Transportation

1955 Ford Country Squire

Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.

In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.

Date: 1940s

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1942

The only American motorcycle manufacturer still in existence from the early twentieth century is the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which was founded in 1903. At the outset of World War II, Harley-Davidson was producing motorcycles for the British government on contract.
Description
The only American motorcycle manufacturer still in existence from the early twentieth century is the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, which was founded in 1903. At the outset of World War II, Harley-Davidson was producing motorcycles for the British government on contract. By 1942 the company was producing more than 29,000 motorcycles per year, mostly for the United States Army. However, its 1942 brochure continued to list bikes for the civilian market, if people could afford the purchase price and find gasoline to keep it running. The museum’s 74 OHV twin was the largest model available, and it was offered in four different color schemes. This example was built in 1942 for Jorge Ubico, who was president of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944. He ordered several custom modifications and rode the motorcycle on recreational trips and inspection trips.
date made
1942
user
Cohen, Alfredo
maker
Harley-Davidson
ID Number
1981.0766.01
accession number
1981.0766
catalog number
1981.0766.01

Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild Model Car, 1949

This automobile model was entered into the 1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild competition by Gale P. Morris of Portland, Oregon. He was awarded third place nationally in the junior division for this model, winning a $2,000 scholarship.
Description
This automobile model was entered into the 1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild competition by Gale P. Morris of Portland, Oregon. He was awarded third place nationally in the junior division for this model, winning a $2,000 scholarship. The wood model has a metallic green paint job with silver bumpers, opaque windows, and white walled tires.
From 1930 until 1968, the Fisher Body Division of General Motors sponsored the Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild and its annual model-building competition. For the first seven years of the contest, the young men in the Guild built models of a Napoleonic carriage (the Fisher Body logo) to show their high precision skills in craftsmanship. In 1937 the contest expanded to include model automobiles, which became a source of inspiration for new GM automobiles. By 1948 model cars became the only accepted entry for the contest. Winning car models were both practical and stylish original designs made with superior craftsmanship on an exacting 1/12th scale. For General Motors, the competition was a major public relations success while also serving as a type of design aptitude test for the entrants. For the young men of the Guild, the contest was a chance to win scholarships, cash prizes, and an once-in-a-lifetime all-expenses paid trip to Detroit for the regional winners. Designs featured in these models would often presage production automobiles, as many winners went on to work for General Motors or other automotive companies as designers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Morris, Gale P.
ID Number
1987.0447.01
catalog number
1987.0447.01
accession number
1987.0447

Railroad Cap Badge, Motorman, New York Elevated Railway

This badge was affixed to the uniform cap of a motorman who operated trolley cars on the of the Third Avenue System. The Third Avenue Railway System operated a number of surface railways in Manhattan, the Bronx and in Yonkers and New Rochelle, New York.
Description
This badge was affixed to the uniform cap of a motorman who operated trolley cars on the of the Third Avenue System. The Third Avenue Railway System operated a number of surface railways in Manhattan, the Bronx and in Yonkers and New Rochelle, New York. The badge is die stamped in the shape of an eight wheel trolley. The badge bears the the wearer's crew position and identification number. It was worn approximately between 1910 to 1920.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.335573
catalog number
335573
accession number
1979.0398

Ship Model, Tanker Type T2-SE-A1

Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory.
Description
Although dry cargo freighters like the Liberty and Victory ships are probably the best-known emergency vessels of World War II, oil tankers were also mass produced in American shipyards and played an important role in the Allied victory. This model represents the most common type of tanker, T2-SE-A1, a commercial design that before the war started was already being constructed by the Sun Shipbuilding Company for Standard Oil. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Maritime Commission recognized that wet cargo like oil and machine lubricants would be just as necessary as guns and ammunition. The commission ordered this design to be built, in addition to the dry cargo designs.
Like the Victory ship, the T2 tanker was outfitted with a steam turbine engine that gave the vessel a speed of over 14 knots. Tankers were also built at some of the same shipyards as the other merchant vessels, and experienced a similar construction time average of about 70 days. But unlike the Victory or Liberty ships, no T2 tankers have survived to become museum ships, and only one remains afloat in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, mothballed in Beaumont, Texas.
date made
early 1940s
built tankers typical to this model
Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
purchased tankers typical to this model
Standard Oil
ID Number
TR.313036
catalog number
313036
accession number
173712

