Transportation

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.

The Homer P. Snyder Manufacturing Company of Little Falls, New York expanded its product line from knitting mill machinery to bicycles in 1898 during the safety bicycle craze. The company remained a leading manufacturer of bicycles in the early twentieth century.
Description
The Homer P. Snyder Manufacturing Company of Little Falls, New York expanded its product line from knitting mill machinery to bicycles in 1898 during the safety bicycle craze. The company remained a leading manufacturer of bicycles in the early twentieth century. Motorcycles offered an appealing transition from bicycles to motorized personal mobility; Schwinn, one of the largest bicycle manufacturers, acquired Excelsior motorcycles in 1911 and Henderson motorcycles in 1917 to exploit the demand. In the late teens and twenties, some manufacturers even designed bicycles that resembled motorcycles to appeal to boys. This 1927 Snyder bike resembles a contemporary motorcycle; it has a tool box shaped like a gasoline tank, an electric headlight with battery compartment, and a luggage rack. Making bicycles look like motor vehicles became a long-lasting trend. From the 1930s to the 1960s, headlights and imitation gasoline tanks on some bicycles had shapes that suggested streamlined automobiles or airplanes, exciting the imagination of children.
date made
1927
maker
Homer P. Snyder Mfg. Co., Inc.
ID Number
TR.309382.01
catalog number
309382
accession number
99530
The Bonney-Vehslage Tool Co. made this ticket punch that was used on the Southern Railway's Murphy Branch line during the 1920s. This punch makes an “L” shaped hole in the ticket.
Description
The Bonney-Vehslage Tool Co. made this ticket punch that was used on the Southern Railway's Murphy Branch line during the 1920s. This punch makes an “L” shaped hole in the ticket. A conductor's punch cancelled the passenger's ticket stub and also cancelled the main portion of the ticket retained by the conductor. Each conductor had his own punch, which made a specifically shaped hole. The hole shape differed from punch to punch. In this way, if a passenger presented a stub and claimed his ticket had already been taken, a conductor could verify who in fact cancelled the ticket. A railroad conductor on a passenger train was (and is today) the supervising officer of the train and supervisor of the entire train crew. In addition to this supervisory role, the passenger-train conductor serves as the pursar, in charge of seeing to it that all fares are collected.
date made
ca 1920
ca. 1920
associated dates
1910 / 1910
used date
1920-1940
user
Southern Railway
ID Number
1990.0119.01
catalog number
1990.0119.01
accession number
1990.0119
The Bell Gasoline Saver was manufactured by the Bell Gasoline Saver Company, Inc. of Washington, DC around 1917. The device screwed into the intake manifold and had a ball valve on each end.
Description
The Bell Gasoline Saver was manufactured by the Bell Gasoline Saver Company, Inc. of Washington, DC around 1917. The device screwed into the intake manifold and had a ball valve on each end. The upper valve could be adjusted by a set-screw to prevent the ball from being sucked into the engine. Bell claimed that the optimal airflow allowed for carbon elimination, more power, and less gasoline consumption.
As more and more Americans took to the wheel, they often tinkered with their cars so that they more effectively suited their needs, or to overcome early automobiles' very obvious limitations. A users could buy kits that converted Model T's into a stationary engine, lights, turn signals, anti-theft devices, and a host of other products that the makers of auto accessories touted as essential and useful. Although not all of them worked, or were successful, some of these early add-ons, became standard features on later cars.
date made
ca 1915-1920
Associated Name
Page, Robert Newton
Saunders, Edward Watts
maker
Bell Gasoline Saver Company, Inc.
ID Number
1986.0971.01
accession number
1986.0971
catalog number
1986.0971.01
86.0971.01
accession number
1986.0971
This car belonged to George W. Hibbs, who worked in his uncle's stock brokerage, W.B. Hibbs and Company, in Washington, D.C. The car was last driven in 1950; it was stored in a home garage until 1993, when it was added to the Smithsonian collection as a bequest of Audrey H.
