Rare Books
Middle East
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Middle East; India
Rare Books
Includes photographs. Materials on Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, India. Timetable: "Iraqi State Railways Public Time Table for Principal Stations" (1952); snapshots and photographs of trains in Iraq; blueprints for Iraqi State Railways - Standard Gauge..." (1943); Indian Railways photographs; others.
646607
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Europe (continued), Japan, Mexico and South America, Middle East and India, Far East
Rare Books
This collection of railroad ephemera, photographs, prints and posters concerns only streamliner trains--the wind-resistant, "streamlined" designs first appearing on major U.S. railroads in 1934 and peaking in the glamour years of the American streamliner, late 1930s to 1955. The sleek, fast trains were promoted for their speed, luxury and comfort compared to older, heavyweight steam locomotives. The bulk of the collection is composed of passenger brochures, with especially extensive files on Union Pacific; Southern Pacific; New York Central; Chicago, Burlington and Quincy ("the Burlington"); and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe ("the Santa Fe") railroads. There are also many materials on Amtrak (formed in 1971), and foreign railroads, particularly in Canada, Europe and Japan. Besides brochures, other printed materials include: manufacturer's pamphlets, employee newsletters, press releases, blueprints of railcars, copies of U.S. Patent Office design applications, menus, lounge car stationery, baggage stickers and other items. The photographs are mostly railroad-issued 8 x 10-inch prints showing train exteriors and richly designed dining cars, lounge cars, sleeping cabins and domed observation cars. There are also many high-quality small-format photographs made by Leslie Merrill and other amateur photographers, 1938 to 1960s. The prints and posters mostly consist of promotions for U.S. railroads, with several notable pre-World War II posters for European railroads. An important section of the collection covers early streamlining experiments of the late-19th century: Samuel R. Calthrop's "air-resisting" train of 1865; Frederick U. Adams's "Windsplitter" of 1893; Joe V. Meigs' "Meigs Elevated Railway" monorail in 1880s Boston; and William Riley McKeen Jr.'s aerodynamic McKeen Motor Car of the 1900s. In addition to railroad history, other topics of social and cultural historical interest are: Depictions of African Americans and Native Americans in mass-marketed train travel brochures. There are many examples that reflect American cultural and class stereotypes in the early- to mid-20th century. History of food and drink: See numerous dining car and beverage menus (not always noted in container list). History of advertising, graphic design and typography represented in 20th-century railroad print advertising.
646607
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Africa, Near East
Rare Books
Includes train(s): The Blue Train; The Drakensberg Express. Includes photographs and route guides for the Blue Train (Pretoria and Johannesburg to Cape Town, 1974); several other South African Railways brochures; Namibia, Egypt and others. Note: No people of color are shown in most of the photos of these materials until a 1989 brochure on the Blue Train.
646607
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Florida East Coast Railway Company
Rare Books
Includes train(s): The Henry M. Flagler; Dixie Flagler; The Champion; The South Wind. Includes photographs.
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Japan
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Includes photographs. Includes materials on Japanese National Railways; trial monorail at Tokyo Zoo; others.
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Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company; Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
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Includes train(s): Libertyliners. Includes (selected items): photographs; contains materials on Electroliner trains of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad; the Philadelphia Suburban took over their operation when CNS&M shut down on January 20, 1963.
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