Yesterday, I wrote that most of the Forty-Niner menu covers used images taken from the heart of Southern Pacific territory, so of course today would be the exception: an engraving of Colonel Fremont speaking with Indians at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. … Continue reading
The first cover today commemorates the 30th anniversary of the first run of the California Zephyr. Postmarked March 17, 1979, in Bond, Colorado, the envelope includes a printed note saying that it was carried from Denver to Bond on the … Continue reading
Someone took a round trip on the Rio Grande Zephyr in February, 1978 and mailed out these covers. Unlike yesterday’s covers, there’s no indication on the envelopes of which was westbound and which was eastbound. Both were contributed by John … Continue reading
The Postal Service ended most railway post office contracts in 1967, which brought about the end of the Silver Age of passenger trains as most railroads ran RPOs with passenger trains and depended on the income from RPOs to supplement … Continue reading
The White Pass & Yukon, truly one of the most scenic narrow-gauge lines in the world, was completed in July, 1900 and celebrated its 75th anniversary with this cover. Although the railway begins in Skagway, Alaska, it is mostly a … Continue reading
In September, 1948, New York Central invited General Dwight Eisenhower to inaugurate the postwar 20th Century Limited, which consisted of all-new passenger cars pulled by nearly new Diesel locomotives. The railroad printed up this “First Trip” envelope to be hand … Continue reading
This 13-1/2″x21″ desk pad is made of the same material as blotters, indicating it was made for use during the fountain pen era. Since “domeliner” dates it to no earlier than 1954, and it is likely that the growing use … Continue reading
Here’s a 1945 photo portfolio issued by National Color Press, which — like others from that publisher — means the photos are really black-and-white and colored by hand. The colors are ghastly, with too much purple and yellow on many … Continue reading
In November, 1949, less than three years after introducing the streamlined Empire Builder, Great Northern announced that it was spending $9 million on 66 new cars that would make up a brand-new Empire Builder to be placed in service in … Continue reading
Here are four more stickers that I photographed at the Minnesota History Center. The first shows Two Guns White Calf, the Blackfeet Indian who Great Northern public relations people insisted, incorrectly, was the model for the Indian head nickel. This … Continue reading
