105 Years Ago on the Southern Pacific Railroad

The picture on this post card says that it shows a steam locomotive coming out of the protection of a Snow Shed.

Snow sheds were very common in the early days of trains going through mountains that threatened the rail lines with avalanche potential. This particular snow shed is of a unique variety: it is purely an added drawing to a beautiful view of some mountains in the background and a train track in the foreground. I suspected it from the moment I saw it. But, to verify it, I used a powerful (15x) magnifying glass that a very good friend of mine gave to me. Through it I can see the gap between the mountain side and the shed. They would never build a protector from avalanches in a way in which the avalanche could take the shed with it by hitting the uphill-side straight on. Plus, the engine on the card is drawn with white lines on the black background.

Anyway, it was obviously attractive enough to tempt Josie to purchase it. She used it to write to Arthur to ask him why she has not heard from him for over a month!

She wrote the card on February 15, 1913. It was mailed from Truckee, California where they would be familiar with Snow Sheds on the train lines.