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A 5x2" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from the estate of a train enthusiast who collected and filmed filmed trains and streetcars of all sorts. Many of the photos from his collection are likely one of a kind.
Photo Overview
This small-format photograph shows Car No. 115 of the Scranton & Binghamton Railroad Co., an interurban electric railway car captured in a classic builder-style broadside photograph. The car is a handsome open-platform interurban coach with large windows, clerestory roof, open vestibule platforms at each end, and the railroad\'s full name painted in bold lettering along the upper belt rail. The car number 115 appears prominently on the side panels and end. This image comes from the estate of a dedicated train enthusiast who traveled the world documenting rail history, and represents a wonderful piece of Pennsylvania railroad heritage.
Historical Notes
The Scranton & Binghamton Railroad was an interurban electric railway that operated between Scranton and Binghamton, Pennsylvania and New York, connecting these two significant industrial cities through the Lackawanna Valley region. The line was one of many interurban railways that flourished in the northeastern United States in the early twentieth century, serving both passenger and freight needs before the rise of the automobile. Like most interurban systems, the Scranton & Binghamton eventually succumbed to competition from automobiles and buses, ceasing operations in the 1930s. Car No. 115 and its sister cars are long gone, making photographic records like this one an important piece of surviving documentation of this lost transportation network. Today, collectors of interurban and trolley history prize images like this one as irreplaceable windows into early electric railway operations in Pennsylvania and New York.
Print analysis
This appears to be a photographic print reproduction - likely a Type 2 photo printed from an original negative at some point well after the original photograph was taken, estimated c1950s-1960s. The sepia tone, the small panoramic format (5x2 inches), and the style of the red rubber stamp identification on the back are consistent with reference prints made by railfan enthusiasts or historical societies from original glass plate or film negatives. The image itself has a slightly screened or reproduced quality, suggesting it may be a photographic copy print rather than a direct print from the original negative.
Condition
In fair to good vintage condition. Please see photos for precise condition.
