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 752 items.
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Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- No Scurlock number. Ink on negative: "9". Loading and boarding 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
- 1960
- N.d
- photographers
- Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)
- film manufacturer
- Eastman Kodak Co
- Subject
- Ebony Magazine
- Bison Bus Line
- Local number
- Box 618.04.79
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- No Scurlock number. Ink on negative: "5". Loading and boarding 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
- 1960
- N.d
- photographers
- Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)
- film manufacturer
- Eastman Kodak Co
- Subject
- Ebony Magazine
- Bison Bus Line
- Local number
- Box 618.04.79
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- No ink on negative. Passengers boarding a Bison Bus at the corner of 15th Street and K Street, "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
- N.d
- photographers
- Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)
- film manufacturer
- Eastman Kodak Co
- Subject
- Ebony Magazine
- Bison Bus Line
- K Street (Washington D.C.)
- 15th Street (Washington D.C.)
- Local number
- Box 618.04.83
- No Scurlock number
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- Ink on negative: "9". Passengers boarding a Bison Bus at the intersection of 15th St. and K St. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint
- Cite as
- Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1950
- 1960
- N.d
- photographers
- Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)
- film manufacturer
- Eastman Kodak Co
- Subject
- Ebony Magazine
- Bison Bus Line
- Local number
- Box 618.04.83
- No Scurlock number
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ebony series (Bison Lines) [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- Ink on negative: "2", "3", "4". Two negatives of passengers boarding a Bison Bus, "do not print" is written on the original file envelope. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint
- Cite as
- Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1930
- 1960
- 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
- AC0618.004.0000551.tif (AC Scan)
- No Scurlock number
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
Ebony series (Bison Lines) [unidentified street] [cellulose acetate photonegative]
- Summary
- Ink on negative: "1". Two #120 negatives (1 strip) of unidentified street. "Do not print" on original enevlope. "KODAK SAFETY FILM" edge imprint
- Cite as
- Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 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
- AC0618.004.0000553.tif (AC Scan)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
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
Railroad Track Signal
- Description
- Railroad track signals are part of the control and management infrastructure of train movement. The railroad signal communicates to the operator of the train how to proceed to ensure safe movement. Early fixed signals involved hand signals, flags, and ball signals. With the spread of telegraph lines in the 1850s, train orders could be transmitted quickly from one stop to another. They were followed by automatic systems that developed with the introduction of electricity.
- This early type of banner signal, also known as an automatic block signal, was one of the first automatic signals to be used in the United States. It was manufactured by the Union Switch and Signal Company about 1880. The signal operated by a clockworks driven by a 100 lb. weight. The clockworks were set in motion by an electromagnet that was triggered by trains passing over a track-mounted switch.
- The signal consists of a box containing a clockwork mechanism. The roof of the box is a vertical spindle upon which are mounted two metal vanes, one painted green with a white striped border, and the other painted red. The box was mounted on a tall hollow iron pole in which the weight that operated the clockwork was suspended. This signal was used on the New York, New Haven & Hartford R.R. until about 1934.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- used by
- New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company
- maker
- Union Switch and Signal Company
- ID Number
- TR*308317
- catalog number
- 308317
- accession number
- 71800
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1931 Ford Model A roadster
- Description
- In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Ford Model A was one of the most publicized and best-selling cars in America. It was sporty, attractive, well-built, and smooth-running compared to the Model T, which it replaced in the 1928 model year. Thousands of people were eager to see for themselves that "Henry's made a lady out of Lizzie," and they stormed Ford showrooms when the Model A debuted on December 2, 1927. In less than two weeks there were 400,000 orders, and Henry Ford could not keep up with the demand for his latest "gift" to an increasingly mobile nation. Despite the onset of the Depression, Model A production remained strong at 1,261,053 cars in 1930 but fell to 626,579 cars in 1931, the last year that the Model A was produced. Donald E. Wolff donated this restored 1931 Ford to the Smithsonian in 1974.
- In the early 1920s, the plain, utilitarian Ford Model T far outsold other new cars and gave millions of working Americans the advantages of personal mobility. But by the mid-1920s, Ford's market share was shrinking because other automobile manufacturers offered stylish, sophisticated cars at low prices and enticements such as buying on credit. Henry Ford decided to replace the Model T with a new car that would attract as much attention as the "Tin Lizzie" once had. The much-anticipated 1928 Ford Model A was chic and sporty, and it had mechanical features that the Model T lacked: a three-speed, sliding-gear transmission, four-wheel brake system, and hydraulic shock absorbers. Sales were strong, but Ford never again dominated the new-car market as it had at the height of the Model T's popularity; Chevrolet, Plymouth, and other makes proved to be formidable rivals in the 1930s and beyond. In the 1932 model year, Ford replaced the Model A with a new line of cars featuring V-8 engines.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1931
- maker
- Ford Motor Company
- ID Number
- TR*335243
- catalog number
- 335243
- accession number
- 315444
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1912 Liberty-Brush Runabout
- Description
- Like Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer Alanson P. Brush encouraged people of ordinary means to give up horses, bicycles, and streetcars and buy cars. Brush emphasized small size and light weight as ways to reduce manufacturing costs and adapt cars to dirt roads that were alternately bumpy in dry weather and muddy in wet weather. Like Ford, he designed an automobile that was low-priced and suited to rural conditions. Introduced in 1907, the Brush automobile had a one-cylinder engine, a hardwood chassis frame, and tough, resilient hardwood axles and wheels. It featured innovations such as coil springs and shock absorbers, which smoothed the ride. The 1912 Liberty-Brush was a simplified version of the Brush runabout and was priced at $350. The Ethyl Corporation donated this Liberty-Brush runabout to the museum in 1976.
- In the early 1900s, the automobile became more than a rich person's toy. Demand was strong among farmers, workers, and the middle class. Used cars provided a less expensive alternative to new ones, but problems with quality, reliability, and parts availability limited their appeal. Several car manufacturers introduced new models that were affordable, dependable and designed for everyday use on country roads or city streets. Because of its wooden chassis and wooden axles, the Brush automobile (1907-13) was exceptionally lightweight and resilient. The small, one-cylinder Brush appealed to many motorists because of its simplicity, relatively low price, and chassis features that were well suited to rural roads. Wider axles were available for use in the South, where a 60-inch tread fit wagon ruts on country roads. Brush cars were fairly popular, but the company's financial difficulties and competition from better automobiles brought an end to the venture in 1913.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1912
- maker
- United States Motor Company, Brush Division
- ID Number
- TR*335591
- catalog number
- 335591
- accession number
- 323572
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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