On eBay Now...1940s HT&W Railroad Excursion 10 Photo Archive Steam Trains Readsboro Vermont For Sale
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1940s HT&W Railroad Excursion 10 Photo Archive Steam Trains Readsboro Vermont:
$999.99
All 10 photographs measure approximately 4.6 × 3.6 inches each.
This is considerably more than a group of locomotive photographs. The images form a cohesive railroad archive showing the trains, equipment, facilities, passengers and photographers participating in the excursion, with multiple handwritten reverse identifications tying the photographs directly to the HT&W.
ARCHIVE HIGHLIGHTS- 10 original black-and-white photographs
- Size: Approx. 4.6 × 3.6 in. each
- Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington Railroad — HT&W
- Readsboro, Vermont identified on multiple reverses
- Hoosac Station, Massachusetts identified on another
- HT&W steam locomotives and railroad operations
- Locomotive No. 5 prominently photographed
- Outstanding views of crowded open-air gondola excursion cars
- Steam locomotive photographed on a turntable, surrounded by spectators
- Multiple views of the excursion traveling through the mountainous Deerfield River valley
- Engine house, sidings, trackwork, freight equipment and railroad infrastructure
- Close mechanical view inside steam-locomotive equipment
- Women photographed aboard and interacting with railroad equipment, including a striking portrait from the locomotive cab
- Period tank cars, gondolas and other rolling stock visible
One of the strongest photographs documents the railfan photographers themselves.
A large group of railroad enthusiasts has climbed atop an enormous stack of railroad ties to obtain an elevated vantage point. Numerous men are simultaneously holding and aiming period cameras while the photographer records them photographing the excursion.
It is an outstanding meta-photographic record of early railroad fandom—not simply a photograph of a train, but a photograph documenting how railroad enthusiasts were actively photographing and experiencing these excursions.
PERIOD REVERSE IDENTIFICATIONSSeveral photographs retain handwritten railroad/location information, including:
“H.T.&W. R.R. / Readsboro V.T.”
“Along the H.T.&W. Line / Deerfield River on the left”
“Hoosac Stn. Mass. / H.T.&W. R.R.”
Another reverse references the east portal of the tunnel.
Multiple photographs also carry the recurring 4617 marking, further supporting their relationship as a single photographic group.
HISTORICAL / COLLECTOR INTERESTThe Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington was a small New England railroad operating through the Deerfield River region of Massachusetts and Vermont and became closely associated with the developing American railroad-enthusiast excursion movement.
What makes this archive particularly desirable is its combination of:
HT&W steam locomotives • Readsboro VT • Hoosac Station MA • Deerfield River • railroad excursion history • railfan photography • steam operations • turntable operations • open gondola passenger cars • women and railroad history • New England railroad history
The photographs work together as a visual record of the excursion experience—from railroad facilities and locomotive operations to packed passenger cars and the enthusiasts actively photographing the railroad.
The complete 10-photo archive is being offered intact.
CONDITIONOriginal vintage photographs showing expected age-related toning, handling, occasional edge/corner wear, minor creasing and surface marks. Several reverses retain valuable period handwritten identifications and numerical markings.
Images remain highly detailed with excellent railroad, equipment and human-interest content.
Please review all photographs for exact condition.
Quantity: 10 original photographs
Size: Approx. 4.6 × 3.6 inches each
Catalog Number: 0PS0251