Tootle

Original artwork, of page 5, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by ar
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 5, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried, Make Way for the Thruway, Five Little Firemen and Tootle. His portrayals of America's rapidly expanding transportation systems and the recognition of public servants foretold the dramatic social and cultural events that would impact American society in the 1950s.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1945
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.02
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.02

Ship Model United States Victory

United States Victory was constructed in 1944 for wartime cargo service at the California Shipbuilding Corporation, which was created specifically for the WWII shipbuilding effort. It measured 455 feet 3 inches in length, 62 feet in beam, and 10, 757 tons.
Description
United States Victory was constructed in 1944 for wartime cargo service at the California Shipbuilding Corporation, which was created specifically for the WWII shipbuilding effort. It measured 455 feet 3 inches in length, 62 feet in beam, and 10, 757 tons. United States Victory was used as a troopship during the war and in 1945/46 it exchanged prisoners, taking German POWS to Le Havre, France, picking up American troops in Bremerhaven, Germany and returning them to the United States. In 1947 the ship was sold into private ownership. It was scrapped in 1971.
The WW2 Victory ship was built to carry more cargo and operate faster than the earlier Liberty Ship. The first Victory was delivered in February 1944; by November that year, 82 of them were commissioned. After Pearl Harbor, many Victory ships were converted to transport vessels, and they saw heavy service in the Pacific. Liberty ships were designed for fast mass construction to meet the demand for the cargo space necessary to supply allied forces abroad. They were manned by merchant marine crews and also carried naval gun crews. After the war, some of the ships were scrapped, but many others were sold as surplus property and used to transport products around the world.
This model was built by the Boucher Model Company of New York in 1946 and acquired by the Insurance Company of North America by 1950.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
maker
Boucher, Fred
ID Number
2005.0279.090
accession number
2005.0279
catalog number
2005.0279.090

Ship Model, Victory Ship Type VC2-S-AP

By 1943, the outlook for an Allied victory in World War II was steadily improving. The reign of the U-boats that had plagued Allied convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was coming to an end.
Description
By 1943, the outlook for an Allied victory in World War II was steadily improving. The reign of the U-boats that had plagued Allied convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic was coming to an end. And the Axis powers were finally losing the tonnage war, which aimed to sink Allied merchant ships faster than replacements could be built. While the mass-produced Liberty ships were faithfully carrying cargo and troops to war zones, these ships were relatively slow. In response, the War Shipping Administration commissioned a new class of emergency vessels called Victory ships. This model represents one of the 534 Victory ships that were built alongside the Liberty ships in seven shipyards around the country.
Speed was the key difference between the Victory and Liberty ships. When Liberty ships were designed, all of the new steam turbine engines were reserved for naval vessels, leaving the Liberty ships with reciprocating steam engines. While these engines were reliable, the ships could only reach 11 knots, leaving them vulnerable to attack. As the war progressed, more turbine engines became available and were installed in the Victory ships, giving them a speed of over 16 knots.
Another improvement of the Victory design was a stronger and larger hull. This meant that more cargo could be transported at once, and improved the odds of the vessels continuing to serve in the merchant fleet during times of peace. After World War II, 170 Victory ships were sold as commercial freighters. About 20 were loaned back to the military and used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Several Victory ships have been preserved as museum ships and are currently located in California and Florida.
date made
early 1940s
commissioned Victory ships like the ones this model represents
War Shipping Administration
ID Number
TR.313023
catalog number
TR*313023
accession number
170015

Tootle

Original artwork, of page 37, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 37, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried, Make Way for the Thruway, Five Little Firemen and Tootle. His portrayals of America's rapidly expanding transportation systems and the recognition of public servants foretold the dramatic social and cultural events that would impact American society in the 1950s.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1945
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.14
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.14

