Need a Refill...

The locomotive in this picture on the front of this post card is sitting at a coal dock in Broadview, Saskatchewan. Broadview is about 150 kilometers east of Regina, Saskatchewan,

the capital of the province. Their official website says this, “Broadview is an inexpensive and safe place to raise a family, retire, or start a new business venture. The Town's infrastructure can easily handle significant population growth. We are protected by a 13 member R.C.M.P. Detachment, and have a very well-run volunteer Fire Department. We also boast some of the best Health Care Services you'll find anywhere in rural Saskatchewan. There are many recreational facilities and activities to choose from for your enjoyment. We are a progressive community with a great history and lots of potential for the future. So, please browse through our website and visit our town to decide if this is the place for you. We think it is.” I can tell that the locomotive is just sitting at the dock because there is no one in the cab of the locomotive. Its road number is 389. The engine is a 4-6-0 type of locomotive commonly called (according to the Whyte Classification) a ten-wheeler. Here is some information about 4-6-0 locomotives from this website: https://www.american-rails.com/wheeler.html The 4-6-0 was developed as early as the late 1840s first appearing on the Philadelphia & Reading. Their creation came about because of a need to increase adhesion, which allowed a single locomotive to haul heavier loads. Essentially, it is an American design, and the Ten-wheeler’s extra axle allowed for this increase in tractive effort. For the first time in the railroad industry’s short history it now had a specialized locomotive that could be used for specific purposes, in this case hauling freight and passengers over steep grades. Today, you can find dozens and dozens of 4-6-0s preserved including several that are still operational. Before the 2-8-0 gained widespread use as a heavy-haul locomotive, many railroads turned to the 4-6-0 for that task; the first, true specialized model for freight service (the earlier 4-4-0 was really an all-around design used to pull both freight and passenger trains). As trains became heavier, the 4-6-0 ran into the same problem of all models which lacked a trailing axle or truck; without the added support for a larger firebox and a small frame of just three driving axles limiting boiler size the locomotive, eventually, could simply not keep up with the times. The 4-6-0 was well liked by short lines, logging railroads, and various privately-owned industrial operations due to its weight and nimble ability to operate on light trackage. By the time production of the 4-6-0 had ended an incredible 16,000+ had been built. With so many built the locomotive remained in service many decades after production had ended. Today, several 4-6-0s are preserved around the country, including several of which that are still in operation. Some of the more well-known operable ten-wheelers include: New Hope & Ivyland #1533, (originally built for the Canadian Northern, later Canadian National, in 1911); Sierra Railroad #3 in California; Alaska Railroad narrow-gauge #152 (now #2) at the Huckleberrry Railroad in Michigan; Tweestie narrow-gauge #12 in North Carolina; Virginia & Truckee #25 in Nevada; Nevada Northern #40 at East Ely; Southern Pacific #2248 in Texas; Texas & Pacific #316 (now #201) also in Texas.

The picture was taken by someone with the last name of Robinson. It is a Real Photo post card on Solio brand post card stock. Solio was one of many Real Photo post card papers that were sold by Kodak. The square where the stamp is to be placed tells us that,

not only is this on Solio paper, but, the picture was taken between 1908 and the 1920s. The diamonds in the corners provide that information. The post card was given to me by a very dear friend whose father grew up in Saskatchewan.

Is that a Train Downtown?

The train on the front of this post card is traveling through a main street of

Syracuse, New York. The men and crates in the bottom left of the picture even make it look as if the train is about to stop to pick up passengers and freight. Below is information about both the city of Syracuse and publisher of the post card. The following information about Syracuse’s relationship with trains was taken from this website: https://kids.kiddle.co/Railroads_in_Syracuse,_New_York Railroads in Syracuse, New York, were first mentioned in October 1831, when a convention held in the city marked one of the earliest moves to stimulate the era of railroad building which ultimately brought steam railroad service to New York State. At the time of the convention, the oldest railroad in Onondaga County had been in operation for two years. Out of the convention came the impetus which gave birth to the roads which consolidated in 1853 to form the New York Central Railroad which was a conglomeration of several lines and by the late 1860s, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, another important railroad conglomerate, was also making inroads in Central New York. Railroads were big business in Syracuse and life in many ways revolved around them with the continuing ease of transportation and proliferation of jobs they brought to the local economy. The first street railway was built in Salina Street in 1859 and Syracuse was soon known "far and wide" as the city where the trains passed through the middle of downtown.

The post card was published by the Rotograph Company. It is from before March 1, 1907 because only the address is allowed to be written on the back of the card. The information about Rotograph Company was taken from this website: http://www.metropostcard.com/publishersr2.html The Rotograph Company existed from 1904 to 1911 at 684 Broadway in New York City, New York. They were a major printer and publisher of postcards. The company was founded by the Germans Ludwig Knackstedt of Knackstedt & Nather in partnership with Arthur Schwarz of Neue Photographische Gesellschaft (a major bromide photo paper manufacturer). They also took over the National Art Views Co.

in 1904 (notice how they incorporate the “Art Views” into their logo to gain quick access to American views, and republished many of these images under the Rotograph name. A wide variety of card types were also issued in 19 letter series

(this particular post card falls under the “G Series) plus many other miscellaneous cards and printed items, but they are best known for their view-cards in color rotogravure. Many postcards were printed in the Rotograph style without their logo on them. These early cards may have been private contracts made with the Rotograph Company or from orders placed directly with their printers in Germany. Rotograph produced about 60,000 postcards that were printed in Hamburg, Germany, by Stengel of Dresden, by Knackstedt & Nather of Nancy, France, and possibly by Reinike & Rubin of Magdeburg. While Rotograph produced large amounts cards in clearly defined lettered designated sets, they also produced unique small card sets.

