of its type ever built. It was constructed in sections, all work being done from the surface of the water without the use of compressed air. The tunnel is operated electrically. Constructioin was started October 1, 1906 and completed July 1, 1910. The length from portal to portal is 1 3/4 miles, and from summit of grade 2 1/2 miles. It was built by the Detroit River Tunnel Company for the M. C. R. R. at a cost of $8,500,000." The M.C.R.R. is the Michigan Central Rail Road. This tunnel gave the New York Central Railroad-controlled company a useful short-cut through southern Ontario connecting Buffalo, Chicago and Detroit. Back on April 5, 2014 I posted a blog about an electric locomotive used for maintaining the right of way in the tunnel: https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/posts/2934863145319975648?q=detroit
This post card is part of the Divided Back Era of post cards. This was from March 1, 1907 to 1915. And I can age the card even closer by seeing that the publisher of the card, S. H. Knox was only in business until 1911. So, the tunnel was completed in 1910 and the business (in Buffalo, New York) ended in 1911. That is a very short time frame of 18 months in which this post card was printed.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Not Speedy Gonzales, but Close!!

The picture on the front of this post card shows a group of Canadian National Railways (CN) "Speeders" lined up to await disposition in the early 1990s at CN's Transcona Shops in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada.
The history of the "Speeder" below was taken from my favourite author and webiste about anything train-related.
https://www.american-rails.com/speeders.html By Adam Burns "The classic railroad speeders dates back to around 1893 when the Sheffield Velocipede Company developed a primitive gasoline engine motor car (the company, founded by George Sheffield, had originally been in the business of building velocipedes). Just a few years after Sheffield developed its early motor car the company was purchased by Fairbanks-Morse (FM), most famous for its line of diesel locomotives years later. Of all the manufacturers which built speeders over the years unquestionably the Fairmont Gas Engine and Railway Motor Car Company was the most successful and well-known. For 80 years between 1911 and 1991 Fairmont built speeders, around 73,000 of them and even today these they can be seen in use, particularly by hobbyists which prefer them over other models. Fairmont's early railroad speeders were similar to FM's in that they offered little in the way of amenities. However, almost all of Fairmont's models featured cabs to keep crews out of the elements and their easy maintenance made them favorites among both crews and railroads. Early Fairmont models featured a standard two-stroke gas engine, fixed transmission (although later models corrected this by featuring a belt drive). Interestingly, the design was so basic that to put it in reverse one simply had to adjust the on-board sparkplug (although their simplicity endeared them to crews, some of which preferred the older models over newer ones). Because crews enjoyed the older designs Fairmont continued to produce them, such as the M-9 model, which was one of the oldest designs the company manufactured for years. Later models featured a four-stroke engine and varied in size to accommodate needed crew space, some of which held anywhere between 4 to 6 individuals. One of Fairmont's unique models was the FT, which featured an air-cooled (instead of the traditional water-cooled models), opposed-piston engine and featured amenities like heat, cushioned seats and a totally enclosed cab. Overall, Fairmont's models did not change much over the years and stayed mostly the same save for their crew size and amenities with most models able to cruise down the tracks between 25 and 40 mph. When railroad speeders became a stable of a railroad's maintenance department they were ideal for crews to inspect track while rolling along or transport them to a desired location (and in some cases spot for a trailing train if the line was poorly maintained or prone to rock/mudslides). However, as highways, roads, and automobiles became better constructed railroads now had the versatility to use utility trucks and cars (which could carry much more equipment and tools than a speeder) to not only drive to a location but also come equipped with rail wheels (known as Hyrails) to inspect the line."
The post card was published through the efforts of a team. The photographer was Morgan B. Turney; the distributor was Railfan Canada (their post card number 20) and the publisher was North Kildonan Publications. They are still around. Here is their website: http://www.cdnrwymod.com/body.htm

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Bashing through the Snow!!!

