Transportation - Overview
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.
"Transportation - Overview" showing 39 items.
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Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- Ink on negative: "5". Two negatives of passengers leaving a Bison Bus, "do not print" is written on the envelope in which this negative was originally filed. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint
- Cite as
- Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1940
- 1970
- N.d
- photographers
- Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)
- film manufacturer
- Eastman Kodak Co
- Subject
- Ebony Magazine
- Bison Bus Lines
- Local number
- Box 618.04.83
- No Scurlock number
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- No ink on negative, no Scurlock number. Two negatives: upper negative is underexposed, lower negative depicts passengers boarding a Bison Bus, "do not print" on original envelope. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint
- Cite as
- Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1940
- 1970
- N.d
- photographers
- Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)
- film manufacturer
- Eastman Kodak Co
- Subject
- Ebony Magazine
- Bison Bus Lines
- Local number
- Box 618.04.83
- AC0618.004.0000559.tif (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Evel Knievel's Harley-Davidson XR-750
- Description
- More than a daredevil, Evel Knievel combined sportsmanship and show business to become one of the most famous performers in America. The perils of his sport—making a motorcycle "fly" over a row of vehicles—clearly were not for the average rider. Many of his jumps were successful; but in some spectacular crashes, Knievel fractured 35 to 40 bones. His visually stunning, suspenseful performances were perfectly suited to television and were especially exciting because of the chance that he might crash.
- Knievel's shows were a celebration of America's love affair with motor vehicles. His pre-jump show featured motorcycle "wheelies" and off-beat vehicles, and he jumped almost exclusively over rows of automobiles, trucks, and buses. By performing at stadiums and coliseums, Knievel perpetuated the tradition of live thrill shows for local audiences. But national and international media coverage of his jumps placed him in a league with some of the world's best-known entertainers.
- Knievel rode this motorcycle during some of his most spectacular jumps. By carefully coordinating his angle, thrust, and speed, which reached 90 to 100 miles per hour at takeoff, he remained in the air for as far as 165 feet. He chose (and customized) this motorcycle, a 1972 Harley-Davidson XR-750, because it was a light, dependable racing machine. Made of steel, aluminum, and fiberglass, it weighs approximately 300 pounds.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1972
- user
- Knievel, Evel
- maker
- Harley-Davidson
- ID Number
- 1994.0306.01
- accession number
- 1994.0306
- catalog number
- 1994.0306.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1977 Vega Hatchback Coupe
- Description
- Beginning in the early 1960s, American auto manufacturers responded to a wave of imported compacts and subcompacts that reached 20 percent of domestic new car sales by 1971. The Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon, and Plymouth Valiant were introduced in 1960, followed by the AMC Gremlin in 1970 and Ford Pinto in 1971. General Motors introduced the Vega as a 1971 model. Like other domestic small cars, the Vega was attractive and handled well, but mechanical quality and reliability were disappointing. On early models, the aluminum-alloy engine block overheated and expanded, valves leaked, and body corrosion was a problem. General Motors was able to correct these defects in later model years, and the Vega became a popular model that made money. This turnaround marked a reawakening of the American auto industry to the need to manage design, performance, and quality-control issues and compete more successfully with imported cars.
