How Do You Pronounce Schuylkill?

The Little Schuylkill Navigation Railroad was a 30 mile long set of tracks whose purpose was to bring coal from Tamaqua to Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. It also carried passengers to and fro.

The train pictured on the front of this post card is dumping the coal into a barge to be brought to market. The most information that I found about this railroad was in a letter to the president of the company from a lawyer dated July 3, 1941. The president was asking for an opinion as to whether or not the railroad was subject to paying into the Unemployment Insurance system of the time. Here is an excerpt from the letter: The Little Schuylkill Navigation Railroad and Coal Company was incorporated September 14, 1829, under an act of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for the purpose of making a lock navigation on the East Branch of the Schuylkill River. By special act of April 23, 1831, and supplementary acts, however, the company was authorized to build and operate a railroad instead of a canal. It constructed a railroad, as authorized, and opened it for operation on November I5, 1831. The Little Schuylkill Railroad between Tamaqua and Port Clinton was completed and began operating with horse drawn coal and passenger cars which were pulled along wooden rails with steel straps attached to the top. The opening of this railroad was considered an engineering marvel of the time and was celebrated with a great deal of fanfare. This was only the 3rd rail route to be constructed in America at the time. The road was operated directly by the company from that date to April 1, 1863, when the entire road was leased by the company to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. On December 1, 1896, this lease was terminated and the property was as of that date leased to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, successor to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, for a period of 999 years. On January 1, 1924, the lease was assumed by the Reading Company, successor to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, and the Reading Company has continued since that date to operate the line of railroad of the Little Schuylkill Navigation Railroad and Coal Company in interstate commerce, as lessee under that lease. In view of the conclusion reached by the Board in that decision with respect to the carrier status of the New London Northern Railroad Company, it is my opinion, for the reasons stated therein, that the Little Schuylkill Navigation Railroad and Coal Company is now, and at least since August 28, 1935, has been, a carrier by railroad subject to Part I of the Interstate Commerce Act, and for that reason is an employer under the Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Acts. The railroad merged with the Reading Railroad in 1952, thereby ceasing to exist. By the way, Diane Herner from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania says, “Those of us from Philadelphia say ‘Skookle’.” The post card was published by the Tamaqua Historical Society in Tamaqua. https://www.tamaquahistoricalsociety.org/train-rides

Their website,says that each year, the historical society sponsors and conducts train rides departing from the Tamaqua Station during the Summerfest and at Christmas time. The train rides are presented in cooperation with the Reading and Northern Railroad. They have a facebook page if you would like to follow them. You can find it by searching on facebook or through the link on their website.

This One Got in Just Under the Wire!

The train on the front of this post card is supposed to be the "Continental Divide by Moonlight".

I know. It doesn't look like a night time scene. But, a good student of science knows that the moon (though not a full moon) is up during the daytime. Maybe the publisher is trying to catch us!! The post card was mailed in Colorado and the publisher is from Denver. So we know the continental divide to which they are referring is in that state. However, there are eight places where a railroad in Colorado crosses the continental divide. We can discount one of them because it is a mining operation. Four of the crossings are by narrow-gauge railroads, so we can set them aside (I am presuming that the picture is of a transcontinental train since it is on a post card). Two of them are through tunnels. That leaves the Rollins pass as the pass that is pictured on this post card. It was a very popular route for the trains crossing the United States. In 1928 the overland pass was replaced by the Moffatt Tunnel. From Wikipedia: The abandoned rail route over Rollins Pass was nominated for and accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because of significant events and engineering feats accomplished by railroading efforts in the early 20th century. In 1997, additional areas on the pass were added to the National Register of Historic Places to include achievements made by John Q.A. Rollins and his toll wagon road that traversed the pass. In 2012, Rollins Pass was listed as one of the most endangered sites in Colorado.

