A Fun Browse Through Vintage Railroad Ads

Bruce:

I love vintage materials such as these. Thanks for posting the link. 

Here's something I posted to another thread. It's an item published by New York Central touting the recently completed electrification of the lower Harlem Division and the benefits of living near the line. 

Bob

Electroliner,

I love old railroad ads like that.  I model SP so I was particularly partial to those in your link.  I have two vintage "tinplate" signs in my train room.  They both advertise SP.  One of my other hobbies is collecting wine.  I have a cellar that holds over 200 bottles.  I have a vintage sign posted above it.  On The Bay I picked it up an original 1937 tinplate sign advertising the Napa Valley Wine Country.  Good stuff!  Thanks for sharing.  Matt

Bob

Empty farm fields turning to suburbia and interurban service selling it..There were a lot of outfits who had their hands in both. Boom times back in the day. Great ad..

Bruce

I do believe that the ALCO ads are some of Howard Fogg's work.

ChipR 

ALCo commissioned Mr. Fogg to paint images of many of its locomotives, primarily diesels. 

Here are a few examples:

Prints of these and others may be ordered here:

http://www.foggprints.com/

Bob

Just beautiful work...such a treat.

Chris

The Pennsylvania Railroad had some great posters over the years. Here's one promoting its New York City trains:

Bob

The PRRT&HS will be releasing a book of a lot of Pennsy advertising. I think the publication date may coincide with their annual meeting this May.

Electroliner, in today's world it may SEEM otherwise, but print is still one of the preferred mass media in 65% of all households, according to current data.

I truly enjoy old advertising. I have a few real railroading and Lionel ads (and hope to get more) hanging in my train room, and my bedroom has vintage Ford ads hanging in it. In some antique shops, magazine ads like this can be had for about $3-$6, and all you have to do is go to Walmart and get a $5 frame, and you are good to go.

Here's a Western Maryland ad spotlighting the delivery of its 4-6-6-4 type articulateds:

Bob

Not advertising per se but here's an unused Blue Comet ticket featuring the herald developed by the railroad to promote the train.:

Bob

That Blue Comet ticket is neat. What does the other side look like?

Electroliner, that's a great collection. After I posted this photo from my own scan, I discovered it's included in that online collection.

from a 1950 Trains magazine

These old railroad magazine ads are a riot. This 1954 ad has a story about Westinghouse Air Brake being asked by one railroad to design a locomotive air horn that did not attract mooses and provoke them into charging the trains. The photos are copy restricted so I can't paste it in here.

http://waidephoto.smugmug.com/Trains/Vintage-Railroad/14655704_xRs6bD#!i=1223682204&k=MkVD4bs

There are pages and pages of other interesting old ads. I remember seeing an old ad for Magnus Solid Bearings which extolled their supposed superiority over expensive, heavier roller bearings on freight cars. I'm wondering if I can find that one online.