The information (including the title of this blog post of mine) about the Wedge Plow was taken from this blogger's site: https://theroadhome.ca/2018/06/18/bashing-through-the-snow-northern-style/ The blogger is Caroline Ross and she posted on June 18, 2018. The Road Home is a blog about history, travel, nature and the expansive joys of everyday life written by Caroline Ross. Caroline is a sea kayaker, history advocate, outdoor enthusiast, creative spirit and collector of new experiences living in Parksville, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Many of her stories relate to her local area or her travels around British Columbia and beyond. Caroline is endlessly curious about the world around her. She thrives on exploring new places, meeting new people and delving into natural and historical landscapes. Her inquisitiveness inspires her to search out the stories behind what she encounters — to unearth the details, unravel the threads, tease out the meaning — so she can experience life fully, deeply and with heart. The Road Home is Caroline’s vehicle for sharing her stories and experiences with you as we all strive to live more present, informed, passionate lives.
Here is what Caroline wrote: "It looks, from the front, like a bad accident between a cargo ship and a loading ramp. But this mass of metal on display in Nakusp, British Columbia, played an important role in Canadian rail history. Winter-worn residents of rail-side communities might recognize this machine for what it is: a snowplow, or, more accurately, a wedge plow, used to push snow off rail lines in winter. Wedge plows are specially designed to move large volumes of snow from railway tracks in North America. The big lower wedge (ramp-like portion) lifts snow high above track level, while the vertical “prow” directs the white stuff to the sides of the track, away from the front of the train. Rectangular wings on either side of the plow’s body can be adjusted outward to help widen the span of the plowed path and prevent snow from falling back against the train. Wedge plows do not have engines; they must be pushed by one or more locomotives, ideally at speeds high enough to clear solid paths through heavy, wet or frozen accumulations. Plowing deeply covered tracks can sometimes be a long (and loud) process, but it’s a necessary one where annual snowfalls are among the highest. There is a wedge plow in Nakusp, British Columbia Canada — #400648 in the Canadian Pacific line — is one of just 36 such plows constructed by CP’s Montreal-based Angus Shops in the 1920s. The plow served in the CP fleet for decades. One just like it may have bulldozed wintry drifts from the old Nakusp & Slocan Railway (1894-1988), which connected the West Kootenays with the CP trunk line in Revelstoke. Other identical plows undoubtedly carved paths for trains carrying Kootenay ore and timber over Rogers Pass to markets in eastern Canada. In 2016, CP Rail donated the plow (along with a 70s-era caboose) to the Village of Nakusp. The Nakusp Rail Society has since restored the plow (and is working on the caboose), in partnership with the Village of Nakusp, the Arrow Lakes Historical Society and a host of enthusiastic local volunteers." The picture on the front of this post card is a wedge plow that belonged to the Vermont Railway and it was taken on a bright August day in 1973.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Harvard College made Money because of this Bridge!

The bridge that stood into the 21st century was built in 1900 under chief engineer William Jackson, and was designed to carry the Charlestown Elevated railway in addition to vehicle traffic. In the post card to the left you can see horse and buggy (mailed September 23, 1909) as the vehicle traffic.
On the Wikipedia page there is an extremely similar picture, but there are cars instead of horse and buggy (picture from 1928). Our friends at Wikipedia tell us the following: The first government-sanctioned ferry crossing of the Charles was chartered at this location in the 1630s. It was operated by various individuals until it was given to Harvard College "in perpetuity" in 1640, to support the college financially. In 1640, the Massachusetts General Court granted Harvard College the revenue from the Boston-Charlestown ferry to help support the institution. The Harvard Corporation in its capacity managed the Charlestown ferry from the 1640s until 1785, and after the completion of the Charles River Bridge in 1785. The first bridge on this site was known as the Charles River Bridge, chartered in 1785 and opened on June 17, 1786. As a condition of chartering the bridge, a sum of £200 was paid annually to Harvard College to compensate for the lost ferry income. The bridge was privately built and operated, with tolls producing profits for the investors during the charter period, after the initial expense was paid off. In 1792, the West Boston Bridge was chartered, connecting West Boston to Cambridge. In compensation, the legislature extended the charter period of the Charles River Bridge by 30 years, but the unpopular double tolls on Sundays were eliminated. Traffic to the bridge was facilitated by the laying out of the Medford Turnpike in 1803. https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/last-elevated-train-runs-in-boston.html On June 25 in 2004, Boston's last elevated train pulled into North Station. For over a century, Bostonians had avoided the congested streets below by riding trains carried on huge steel tracks overhead. When the El was built in 1901, people were thrilled to pay the five-cent fare to travel in mahogany-paneled cars from one shiny station to another. But over time city officials and most residents came to see the once-elegant El as a noisy eyesore. Gradually elevated lines were replaced with subways, and the tracks were demolished. The final run of the Green Line trolley on the last half-mile of elevated track marked a milestone in the modernization of the nation's oldest subway system, and, at the same time, the end of an era. The bridge (both the structure built in 1900 and its replacement) was officially named the North Washington Street Bridge until 2024. In October 2024, the new bridge was officially named the William Felton "Bill" Russell Bridge in honor of Bill Russell. Russell was a player and player-coach for the Boston Celtics during 1956–1969, during which the team won 11 NBA championships. Locally, the bridge has been commonly known as the Charlestown Bridge,[ although The Boston Globe has noted that residents of Charlestown called it the North End Bridge. The Globe has opined the 2024 naming of the bridge after Bill Russell "puts an end to the hundred-year argument over whether the span should be known as the 'Charlestown Bridge' or the 'North End Bridge'."
The post card was published by the Reichner Brothers who had offices in Boston, Munchen, and Leipzig. This was printed before World War I (September 23, 1909) so the printers were still in Germany. The company lasted from 1906 to 1914.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Again, Not a Locomotive!!