Description
This car belonged to George W. Hibbs, who worked in his uncle's stock brokerage, W.B. Hibbs and Company, in Washington, D.C. The car was last driven in 1950; it was stored in a home garage until 1993, when it was added to the Smithsonian collection as a bequest of Audrey H. Thomas, Hibbs's granddaughter.
The 1929 Oakland All-American Six sedan was a moderately priced, mass-produced luxury car. Its fine body work, luxury accessories, and styling accents distinguished it from lower-priced sedans. These features reflected middle-class motorists' desire for greater sophistication and General Motors' focus on the sales appeal of artistically designed, comfortable, closed-body cars. Another selling point of GM sedans and coupes was its Fisher Body Division, which brought a heritage of carriage and closed body skills and artistry to mass-produced automobiles.
In the 1920s, General Motors introduced a marketing strategy that featured a spectrum of makes and models with graduated prices and levels of quality. This strategy enticed motorists to "step up" to the next level of price and luxury when their means allowed. Oakland was placed between Oldsmobile and Buick in price, quality, and body details. GM discontinued the Oakland line in 1931, during the Depression, because of declining sales and the popularity of other GM cars, including one of Oakland's own products, the Pontiac.
Image from sales brochure in division object files.
date made
1929
maker
General Motors Corporation
Oakland Motor Car Company
General Motors Corporation. Fisher Body Division
ID Number
1993.0483.01
accession number
1993.0483
catalog number
1993.0483.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.11
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.11
patent number
1458543
This little book (and a second, nearly identical one from 1924 in the Smithsonian collections) was published by the Diary Publishing Corporation of New York City for distribution by the United States Lines to its passengers on the Leviathan.
Description
This little book (and a second, nearly identical one from 1924 in the Smithsonian collections) was published by the Diary Publishing Corporation of New York City for distribution by the United States Lines to its passengers on the Leviathan. Similar books were common on many transatlantic passenger ships.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1926
used date
1926
ID Number
1991.0856.21
catalog number
1991.0856.21
accession number
1991.0856
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
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.04
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.04
This key opened the outside door to the Leviathan's kennel, a small wood shed on the aft boat deck in her first-class accommodation.The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914.
Description
This key opened the outside door to the Leviathan's kennel, a small wood shed on the aft boat deck in her first-class accommodation.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923
used date
1923-1938
ID Number
1991.0856.27
catalog number
1991.0856.27
accession number
1991.0856
This model represents the twin-screw turbo-electric steamer S. S. California built to 1/8" scale. It has two stacks, a black hull, red bottom paint, and white superstructure.
Description
This model represents the twin-screw turbo-electric steamer S. S. California built to 1/8" scale. It has two stacks, a black hull, red bottom paint, and white superstructure. The steamship California was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company, in Virginia, for the Panama Pacific Line. At her launching in 1928, the California was the largest America-built liner and the world's largest commercial vessel with electric propulsion. The California was built especially for service through the Panama Canal on the run between New York and San Francisco, with stops at intermediate ports. With a speed of 21-3/4 miles an hour, the California was advertised to reach California in 13 days, two days faster than usual. In 1937 the vessel was sold to the United States Maritime Commission and rebuilt for service between the U.S. and South America. Renamed Uruguay, the ship ran between New York and Buenos Aires until 1942 when it was converted to a troop transport for the War Shipping Administration. After the war the Uruguay returned to service and in 1964 was broken up in New Jersey. This model was given to the Smithsonian in 1952.
Date made
1928
used date
1928-1964
ID Number
TR.314251
catalog number
314251
accession number
196508
This telegraph was used to communicate speed and direction orders from the wheelhouse of the ocean liner Leviathan to one of its engine rooms.
Description
This telegraph was used to communicate speed and direction orders from the wheelhouse of the ocean liner Leviathan to one of its engine rooms. Most modern ships have a throttle, but for steamers it was necessary for the pilot to contact the engine room with instructions for the engineer that were relayed to the boilermen. This telegraph would signal full, half, slow, dead slow, finished with engine, and stop—both astern and ahead.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923
used date
1923-1938
ID Number
1991.0856.40
catalog number
1991.0856.40
accession number
1991.0856
Postcards, once used as souvenirs, now help us reflect on what a small part of Main Street America used to look like.