Cumberland Valley Railroad Steam Locomotive, Pioneer

The Pioneer is a steam locomotive made in 1851 by Seth Wilmarth, owner of a large machine shop in Boston who made few locomotives. Pioneer is an early type of steam locomotive on U.S. railroads and used only on a very few of them.
Description
The Pioneer is a steam locomotive made in 1851 by Seth Wilmarth, owner of a large machine shop in Boston who made few locomotives. Pioneer is an early type of steam locomotive on U.S. railroads and used only on a very few of them. This locomotive is significant only because of that rarity. Its age is also unusual among preserved locomotives; Pioneer was built just two decades after America’s first domestically made locomotive. Its general type was obsolete on almost all railroads in the U.S. by 1850.
Pioneer served the Cumberland Valley RR, connecting Harrisburg, Pa. with Hagerstown, Md. and Winchester, Va. The locomotive was designed specifically to pull two-car passenger trains. Pioneer was one of several locomotives badly damaged by fire during the Civil War, during a Confederate raid on the CVRR roundhouse at Chambersburg, Pa. The CVRR rebuilt the engine, operated it on light, one- and two-car passenger trains till the mid 1880s, and then saved and exhibited it as an historic relic. The Pennsylvania RR (then one of the nation’s largest) absorbed the CVRR soon after. The PRR entirely repainted Pioneer in 1947 for the 1947-48 Chicago Railroad Fair. The lettering on the fenders, “PIONEER,” is inauthentic. A replica headlight was added by NMAH (then NMHT) in Dec 1965.
In the standard type nomenclature for steam locomotives, Pioneer is a “2-2-2T” type, meaning that it has an unpowered leading pair of wheels; a single powered axle (the larger-diameter wheels, driven by the steam cylinders via connecting (or “main”) rods; and another unpowered pair of wheels at the rear. The “T” stands for “tank engine,” meaning one that has no separate tender for carrying its fuel (wood) and water for the boiler; fuel and water is carried on the same single chassis as the boiler, cab, and running gear.
Location
Currently on loan
date made
1851
ca. 1851
used date
1851-1948
maker
Seth Wilmarth
Union Works
ID Number
TR.317547.01
accession number
230385
catalog number
317547.01

Deep Snow Topaz 1943

"Topaz 3-15-44"Currently not on view
Description
"Topaz 3-15-44"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-03-15
maker
Ujihara, Akio
ID Number
1986.3047.09
catalog number
1986.3047.09
nonaccession number
1986.3047

Indian Motorcycle

More than 280 motorcycle manufacturers have been recorded in the United States, but only two have had lasting significance or sold in large numbers. One, Harley Davidson, began production in 1903 and is still going strong today.
Description
More than 280 motorcycle manufacturers have been recorded in the United States, but only two have had lasting significance or sold in large numbers. One, Harley Davidson, began production in 1903 and is still going strong today. The other is Indian, which began in 1901 and ceased manufacturing motorcycles for the public in 1953.
By far the most individual and distinctive Indian models were produced in the 1940s; they are characterized by flared, skirted mudguards that convey a strong sense of speed even while standing still. So powerful is this style element that in 1999 Kawasaki copied it for its Drifter cruiser model. This 1941 stock Indian example sits squarely in this streamlined category.
Recreational motorcycle riding became increasingly popular during the Depression and early years of World War II. The number of local clubs chartered by the American Motorcyclist Association grew from about 400 in 1936 to 498 in 1938 and 645 in 1940. Indian motorcycle production grew from about 5,000 per year to 10,000 per year during the same period. Police departments also found motorcycles useful for patrol duty, and and small retail businesses used them for delivery purposes. The years 1940-1941 proved to be a high point for civilian sales and usage. The leading manufacturers, Harley-Davidson and Indian, began producing motorcycles for the British and French armies, and by 1942 they were concentrating on military production for the United States Army. During World War II, many motorcycle enthusiasts entered the armed forces, depleting clubs and reducing pleasure travel. Motorcycle tires, like automobile tires, were rationed. The AMA cancelled its National Gypsy Tour and other club events but automatically renewed memberships for those in the service.
William J. McDaniels of Ohio was the first owner of this motorcycle. Soon after purchasing it, he moved to San Bernardino, California, riding the motorcycle the entire distance. He worked at Norton Air Force Base near San Bernardino in the late 1940s.
The Indian brand name continues to resonate in the motorcycling industry. In the 1990s, three different companies were formed to purchase the rights to the name and begin manufacturing cruisers. But after a brief period (1999-2003), production ceased again.
Reference photograph courtesy of donors Katie and Taylor Smith.
date made
1941
maker
Indian Motorcycle Company
ID Number
2000.0070.01
accession number
2000.0070
catalog number
2000.0070.01