A couple of weeks ago I posted a post card without a picture of a locomotive on it. It is obvious that today's post is in the same league as that post - no locomotive; in fact, it is sort of the exact opposite.
It is a picture of a caboose. That means that today's post card is over 30 years old. Cabooses were used on railroads in both the United States and Canada until the 1980s. The caboose on the front of today's post card posed for the picture in 1970. I am living in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. A local railway museum is the supplier of the details about cabooses in today's blog post. The museum is the Alberta Railway Museum in the northeast part of this city. Here is their website where I found the information below: https://albertarailwaymuseum.com/cabooses/ The caboose had many nicknames among railway workers: crummy, cab, van, doghouse, hayrack, waycar, conductor’s van, and even “brain box” or “brains box”. Modern CNR employees called it the cab or caboose while CPR employees called it the van as did CN eastern lines employees. The caboose was the conductor’s home and office. The conductor was responsible for the entire train, except the locomotive. The conductor and engineer work together to keep the train on schedule. The conductor must know exactly who and what was on his/her train, how many, the origin and destination of each item or passenger, etc. The conductor was assisted by one or two trainmen. They threw switches, coupled and uncoupled cars, checked brakes and made sure the train ran safely. The head end brakeman rode in the locomotive cab and the tail end brakeman or “brakie” rode in the caboose with the conductor. In the days before the installation of air brakes, brakemen had to climb on the roof of the train to manually set and release the brakes. The conductor and the brakeman rode in the cupola, which was the raised portion on the roof of the caboose or on its side. They looked down the length of the train to see or smell “hot boxes”: overheated axle bearings that could catch fire or seize up and cause a derailment. They also looked for dragging equipment, shifted loads, fires, loose straps, or hoboes. If anything out of the ordinary was detected the conductor signaled a stop with his lantern or pulled the emergency brake. The problem was fixed by the train crew or the car was set out on a siding to be repaired later. During the early days of railroading, conductors and brakemen saw the caboose as their home away from home. Each crew would often bring personal belongings from home. Conductors made their own symbol to put on the roof of their caboose to help them find their “home” in a crowded rail yard. At the end of a day’s work, the caboose was taken off the train and set out on a siding. The crew would eat and sleep in it overnight and be put on another train the next day. Each caboose came with three benches with mattresses stored underneath, a coal bin, a stove for heating and cooking, a sink, water for drinking and washing, a conductor’s desk, and an ice block refrigerator. The caboose also had a first-aid kit, stretcher, switchman’s hand lanterns, and a flag/flare kit. Newer cabooses had no beds, but did have an electric refrigerator, heaters, an oven, a toilet, lockers, an eating table, and a conductor’s desk. Eventually, the caboose was phased out. In February 1988, the Canadian Transport Commission gave permission to Canadian railways to replace the caboose with the new end-of-train unit. The conductor moved into the locomotive cab with the engineman and front-end brakeman. By the fall of 1988, CNR and CPR began the removal of the caboose from active duty. Trains are now operated by a conductor and locomotive engineer both located in the cab of the locomotive.
This is another post card (I have 204) from the publisher "Railcards.com" about whom I know nothing. The back of the card tells us that this Soo Line Caboose was photographed at Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

The Tehachapi Loop - Part 2

On May 16, 2012, I posted a post card with a picture of the Tehachapi Loop near Walong, California. Here is that link: https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/2934863145319975648/8903353205476421380
That post referred to the fact that I have another post card of the Loop. Well, here is that post card. This is a picture of a Southern Pacific train with a bay window caboose. That caboose is rolling over the top of its own mixed freight train as it passes around the loop. This website https://www.american-rails.com/tehachapi.html has an article about the Tehachapi Loop. This website is worth bookmarking for all sorts of interesting information about railroads, locomotives, and many other railroad related information. Adam Burns know a lot about a lot. The Tehachapi Loop is a famous spiral section of a railroad through Tehachapi Pass in Southern California. Built by the Southern Pacific between 1874-1876, it is considered an engineering marvel for its ability to allow trains to traverse the steep Tehachapi Mountains. Its intent was to gain elevation at a manageable gradient and has worked so well for nearly 150 years it has remained virtually unchanged and in regular use. The loop extends 0.73 miles with a diameter of 1,200 feet and a height difference of 77 feet between its highest and lowest points. It is still a vital part of the area's transportation infrastructure and is now a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Today, it remains an important artery of Union Pacific.
This post card was published by Railcards.com It is still a mystery to me as to who this company was.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

More Views of the Lookout Mountain Incline

These post cards are more views of the Lookout Mountain Incline Cable Raiway. I wrote about the attraction last week, so this week I will just share the other post cards that I have in my collection about the railway - front and back of course.
This one was copyrighted in 1964 by the W. M. Cline Company; the photo was taken by Walter Cline.
This one was copyrighted in 1956 by the W. M. Cline Company; the photo was taken by Walter Cline.
This one does not say when it was copyrighted but the numbering system puts it between the two post cards above.
This one is postmarked August 31, 1970. It was published by Color-King Natural Color Card, Cline Photo, Inc.