Description
Postcards, once used as souvenirs, now help us reflect on what a small part of Main Street America used to look like. As highways spread across the nation, Main Street views like this changed and in some cases disappeared as travelers were diverted to roadside eateries away from small towns.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1920s
ID Number
1986.3048.1587
nonaccession number
1986.3048
catalog number
1986.3048.1587
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.06
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.06
This butter dish, substantially similar to another one from Leviathan in the Smithsonian's collections (1991.0856.37), is decorated with the emblem adopted by the new owners of the United States Lines in 1929.The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamb
Description
This butter dish, substantially similar to another one from Leviathan in the Smithsonian's collections (1991.0856.37), is decorated with the emblem adopted by the new owners of the United States Lines in 1929.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
used date
1929-1931
maker
International Silver Company
ID Number
1991.0856.38
catalog number
1991.0856.38
accession number
1991.0856
A souvenir from a voyage across the Atlantic on the ocean liner Leviathan.
Description
A souvenir from a voyage across the Atlantic on the ocean liner Leviathan. The box, card backs, and the Ace of spades all carry the emblem used by the United States Lines between 1923 and 1929.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
used date
1923-1929
ID Number
1991.0856.24
catalog number
1991.0856.24
accession number
1991.0856
The National Museum of American History has a strong collection of early automobiles. The collection documents the great diversity of the early industry.
Description
The National Museum of American History has a strong collection of early automobiles. The collection documents the great diversity of the early industry. It includes electric-, steam-, and gasoline-powered vehicles and runs the gamut from unique one-offs like the Duryea to mass-produced vehicles like this 1926 Ford Model T.
When Henry Ford got into the car business in the late 19th century, he was one of a slew of inventors and entrepreneurs trying to break into the business. In the 1900s, there were hundreds of small companies making small numbers of cars for rich Americans. While large numbers of these early companies went out of business, the Henry Ford Motor Company dominated the U.S automobile market. More than 15 million Model T's were sold during its years of production (1908–1927), making it the most popular automobile of the time.
The Model T was cheap by comparison to other early automobiles and that, coupled with its availability, made motoring an option for many who had been initially priced out of the market. Price, and quantity of vehicles produced, reflected Ford's adoption of the moving assembly line and mass production techniques. The company's well-publicized success influenced the ways large American manufacturers produced goods of all kinds in the 20th century. Still, though Ford was a production leader, it was not an innovative marketer. In the 1920s, General Motors—afraid that the automobile market was hitting saturation point—introduced the annual model change, designed to encourage buyers to regularly trade in their cars for new ones. The strategy was successful and General Motors sales soared as Ford's plummeted. The company stopped producing Model Ts in 1927.
Date made
1926
founder of Ford Motor Company
Ford, Henry
maker
Ford Motor Company
ID Number
TR.333777
accession number
305326
catalog number
333777
This turn signal was invented by Oscar J. Simler and patented in 1929. Aside from signaling turns, the device would signal for slowing when the brake was pressed, and signal a stop when the brake and clutch were both pressed.
Description
This turn signal was invented by Oscar J. Simler and patented in 1929. Aside from signaling turns, the device would signal for slowing when the brake was pressed, and signal a stop when the brake and clutch were both pressed. Turn signals were not offered to consumers purchasing cars until 1939, and they were more widespread in the late 1940s, when large numbers of car manufacturers offered them to consumers.
As more and more Americans took to the wheel, they often tinkered with their cars so that they more effectively suited their needs, or to overcome early automobiles' very obvious limitations. A users could buy kits that converted Model T's into a stationary engine, lights, turn signals, anti-theft devices, and a host of other products that the makers of auto accessories touted as essential and useful. Although not all of them worked, or were successful, some of these early add-ons, became standard features on later cars.
date made
ca. 1929
ID Number
1989.0571.01
catalog number
1989.0571.01
accession number
1989.0571
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.09
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.09
Versatile, sturdy, and dependable, horse-drawn farm wagons were common in rural America well into the 1920s. They carried crops, goods, and supplies and served as passenger vehicles for families.
