Ken- This is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would get unearthed. I tried to google "Shaw's Mammoth Photographic Rooms" but other than a few genealogical links to family member portraits come up with nothing. How did you come across the image? Do you have the rest of it or just the locomotive portion? Could the flags indicate it was taken on the 4th of July or some other holiday, or perhaps at the end of the Civil War? The lighting would be right for it to be on the grade from West Grossdale to LaGrange.taken looking north from the south side of the tracks...it looks like there is only one track so it would be quite early, maybe 1870. Of course it could just as easily be elsewhere as the line had some pretty good grades on it in the early days. I am pretty sure it predates the establishment of Grossdale, West Grossdale and Hollywood/East Grossdale which didn't happen until 1889. Look at the mismatch in drawheads between the tender and first car!!! Somebody needs some Kadee red fiber washers to raise the car on its trucks!! In fact, I just looked at the roster information and the original Manchester built 53 is noted as "gone by 1870" so I would say this is definitely a pre-1870 photo. Now it could be even earlier and predate the building of the Aurora-Chicago line and be taken somewhere on the G&CU, Aurora Branch, or even the St. Charles Air Line... Thanks, Charlie Vlk
|