This post card was published by Williamson-Haffner. They were a publisher of lithographic souvenir books and view-cards of the American West. While their views were largely based on photographic reproduction, many scenes were artist drawn. They also produced comic postcards. They only existed in Denver, Colorado from 1905 to 1910. This post card was mailed in 1909. It just made it in time before the publisher disappeared - just under the wire! In fact it was mailed on February 12, 1909 so it will be 113 years old on Saturday. Just for the fun of it, here is the logo of the publisher:

I've Got Nothing!

I am just plowing through Volume Four of my post card collection. This beautiful picture of a train along a river is in that volume.

It is the volume in which I have random post cards from the steam era in the United States. They don't fit into the categories of the other volumes, so I put them into here. This post card is the next one in line to be published in this blog. Here is the challenge. There is absolutely no information on the front or the back of this post card that tells me anything about the train on the front, the state in which the picture was taken, or the name of the railroad. The fact that it has a white border tells me that it was printed some time between 1915 and 1930.

In the bottom, left corner of the back the number "300" is printed. I assume that this was one of a series of post cards printed. Also on the back, is the post mark. It tells me that the post card was posted to the mail on October 17, 1919 at 11 AM from somewhere in Kentucky. It is also being sent to someplace in Kentucky. Just as there is no information about the train on the front, there is nothing about the printer or the publisher. I've got nothing!

How did a Michigan Central Train get to Niagara Falls?

The train pictured on the front of this post card has stopped at the edge of the embankment of Niagara Falls so that the passengers can get out and take a closer look at this geological wonder. There will be a bit more about the train stopping there later in this post.

But first, this train belonged to the Michigan Central Railroad. It is on the edge of Niagara Falls – that is in New York, three states (Ohio and Pennsylvania then New York) away from Michigan. Here is the story of how this train stopping came to be. The first part of the story is taken from a .pdf file from The Michigan Department of Transportation. It is called “Michigan’s Railroad History 1825 - 2014”. This is what that document has to say: On June 28, 1832 the Detroit & St. Joseph Railroad, the first railroad planned to cross Michigan, was chartered. Its name was later changed to Michigan Central Railroad. The Michigan Central Railroad (MCRR) began construction west from Detroit, reaching Ypsilanti by February 1838, Ann Arbor in October 1839, and Jackson on Dec. 29, 1841. On April 23, 1849 the MCRR completed its line to New Buffalo, the first railroad to cross the state. During 1855 MCRR began using the telegraph to control train operations, making it the nation’s first railroad to make widespread use of this system. Then, in April of 1863 in a meeting held in Marshall, 13 Michigan Central Railroad men planned a national railwaymen’s organization, resulting the following month in the founding in Detroit of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the oldest railroad labor union in the Western Hemisphere. On Jan. 2, 1930 the New York Central system acquired a 99-year lease of both Michigan Central and “Big Four” (Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad) lines. This virtually put an end to the Michigan Central Railroad. However, it also gave the company the ability to publish the post card we have here today. That was about the history of the Michigan Central Railroad in Michigan, up to becoming a part of the New York Central system. This part below explains how the Michigan Central train could get three states away and stop by the side of the famous Niagara Falls. It is take from this website: https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/railroads-of-niagara-falls/erie-ontario-railroad/ In 1869, the Erie & Ontario Railroad became the Niagara division of the Canadian Southern Railroad. In order to access the American market, The Canadian Southern Railroad formed a partnership with the Michigan Central Railroad. The Canadian Southern Railroad had a rental agreement with the Great Western Railroad to use their rail line and to cross their railway suspension bridge at the Niagara border. In 1873, the Canadian Southern Railroad was running three trains per day between Fort Erie and Niagara on the Lake. The Canadian Southern Railway began advertising the Falls View and all day trains were stopped 15-20 minutes at this location for sightseeing purposes. Fast trains were stopped for 5 minutes before continuing. In 1883, the rail bed of the Michigan Central Railway leading to the new bridge followed a route that brought the tracks past the front (east side) of Loretto Academy. This resulted in a portion of the original Portage Road in that area to be closed to accommodate the Michigan Central Railroad. All Michigan Central Railroad trains stopped at Falls View for at least 10 minutes to allow everyone to view the majestic Falls of Niagara.

