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.
1,593
Page 1 of 80
-
Untitled (not processed)
- See more items in
- Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Dubin Pullman Palace Car Co. Car Construction and Registration Books
- Identifier
- NMAH.AC.0158
- Creator
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI.
- Biographical/Historical note
- In 1867 George Mortimer Pullman (1831-1897) and Ben Field organized the Pullman Palace Car Co. "This company became the world's greatest car-building and car-repairing enterprise, with plants located at Pullman, Illinois (now part of Chicago), and many other places in North and South America and even in Europe,"--Hubbard Freeman in the "Encyclopedia of North American Railroading." These registers and records pertain to the manufacturing end of the company--the Chicago works at Pullman, Illinois.
- Processing Information
- Collection processed by NMAH Staff.
- Date
- 1875-1911.
- Ownership and Custodial History
- Transferred from the Division of Transportation, 1980, 1984
- Extent
- 2.6 cubic feet (8 boxes)
- Restrictions
- THIS COLLECTION HAS BEEN INTEGRATED INTO COLLECTION AC0181.
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection descriptions
- Scope and Contents note
- Records of construction by plant. Includes orders, dates of construction, customers and costs for passenger, dining and freight cars.
- Genre/Form
- Ledgers (account books)
- Rights
- Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
- Creator
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI.
- Topic
- Railroads
- Transportation
- Place
- Illinois
- Citation
- Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Dubin Pullman Palace Car Co. Construction and Registration Books, 1875-1911, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
- Archival Repository
- Archives Center, National Museum of American History
-
Campaign speeches are useful, at that
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Lithograph of "Cascades of the Columbia"
- Description
- The lithographic firm of Sarony, Major & Knapp (1857–1867) of New York printed this lithograph of “Cascades of the Columbia” originally drawn by John M. Stanley (1814–1872) of Detroit (1834–1840, 1864–1872) and Washington, D.C. (1850–1860). The illustration was printed as Plate XLV in the “General Report” of volume XII of Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, “Narrative Final Report of Explorations for a Route for a Pacific Railroad, near the Forty–Seventh and Forty–Ninth Parallels of North Latitude, St. Paul to Puget Sound”. The volume was printed in 1860 by Thomas H. Ford in Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1860
- graphic artist
- Sarony, Major, & Knapp
- original artist
- Stanley, John Mix
- graphic artist
- Sarony, Major, & Knapp
- original artist
- Stanley, John Mix
- author
- Stevens, Isaac Ingalls
- printer
- Ford, Thomas H.
- graphic artist
- unknown
- publisher
- U.S. War Department
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
- ID Number
- GA.24834
- catalog number
- 24834
- accession number
- 1978.0612
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Road Scraper Patent Model, 1892
- Description
- This is a patent model for a road scraper assigned to the Western Wheeled Scraper Company in 1892.
- As the good roads movement gathered strength in the 1890s, inventors generated a host of patent applications for machines that improved roads using horse-drawn scrapers and graders.
- date made
- 1892
- patent date
- 1982-12-16
- patentee
- Western Wheeled Scraper Company
- ID Number
- MC.251194
- catalog number
- 251194
- accession number
- 48865
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Road Scraper Patent Model
- Description
- John D. Libey of Lima, Indiana submitted this model with his patent for a scraper that received patent number 529,925 on November 27, 1894. Designed for road work, the scraper could be operated by one man. A two-horse team pulled the scraper that picked up a yard of earth and took it away.
- As the good roads movement gathered strength in the 1890s, a host of patent applications were received for machines that, using horses, helped maintain the surfaces of the nation's roadways.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1894
- patent date
- 1894-11-27
- ID Number
- MC.311047
- catalog number
- 311047
- accession number
- 136522
- patent number
- 529925
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Model of a Cement Mixer
- Description
- This model was built for its inventors (two brothers from Montana) by a Chicago firm, run by J. T. H. Paterson, Proprietor. Raw materials were loaded into one side and mixed concrete unloaded on the other.
- Regal Model and Tool Works (122 S. Clarke Street, Chicago, Illinois, J. T. H. Paterson, Proprietor) built this model for two inventors, who were brothers from Montana. This cement mixer was patented.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1910
- ID Number
- MC.316501
- catalog number
- 316501
- accession number
- 224662
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Road Scraper Patent Model
- Description
- Hiram W. Ball submitted this model with his patent for an “improvement in road scrapers” that received patent number 221,273 on November 4, 1879. The horse drawn drag scraper incorporated a catch that allowed the scoop to dump its load without having to raise the handle.