Tootle

Tootle was written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945, 25th reprint in 1971.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at
Description (Brief)

Tootle was written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945, 25th reprint in 1971.

Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried, Make Way for the Thruway, Five Little Firemen and Tootle. His portrayals of America's rapidly expanding transportation systems and the recognition of public servants foretold the dramatic social and cultural events that would impact American society in the 1950s.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1945
1971
maker
Little Golden Books
ID Number
1992.0634.002
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.002

Model of World War II Liberty Ship Benjamin Rush

This is a model of the World War II Liberty Ship, Benjamin Rush, built in 1941. It measured 441 feet 6 inches in length, 56 feet 10 inches in beam, and 10,920 tons.
Description
This is a model of the World War II Liberty Ship, Benjamin Rush, built in 1941. It measured 441 feet 6 inches in length, 56 feet 10 inches in beam, and 10,920 tons. It was delivered from the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore on July 11, 1942 and sailed from Norfolk, Virginia on its maiden voyage on August 2, 1942 to the United Kingdom. According to a letter from the War Shipping Administration dated June 4, 1945, it made nine successful voyages and completed a circumnavigation, having called at many ports carrying war materials, foodstuffs, etc. to Hull and Liverpool in England; Casablanca, Safi and Oran in Africa; Fremantle in Australia, Khorramshahr in Iran, and many others. It was scrapped in 1954.
Between 1941 and 1945, more than 2,700 Liberty ships were produced – ‘the cargo carrying key to victory.’ By the time the program ended in 1945, eighteen shipyards on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf participated in the effort. Two-thirds of all WW2 cargo that left the United States was transported in Liberty ships. Two hundred of the vessels were sunk, but there were so many at sea that the enemy could not stop Allied shipping.
This model was built by Boucher Models of New York after World War II and first appears in the collection of the Insurance Company of North America around 1950.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
maker
Boucher, Fred
ID Number
2005.0279.083
accession number
2005.0279
catalog number
2005.0279.083

Larry Parks

Nickolas Muray color carbro photograph of Larry Parks for Modern Screen Magazine cover ca. 1948. Two images: A head and shoulders of a smiling Parks and a full body view of him on a motorcycle.Recto: Signed and dated by artist. Muray stamp. "No. 20" (pencil).
Description (Brief)
Nickolas Muray color carbro photograph of Larry Parks for Modern Screen Magazine cover ca. 1948. Two images: A head and shoulders of a smiling Parks and a full body view of him on a motorcycle.
Recto: Signed and dated by artist. Muray stamp. "No. 20" (pencil). Verso: Two Muray stamps. "#20 Larry Parks for Modern Screen Cover" (pencil).
The photograph is mounted on Illustration Board.
Description
Nickolas Muray was born in Szeged, Hungary on February 15, 1892. Twelve years after his birth, Muray left his native town and enrolled in a graphic arts school in Budapest. Enrolling in art school was the first step on a road that would eventually lead him to study a photographic printing process called three-color carbro. In the course of his accomplished career, Muray would become an expert in this process and play a key role in bringing color photography to America.
While attending art school in Budapest, Muray studied lithography and photoengraving, earning an International Engraver's Certificate. Muray was also introduced to photography during this time period. His combined interest in photography and printmaking led him to Berlin, Germany to participate in a three-year color-photoengraving course. In Berlin, Muray learned how to make color filters, a first step in the craft that would one day become his trademark. Immediately after the completion of the course, Muray found a good job with a publishing company in Ullstein, Germany. However, the threat of war in Europe forced Muray to flee for America in 1913. Soon after his arrival in New York, Muray was working as a photoengraver for Condé Nast. His specialty was color separations and half-tone negatives.
By 1920, Muray had established a home for himself in the up-and-coming artists' haven of Greenwich Village. He opened a portrait studio out of his apartment and continued to work part time at his engraving job. Harper's Bazaar magazine gave Muray his first big assignment in 1921. The project was to photograph Broadway star Florence Reed. The magazine was so impressed with his photographs that they began to publish his work monthly. This allowed him to give up his part time job and work solely as a photographer. It did not take long for Muray to become one of the most renowned portrait photographers in Manhattan. Muray spent much of the early 1920s photographing the most famous and important personalities in New York at the time.
In his spare time Muray enjoyed fencing. In 1927, he won the National Sabre Championship and in 1928 and 1932, he was on the United States Olympic Team. During World War II, Muray was a flight lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1948
maker
Muray, Nickolas
ID Number
PG.007914
catalog number
7914
accession number
258415