- By the 1970s, many American motorists discovered the advantages of subcompacts and hatchbacks. Convenient, easy to drive, and economical to own and operate, domestic and imported subcompacts offered expanded opportunities for driving, commuting, and carrying goods. Many were used as second cars. The shift to subcompacts made families more mobile, and greater fuel efficiency offset the effects of gasoline shortages and price increases. This 1977 Vega hatchback was Guenther Sommer's second car; he and his wife, Siewchin Yong Sommer, drove a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible as their primary transportation. Mr. Sommer used this Vega to haul building materials at his home on Long Island. By removing all seats except the driver's seat, he converted the Vega to a small truck and even used it while building a new house. In 2001, he reinstalled the carefully preserved seats and donated the car to the Smithsonian.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1977
- maker
- General Motors Corporation
- ID Number
- 2001.0168.01
- accession number
- 2001.0168
- catalog number
- 2001.0168.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
- No Image Available
William E. Woodard Patents, 1909-1949
- Notes
- Woodard was directly responsible for many developments in steam locomotive design. As an inventor of locomotive equipment, he had ninety-two patents on various mechanical features of steam locomotive and electric locomotive design. He worked for the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Cramp's Shipyard, the Dickson Locomotive Works, the Schenectady Locomotive Works, the American Locomotive Works (1900-1916), and, finally, the Lima Locomotive Works (1916-1942); during the same period he worked as a consultant to the Franklin Railway Supply Company. At the Lima Locomotive Works, he was vice president in charge of design until his death in 1942
- Summary
- Includes ninety-one patents exclusively issued to William E. Woodard; eleven others were joint issue in the name of Woodard and his associates. Among them are three United States patents, copies which are not in their original form
- Cite as
- William E. Woodard Patents, 1909-1949, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1909
- 1909-1949
- 1890-1960
- 20th century
- author
- Woodard, William E (inventor) 1873-1942
- Subject
- Baldwin Locomotive Works
- Local number
- 1986.3183 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Thomas Norrell Railroad Photographs Collection, circa 1840-circa 1960 (bulk 1870-1940)
- Notes
- Norrell was a collector of photographic and print materials on the history of railroads, and was a scholar on railroad history.
- Summary
- The collection contains approximately 11,000 images (original photographic prints and photographic postcards, original film and glass plate negatives, and duplicate/copy photographic prints and negatives) the majority of which are external views of single locomotive engines of North American railroad and industrial companies. Images of international railroad company locomotives and of representative locomotives from various locomotive works and builders are also included. The collection contains a small number of subject-specific images covering such topics as train wrecks, funeral trains, experimental locomotives, miniature trains, and locomotives at the 1933 and 1939 World's Fairs
- Cite as
- Thomas Norrell Railroad Photographs Collection, 1899-1985, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1836
- 1836-1960
- circa 1840-circa 1960 bulk 1870-1940
- 19th century
- 20th century
- donor
- Norrell, Thomas 1899-1985
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.)
- New York World's Fair (1939-1940)
- Local number
- 266009 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ship Tools from the Propeller Indiana, Shovel
- Description
- All the hand tools were found in the engine and boiler space below decks in Indiana’s hold, indicating that they were used for the machinery. The crew used the shovel to add coal to the fires.
- date made
- mid-1800s
- when the Indiana was found
- 1972
- ID Number
- 1979.1030.58
- catalog number
- 1979.1030.58
- accession number
- 1979.1030
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ship Tools from the Propeller Indiana, Hand Truck
- Description
- These hand tools were found in the engine and boiler space belowdecks in Indiana’s hold, indicating that they were used for the machinery. The crew used the shovel to add coal to the fires.
- The hand truck—virtually identical to modern examples—is one of four found aboard Indiana and used for moving cargo into, out of, and around the cargo hold of the ship. This hand truck was the artifact that actually identified the vessel when it was located in 1972, for the words “PROPR INDIANA” were stamped into its handle. The other three had different ships’ names stamped on them, indicating that they were secondhand or borrowed equipment.
- Date made
- ca 1858
- when the Indiana was found
- 1972
- ID Number
- 1994.0033.01
- catalog number
- 1994.0033.01
- accession number
- 1994.0033
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hank Williams, Jr.
- Description
- Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style. After a 1974 suicide attempt and a mountain climbing accident in 1975, he revamped his own image, modeling it after rowdy southern rockers. Later he was considered part of the Outlaw Country Movement.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1973
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.074
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.074
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Anita Carter
- Description
- The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s. Anita (1933-1999) was the first to record the song "Ring of Fire," written by her sister June (1929-2003). It later became a hit for her brother-in-law Johnny Cash.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1973
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.078
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.078
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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