This post card was printed by Metrocraft. They existed from 1939 to 1984 in Everett, Massachusetts. Metrocraft was a major printer of linen and photochrome postcards displaying a variety of subjects. They also printed postcards for many other publishers. A good number of Metrocraft’s early photochrome postcards retained the use of retouchers that had worked on their linens. These cards have a very distinct look before they went over to a completely uniform photographic means of natural color reproduction.

And the Chase is On...

Last week I posted about the locomotive known as "The General". It was involved in the "Great Locomotive Chase" during the American Civil War. It was captured by the Yankees. But, in order for there to be a chase there has to be a chaser.

The locomotive on the front of this post card was the chaser engine that finally caught up to The General. The information below was take from this website: https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/legacy-locomotives/texas-returns/ The Civil War era Texas locomotive has been restored, and is on the move. Thanks to the support of CSX Transportation during the 16-month restoration, the 1856 steam-powered locomotive was in great condition for its April 28 display at the N.C. Transportation Museum’s 100 Years of Steam event. The Texas was part of the Civil War’s iconic Great Locomotive Chase in 1862 and was critical to rebuilding Atlanta during reconstruction. The asset is a piece of CSX history, having been part of the Western & Atlantic Railroad [built in 1856] that connected Atlanta and Chattanooga. The Texas will now move back to the Atlanta History Center where it will be featured in the Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama Building and on display to the public this fall. The Texas was just one of the CSX historical assets on display at the 100 Years of Steam event. And the information below was taken from this webiste: https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/northside_sandy_springs/opinion/the-texas-locomotive-carries-history-of-atlanta-into-present-day/article_aa06710c-5703-11e9-928f-8b3e7561cf69.html Andrews’ Raiders, as they are known, slipped into Georgia and on April 12, 1862, boarded the General as passengers. It was en route to Chattanooga. When it stopped in Kennesaw for breakfast, the passengers disembarked and the raiders sprang into action. Upon seeing his engine and three railroad cars pulling away, Capt. William Fuller gave chase on foot. He was accompanied by two crew members. By foot and occasionally handcar, they pursued the General. Over the course of the day, Fuller commandeered several engines as he came upon them, only to be thwarted by Andrews’ men destroying the tracks. They also cut the telegraph wires. Their efforts to burn the bridges failed, though. Because of a wet spring, the bridges wouldn’t burn, only smolder. Finally, Andrews commandeered the Texas near Adairsville, but it was headed in the opposite direction. Driving in reverse, he caught up to the General, which ran out of fuel in Ringgold near the Tennessee line. Short on time and fuel, and with Fuller constantly gaining on them, the raiders had stopped cutting the telegraph lines and tearing up tracks. Word had been sent ahead. Armed men were waiting as Andrews’ Raiders fled the engine in every direction. They were caught and jailed.

The post card was printed by the Curt Otto Teich Company for the R & R News Company in Atlanta Georgia. When I search for this on line I find no information. The Code on the front of the card tells me that it was printed in 1940.

And They're Off...

The locomotive on the front of this post card was part of the “Great Locomotive Chase” during the American Civil War.