Leveling the Brazilian Strategic Highway

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
maker
Associated Press
ID Number
2013.0327.0778
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.0778

East Bay Street Railways Fare Token

The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token during the 1930s. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this transportation token during the 1930s. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and transportation tokens. There are four cut-out pieces in the center of the token, leaving a cross in the center that has various engravings on it.
Obverse: The legend reads: EAST BAY STREET RAILWAYS LTD
Reverse: The legend reads: GOOD FOR ONE FARE
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
referenced
East Bay Street Railways, Ltd.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1366
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1366

Whalen and Janssen Laminated Wood-Frame Bicycle

At the beginning of World War II, John T. Whalen, with Webster E. Janssen of the Janssen Piano Co., Inc., developed this laminated-wood-frame bicycle in order to conserve metal for the war effort.
Description
At the beginning of World War II, John T. Whalen, with Webster E. Janssen of the Janssen Piano Co., Inc., developed this laminated-wood-frame bicycle in order to conserve metal for the war effort. Wood subsequently proved to be more critical than metal, so the bicycle was not marketed. This bicycle weighs approximately 31 pounds. Its fork, saddle, handlebars, and elliptical frame are made of laminated wood, while the wheels are metal.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1942
maker
Janssen Piano Co., Inc.
ID Number
TR.313040
catalog number
313040
accession number
173992

Boat Compass

This boat compass was used by merchant seamen aboard one of the lifeboats from the SS Alcoa Guide, an American freighter sunk by the German submarine U- 123 three hundred miles east of Cape Hatteras on April 16, 1942.
Description
This boat compass was used by merchant seamen aboard one of the lifeboats from the SS Alcoa Guide, an American freighter sunk by the German submarine U- 123 three hundred miles east of Cape Hatteras on April 16, 1942. The donor, Waldemar Semenov, was a Junior Engineer aboard the vessel and one of twenty-seven men who survived the attack. After drifting for three days, crowded into two lifeboats, they were spotted by a search plane and rescued a day later by the USS Broome, a navy destroyer. A life raft carrying another four members of the freighter’s crew was not found until three weeks had passed, at which point only one man was still alive. Seven lives were lost in the attack.
Nineteen forty-two was a deadly year for shipping in the waters of the Atlantic. U-boats roaming the seas destroyed over 400 ships, including 82 American merchant vessels, in the first six months alone. The Alcoa Guide was the fourth U.S. merchant ship sunk by U-123 in the first two weeks of April. Unarmed and without an escort, the ship was vulnerable as it steamed from New Jersey toward the island of Guadaloupe with a load of U.S. Army equipment for troops stationed in the West Indies, and a cargo of flour for the island. After detecting the freighter, U-123’s commander, Lt. Reinhard Hardegen, ordered the sub to the surface and began firing. Desperate to defend his ship, the Alcoa Guide’s master, Capt. Samuel Cobb, attempted to ram the sub, but to no avail. The bombardment continued and, after two hours, the freighter sank.
date made
late 1930s
Alcoa Guide sank
1942-04-16
captain of Alcoa Guide
Cobb, Samuel
maker
Marine Compass Company
ID Number
2005.0295.01
accession number
2005.0295
catalog number
2005.0295.01

Tootle

Original artwork, of page 40, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by a
Description (Brief)

Original artwork, of page 40, for the book Tootle, written by Gertrude Crampton with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1945.

