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An original 5x2.5" antique 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 sepia-toned photograph shows Car No. 4 of the Richmond Petersburg Railway, an interurban electric railway car photographed at what appears to be the American Car & Foundry Company plant in Wilmington, Delaware - a builder's photo taken shortly after the car was constructed. The car is lettered 'RICHMOND PETERSBURG' on its side panel, with the number '4' appearing at each end of the letterboard. The destination sign on the end of the car reads 'RICHMOND.' The car is a classic early interurban-style wooden coach with arched upper-sash windows and clerestory roof, typical of cars built in the early 1900s for interurban electric railway service.
This is a classic builder's photograph - the type commissioned by the manufacturer to document a newly completed car before delivery to the customer. The factory setting and pristine condition of the car strongly suggest this was taken at the time of manufacture.
Historical Notes
The Richmond Petersburg Railway was an electric interurban line connecting Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, two cities approximately 23 miles apart. The line operated in the early twentieth century, carrying passengers between these two historic Virginia cities during the golden age of interurban electric railways. Like most American interurban systems, the Richmond Petersburg Railway succumbed to increasing automobile competition and improved road networks. Interurban lines across the United States saw dramatic decline throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and most were abandoned or converted to bus service by mid-century. The Richmond Petersburg Railway ceased operations, leaving behind only photographs like this one as documentation of its rolling stock. Car No. 4, captured here in factory-fresh condition, represents an important artifact of Virginia's interurban transit history.
Print analysis
This is a silver gelatin photographic print on paper stock consistent with early-to-mid twentieth century production. The sepia tone and paper surface are consistent with a builder's photograph likely produced in the 1900s-1910s. The photo appears to be a Type 1 or Type 2 original print, produced close to the time the car was built. The typewritten annotation on the back suggests it was catalogued at a later date, possibly by a collector or transit historian. Overall this appears to be an original print from the period, likely c1910s.
Condition
In fair to good vintage condition. Please see photos for precise condition.