Some details about the chase are included in the information below. There is another locomotive that was involved in that chase that has also been preserved and restored. There will be more about this one next week. The locomotive in today’s post is called “The General”. I found this information about the engine on line all at this website: https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/The_General The Western & Atlantic Railroad No. 3, named The General, is a type of 4-4-0 "American Standard" steam locomotive that was built in 1855 by The Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor Company of Paterson, New Jersey for the Western and Atlantic Railroad, and was involved in the "Great Locomotive Chase" of the American Civil War. (To whom it was owned by the Confederacy of the United States during the Civil War) During the Civil War, the "General" was designed to haul freight and passenger trains between Atlanta, GA, and Chattanooga, TN. It often transported Confederate soldiers as well as numerous officers, including the famous Robert E. Lee. The "Great Locomotive Chase" was an event which occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia when the General was hijacked by a group of Union spies led by James J. Andrews while the train was stopped for breakfast at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw, Georgia). Their goal was burn bridges, destroy telegraph lines, and railroad tracks between Atlanta, GA, and Chattanooga, TN. The train's conductor, William A. Fuller, pursued the train, first on foot, then on a push-cart, and later on other locomotives encountered, one of which being the Texas. After an eight hour pursuit, just two miles north of Ringgold, GA the General had run out of fuel and the spies abandoned it. After the war, the "General" continued on the Western & Atlantic. When the railroad began numbering engines, as it was the 39th acquired, the "General" was numbered #39. In 1880, it was renumbered #3. Then in 1891, The General retired from service and it was stored on a siding in Vinings, GA, until it was restored for display at the 1899 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, IL. In 1890, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway overhauled the General and provided the locomotive for public events and to promote the line's Civil War history (to drum up the tourism trade) up through the 1930's. From 1901-1959 the locomotive used to be on static display at Chattanooga Union Depot in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The locomotive is now preserved on static display at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The post card was published by the Hivnor Card Company out of Zanesvill, Ohio. I could not find anything about them on line. It is a relatively modern post card, of the Photochrome or Plastichrome variety. The "K" inside the diamond is interesting, but I cannot find anything on line about this symbol either.

Pretty Enough to Make Movies

Dancing with Wolves is one of the movies that used this canyon for the scenery in it. But it was well known before the moves came by.

The train on the front of this post card is traveling through what some people (Frank Lloyd Wright, for one) consider the most beautiful canyon in the United States. It is Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is about 70 miles north (and a bit west) of Mount Rushmore. I found this information on the internet about Spearfish Canyon and the railroad. It comes from this website: http://www.spearfishcanyon.com/culture/agrarian.html In 1893, Spearfish Canyon was opened by the railroad. This engineering marvel consisted of three hundred and seventy five curves of sheer up and down hill climbing. In all, the thirty two mile "Spearfish Spur" left Deadwood, rose 1,886 feet in six miles to Trojan (then known as Portland), then down 2,778 in twenty-five miles spanning thirty-three bridges to Spearfish. The ties were bedded in rock the whole way and the freight cars had to be chained to the siding to keep them from rolling to the bottom at Spearfish. The Grand Island & Wyoming Line built the spur but then sold it to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy a short time later for more than $2-million. In an early brochure citing the breathtaking engineering accomplishments, the Burlington called the Canyon trip, "for sheer artistry of description, it need bow to no other." The railroad was very accommodating in those days. The schedule was one train a day, and the crew was most happy to let the fisherman, sightseers, picnickers, berry pickers, and the like off at any place they chose and pick them up again on the return trip. One of the most scenic and thrilling spots on the Spearfish Canyon train ride was Spearfish Falls. The crew would stop the train on the vibrating trestle spanning the falls offering a thrilling sight of the waters thundering impact below. The line as abandoned in 1933 after some severe massive flooding made it too expensive to rebuild. Today, a highway follows along where the rail bed used to be in places. This website has the following to say about the car drive: https://visitspearfish.com/things-to-do/spearfish-canyon The breathtaking limestone palisades of this creek-carved gorge are more ancient than the Grand Canyon – albeit much closer together. Once accessible only by horseback, Spearfish Canyon’s narrow, 1000-foot walls are among the most spectacular scenery in the Black Hills. Passersby can see the canyon en route to other Black Hills attractions on US Highway 14A, which winds through the canyon for nearly 20 miles from the city of Spearfish to Cheyenne Crossing. Built on top of an old rail bed, the highway affords visitors views of pristine natural wonders and historical treasures.

The post card was printed by the Curt Otto Teich Company. It was printed between 1915 and 1930 - the White Border Era. Curt's white border post cards are considered some of the best quality. He printed it for L. B. Holister, an importer and jobber in the city of Lead, South Dakota. I can find nothing on Mr. Hollister. But, there are many post cards on the internet that carry his moniker. That is his logo in the bottom left-hand corner of the back of the post card.