- As the good roads movement gathered strength in the 1890s, a host of patent applications were received for machines that, using horses, helped maintain the surfaces of the nation's roadways.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1879
- patent date
- 1879-11-04
- inventor; patent holder
- Ball, Hiram W.
- inventor
- Ball, Hiram W.
- ID Number
- MC.319432
- catalog number
- 319432
- accession number
- 237906
- patent number
- 221,273
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Dague's Road Scraper Model
- Description
- This model depicts a road scraper manufactured by Dague's Grader Company, Danville, Illinois, and patented on the 30th Dec 1879 by E. D. Dague.
- This model is a demonstration model, presumably used as a selling tool. Company advertising claimed that “Dague's Celebrated Road Scraper and Leveller ...will do more work than FOUR ordinary Dump Scrapers, and will Leave the Surface Level, and only requires the services of One Man and one pair of horse to operate it with ease.”
- As the good roads movement gathered strength in the 1890s, a host of patent applications were received for machines that, using horses, helped maintain the surfaces of the nation's roadways.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1879
- patent date
- 1879-12-30
- maker
- Dague, E. D.
- ID Number
- MC.321175
- catalog number
- 321175
- accession number
- 243133
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Weber Road Scraper
- Description
- George J. Weber submitted this model for an “improvement in wheeled scrapers” that received patent number 216,588 on June 17, 1879. The road scraper was horse drawn and self-dumping.
- As the good roads movement gathered strength in the 1890s, a host of patent applications were received for machines that, using horses, helped maintain the surfaces of the nation's roadways.
- date made
- 1879
- patent date
- 1879-06-17
- inventor
- Weber, George J.
- ID Number
- MC.329174
- catalog number
- 329174
- accession number
- 277275
- patent number
- 216,588
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Bone Dice
- Description
- Gambling usually was banned aboard whaling ships, on the grounds that it could cause too much strife among the crew. But “bones” or dice were easily concealed from a ship’s officers, and crews found out-of-the-way places to spend their free time wagering their earnings, tobacco, or other assets.
- date made
- 1800s
- ID Number
- AG.024849.1
- accession number
- 1875.4423
- catalog number
- 24849.1
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Scrimshaw Whale Bone Food Chopper
- Description
- Simply carved and without any engraving, this food chopper, or mincer, was made in two pieces from a sperm whale’s jawbone. Its blunted, curved blade was used to chop soft foods such as bread dough, fruits, sausage, and animal fats. This example was donated by former Secretary of the Institution Spencer F. Baird (1823–1887) to the Smithsonian, where it became one of the earliest objects in the maritime collections.
- date made
- 1800s
- purchased
- 1876-11-30
- ID Number
- AG.024909
- catalog number
- 24909
- accession number
- 2009.0157
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Bone Fid
- Description
- Made of hard wood, bone, or ivory and tapering to a point, fids were used mostly for ropework, such as splicing. On deck, they were also used for breaking knots that might be frozen from overtightening, wet weather, or other conditions. In a pinch, one could also serve as a temporary belaying pin to tie off a line, or even as a weapon.
- date made
- 1800s
- ID Number
- AG.025650
- catalog number
- 025650
- accession number
- 4798
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whale Bone Seam Rubber
- Description
- Seam rubbers were part of a sail maker’s tool kit. They were used to smooth and flatten the seams of heavy canvas sailcloth, where two pieces were joined or the edges were hemmed before they were sewn. This unusually large example was probably carved from the panbone, part of a whale’s jaw.
- date made
- 1800s
- ID Number
- AG.025793
- accession number
- 4957
- catalog number
- 025793
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whalebone Thimble Eye
- Description
- This rope-strapped thimble carved from whalebone would have had a light rope through the eye for rigging, perhaps on a whaleboat.
- These miniature items also served as children’s toys or curiosities back home. Toys in the form of miniature working ship parts were easy and quick for sailors to carve, and they did not require much skill to make. They also served as potent reminders of where and what the men were doing during their long absences from their friends and families.
- date made
- 1800s
- ID Number
- AG.025801
- catalog number
- 025801
- accession number
- 2009.0182
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Mincing Knife
- Description
- Whaling crews used mincing knives to cut the blubber strips into thin slices down to, but not through, the thick whale skin. This process increased the surface area of the blubber and helped it melt faster in the try-pots. Cut in this fashion, the sections of whale blubber and skin were known as “bible leaves” because they resembled the pages of a book.