Description
Versatile, sturdy, and dependable, horse-drawn farm wagons were common in rural America well into the 1920s. They carried crops, goods, and supplies and served as passenger vehicles for families. Guy McCartney of Simpson, West Virginia used this wagon to deliver coal to area homes for furnaces and stoves. Built by the Kramer Wagon Company in Oil City, Pennsylvania, it is believed to date from the 1920s. During America’s first oil drilling boom in the late nineteenth century, Kramer also built wagons that hauled oil and carriages for wealthy oil businessmen.
date made
ca 1925
maker
Kramer Wagon Company
ID Number
1984.0743.01
catalog number
84.0743.01
accession number
1984.0743
A Southern Railway locomotive inspector used this kerosene torch to inspect parts of a steam locomotive when natural light was inadequate. The a wick was stuffed into the spout that led into the kerosene-filled well of the vessel.
Description
A Southern Railway locomotive inspector used this kerosene torch to inspect parts of a steam locomotive when natural light was inadequate. The a wick was stuffed into the spout that led into the kerosene-filled well of the vessel. A hollow handle allowed the torch to be carried.
Part of a small array of hand tools displayed in "America On The Move" - such tools were used in the inspection and repair of steam locomotives. Light repairs on steam locomotives were usually done in roundhouses at the many small locomotive terminals throughout a railroad's system; heavy repairs were done in a large, centralized repair shop serving the whole system (often referred to as the "Back Shop"). Most of these tools date from the early- to the mid-20th century, roughly 1900-1955.
Date made
1920s
date made
ca. 1920s
used date
1840s-1950s
maker
unknown
ID Number
2002.0075.10
accession number
2002.0075
catalog number
2002.0075.10
Silver plate with stamped shield of stars and stripes in the plate’s bowl. Marked “International Silver Company” on bottom.The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914.
Description
Silver plate with stamped shield of stars and stripes in the plate’s bowl. Marked “International Silver Company” on bottom.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1923
used date
1923-1929
maker
International Silver Company
ID Number
1991.0856.37
catalog number
1991.0856.37
accession number
1991.0856
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1923
date used
1936 to 1960s
maker
Beetleware Corporation
ID Number
1984.0331.10
accession number
1984.0331
catalog number
1984.0331.10
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist. After receiving an engineering degree, he started his career designing sewers for the City of San Francisco, but then followed his other interest and took a job as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After moving to New York in 1907 Goldberg worked for several newspapers, producing a number of short-lived strips and panels—many of which were inspired by his engineering background, including his renowned invention cartoons. In the late 1930s and 1940s he switched his focus to editorial and political cartoons and in 1945 founded the National Cartoonists Society. The Reuben, comic art’s most prestigious award, is named after him.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1924-10-31
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
ID Number
GA.23492
catalog number
23492
accession number
299186
This program describes the selections performed at a charity concert held in first class on board the ocean liner Leviathan, September 8, 1928.The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914.
Description
This program describes the selections performed at a charity concert held in first class on board the ocean liner Leviathan, September 8, 1928.
The ocean liner Leviathan was built as the Vaterland for Germany's Hamburg-American Line in 1914. During World War I the American government seized the ship and operated it as a troopship. After a complete reconditioning at Newport News, Virginia, in 1922-23, the Leviathan became the flagship of the new United States Lines, which operated it for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1929. Subsequently sold into private hands, the ship ran until 1934. Laid up as a result of high operating costs and low Depression-era patronage, the Leviathan was sold to Scottish shipbreakers in 1938 and dismantled.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1928
used date
1928
ID Number
1991.0856.67
catalog number
1991.0856.67
accession number
1991.0856

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