Born in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class Jewish family, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried, Make Way for the Thruway, Five Little Firemen and Tootle. His portrayals of America's rapidly expanding transportation systems and the recognition of public servants foretold the dramatic social and cultural events that would impact American society in the 1950s.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1945
maker
Gergely, Tibor
ID Number
1992.0634.066.15
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.066.15

Plane with controllable wing

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945-04-11
ID Number
2013.0327.0897
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.0897

Model of the Cargo Ship Del Norte

After WW2, the United States Maritime Commission, in cooperation with the Delta Line, arranged for the redesign of the wartime C-3 cargo ships by naval architect George Sharp.
Description
After WW2, the United States Maritime Commission, in cooperation with the Delta Line, arranged for the redesign of the wartime C-3 cargo ships by naval architect George Sharp. The Delta Line used the three resulting “Del-series” ships to reestablish postwar trade with South America. Del Norte and its sister ships Del Sud and Del Mar were all built in the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, which had built several C-3 vessels between 1940 and 1947. Del Norte was the first of the three sister ships to be completed and the first to leave the shipyard on November 26, 1946.
Del Norte measured 995 feet in length, 70 feet in beam, and 10,074 tons. It was equipped with new features not previously seen on other, similar vessels, like air conditioning for the passenger, officer and crew accommodations. It also was fitted with postwar radar. For twenty years, Del Norte sailed mainly between the United States, the Caribbean, and South America. In 1967, the Delta Line discontinued its passenger service because of financial difficulty, and the three sister ships were converted to express cargo liners. In 1972, Del Norte was chartered for a one-way trip to Indonesia. One source indicates that it was broken up for scrap after this; another implies that the ship merely disappeared from the record after completing the voyage.
This model was built by Boucher Models of New York after World War II and first appears in the collection of the Insurance Company of North America around 1950.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1946
maker
Boucher, Fred
ID Number
2005.0279.085
accession number
2005.0279
catalog number
2005.0279.085

Railroad Terminal

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
ID Number
2013.0327.1043
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.1043

San Francisco Bay Bridge

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
ID Number
2013.0327.1048
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.1048

Pilot Wheel from the Sternwheel Ferry Kiwanis, 1923

The 140’-long sternwheel ferry Kiwanis was built at Dubuque, Iowa in 1923. Owned by the Cairo City Ferry Company, the Kiwanis operated locally between Dubuque and Birds Point, Mo. until a bridge across the Mississippi River at that location put the line out of business.
Description
The 140’-long sternwheel ferry Kiwanis was built at Dubuque, Iowa in 1923. Owned by the Cairo City Ferry Company, the Kiwanis operated locally between Dubuque and Birds Point, Mo. until a bridge across the Mississippi River at that location put the line out of business. Across from Cairo, Ill., Birds Point had been a major river and railroad crossroads for cotton in the 19th century.
The Kiwanis was bought by Cincinnati’s Greene Line Steamers in 1930 and operated as a cargo freighter transporting agricultural and manufactured products up and down the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Huntington, W. Va. from 1933 to 1943. In 1936, it was rebuilt and renamed Evergreene.
The Evergreene was sold in 1943 to Cincinnati riverboat captain John Beatty. In 1948 it was bought by the Merchant Paving Company and became a sand dredge. It later sank near Louisville, Ky. and was dismantled.
This wheel is from the Kiwanis’s original CCFC service as a Mississippi River ferry. Standing high above the vessel’s deck, the river pilot steered by standing to one side of the wheel or the other.
date made
1923
ID Number
TR.336870
accession number
1979.0314
catalog number
TR*336870

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