- date made
- 1876
- collected
- 1876
- ID Number
- AG.025912
- accession number
- 005019
- catalog number
- 025912
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Boarding Knife
- Description
- The work of carving blubber from a whale carcass and hauling the long, narrow strips of flesh, called “blanket pieces,” aboard the ship onto the deck was called “boarding.” The boarding knife was an extremely sharp, double-edged sword blade at the end of a short wooden pole. It served a variety of purposes, from cutting a hole in the whale’s flesh for the blubber hook, to cutting the long strips of flesh into shorter sections for further processing.
- These tools were kept extremely sharp to cut the whale’s flesh easily. With the decks and tools so slippery from the whale processing, using them was reserved for the ship’s officers.
- date made
- 1876
- collected
- 1876
- ID Number
- AG.026608
- catalog number
- 026608
- accession number
- 4927
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Foghorn
- Description
- This galvanized metal foghorn was a standard piece of equipment on 19th-century fishing dories. It was used to convey the dory’s location during winter snowstorms and heavy fog. In such conditions, a member of the crew aboard the schooner would pump a larger foghorn continuously to make sure the dorymen were aware of the schooner’s location.
- Dories were small, open boats equipped with a sail and oars. Stacks of them were carried aboard large fishing schooners. Once a schooner reached the offshore fishing grounds, the dories were set in the water and manned by pairs of crewmen. These fishermen set their trawls—long lines with baited hooks—and then hauled them in, removing the fish into the dory. Once their dory was filled, the fishermen rowed or sailed back to the schooner to offload the catch and rebait the hooks, if needed.
- The prospect of getting separated from the schooner in bad weather and thick fog was a constant worry among fishermen on Georges and the Grand Banks. In addition to a dory compass, a water bottle, and hardtack, the foghorn was an essential part of a doryman’s survival kit.
- Date made
- 1880s
- maker
- Wilcox, Crittenden & Co.
- ID Number
- AG.029382
- catalog number
- 029382
- accession number
- 12705
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Carved Bailer Handle
- Description
- Whalemen used long-handled bailers to remove hot whale oil from large try-pots into cooling tanks, and from those tanks into storage barrels. They had long handles to prevent the handler from being splashed or burned with molten oil.
- This example’s wooden handle has figures of whales whittled into its surface to indicate the number and species of mammals that crossed its greasy path. The “B.H.” refers to bowhead, “S” for sperm, “H.B.” for humpback, and “W” for right whale.
- date made
- 1828
- ID Number
- AG.055809
- catalog number
- 55809
- accession number
- 12284
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Blubber Fork
- Description
- Once a whale was killed and its blubber was cut up and hauled aboard the ship for processing, the chunks of flesh were moved around the slippery vessel with long-handled, two-tined blubber forks. These forks were used to pitch the pieces of minced blubber into the hot try-pots to boil it down into oil. The long handles prevented sore backs from too much bending over and protected the men from getting too close to the boiling oil.
- date made
- mid-1800s
- ID Number
- AG.055818
- catalog number
- 055818
- accession number
- 012285
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Allen's Gun Harpoon
- Description
- In the later 19th century, guns with explosive charges shooting the harpoons took the place of hand tools for catching and killing whales. They were much safer, for they could be shot at a whale from greater distances than a hand lance could be applied. They also penetrated the whale’s skin deeper and were harder for the animal to dislodge.
- Gun harpoons were also far more efficient, for the steam whalers could approach the prey directly and did not need labor-intensive whaleboats and their highly trained crews any longer.
- Designed to be fired from a shoulder gun, this nonexplosive style of harpoon was invented by Oliver Allen of Norwich, Conn. to fasten to whales prior to killing.
- date made
- mid-1800s
- harpoons replaced hand tools
- late 19th century
- patentee
- Allen, Oliver
- inventor
- Allen, Oliver
- ID Number
- AG.056230
- catalog number
- 056230
- accession number
- 012333
- patent number
- 5949
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Pages
Filter Your Results
- topic
- Transportation 1593
- Road Transportation 377
- Radiator Emblems 277
- America on the Move 242
- Industry & Manufacturing 241
- object type
- Tokens 175
- Archival materials 163
- Photographs 157
- Models (representations) 80
- Swrimshaws 72
- date
- place
- United States 368
- New York 110
- Pennsylvania 43
- Massachusetts 41
- United Kingdom 41
- culture
- set name
- type
- ead_collection 26
- edanmdm 1567
- r.museum
Facebook