How Convenient!

The locomotive pictured on the front of this post card had quite the active history before it was put on static display. A much better alternative than hitting the scrap pile!! The information below about this locomotive is taken from this website: https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/ATSF_No._3759

The Santa Fe (ATSF) No. 3759 is a type of 4-8-4 'Northern', steam locomotive which was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1928 for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. This engine hauled passenger trains on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. It was retired in the late 50’s when diesels replace steam. In February 1955, 3759 was brought out of retirement at the request of the Railway Club of Southern California for a special excursion run, dubbed "Farewell to Steam." This special ran on February 6, a round trip between Los Angeles Union Station and Barstow, California with stops in Pasadena and San Bernardino and was the last Santa Fe revenue steam train to leave Los Angeles and to traverse Cajon Pass. After this trip, 3759 went back into storage, until Santa Fe donated the locomotive to the city of Kingman in 1957. In January 1991, Grand Canyon Railway owner Max Biegert sent a letter to Kingman city officials of his proposal to lease AT&SF 3759 to operation and donate his engine No. 19 to the city. 3759 would have run in the Grand Canyon Railway and an "Orient Express"-styled train between Los Angeles and Williams, Arizona. But the city refused, and so it remains in its plinth rather than being given a second chance. Today it's on display at Locomotive Park, located between Andy Devine Avenue and Beale Street in Kingman, Arizona.

The post card was published by Petley Studios out of Phoenix, Arizona. It is rather convenient that the locomotive is on static display in Kingman, Arizona (just about 3 hours away from Phonenix). It is also convenient that the photograph of the locomotive was taken by Bob Petley. It is not so convenient that the post card was probably printed in Chicago, Illinois.

That is where the Curt Teich Company is located. The code (3DK-1903) in the stamp box tells me that this post card was printed by them in the 1960s. This date can be validated also by the fact that the lomotive was put on diplay after 1957, which would give Bob Petley time to get up there to take the picture and have it sent to Chicago - in the 1960s.

Is that Henry Ford or Thomas Edison getting on the Train?

The first thing I notice when I look at the picture of the locomotive on this post card, is how large, and how unusually shaped the smoke stack is. The train locomotive pictured on the front of this post card is what they call

an “American” type of locomotive in the Whyte Classification nomenclature. This one is a wood-buring locomotive. I know this is true because of 1) the load of wood behind the locomotive in the tender and, 2) the shape of the smoke stack. I think this locomotive is one of the types of locomotives that many people think of when they hear “steam locomotive”. The website: https://steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-4-0 tells us that “the locomotive was widely used in North America during the 1800's. This wheel arrangement was well suited to the grades and curvature of the railroad of that time. Around 25,000 4-4-0 locomotives were built by companies including Rogers, Baldwin, Cooke and Mason.” The website also includes a listing of a) all the railroad companies that used 4-4-0 locomotives and b) where all the surviving locomotives can be found – whether on display or being used. This particular 4-4-0 is sitting at the Smith Creek Station in Greenfield Village, near Dearborn, Michigan. Today, Dearborn is home to the Ford Motor Company and Henry Ford actually has a connection to this station! The following information (the picture is from the second website) was taken from these two websites: https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/49722#slide=gs-218677 http://www.michiganrailroads.com The Smiths Creek Depot stood on the Grand Trunk Western Railway, about ten miles southwest of Port Huron, Michigan. The railroad station was the center of 19th century small-town life. More than a place to catch a train, the depot was where customers sent and received packages and telegrams, caught up on the latest news, and shared gossip. The station was built in 1858 by the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada. Smith's Creek was settled about 1861 and was the county seat of St. Clair county from 1869 to 1871.

Smith's Creek was a station stop on the Grand Trunk Western (GTW) line from Port Huron to West Detroit. As a boy, Thomas Edison operated a concession on GTW trains from here including a printed newspaper. Later, Henry Ford moved the Smith's Creek depot to historic Greenfield Village in Edison's honor. The railroad built a new depot in 1929 to replace it. Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum is a historical village created by Henry Ford in the 1920's and opened in 1933 in west Dearborn. The Village has a connection on the Michigan Central main line (Detroit to Chicago) about 1 mile west of the Southfield expressway. The Village has a standard-gauge railroad loop which is about 1.5 miles long which pulls tourists around the facility from Smith's Creek Station. The line also has period semaphore signaling installed, as well as a working roundhouse and water tower.

This post card is what is called a "Real Photo Post Card". It is a picture that taken from a camera and transferred (printed) directly to the post card. It was published by Artcraft Photo Company of East Rutherford, New Jersey. In my mind, I have made a connection between East Rutherford and Thomas Edison. Menlo Park, NJ is only 30 miles from East Rutherford. It would certainly be interesting to know if there is a connection among Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and the owner of Artcraft Photo Company.....