An original 4.5x2.5" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from the estate of a train enthusiast who collected and filmed filmed trains and streetcars of all sorts. Many of the photos from his collection are likely one of a kind.

Photo Overview

This black and white snapshot captures Tri City Traction Co. interurban car No. 118 on a downtown street in Princeton, West Virginia, circa late 1940s. The trolley car's roofline lettering clearly reads 'Princeton - Bluefield Interurban,' and the destination sign above the front door reads 'Princeton.' The ornate art-deco striped livery on car 118 is well-visible, and the scene is framed by late 1930s-early 1940s automobiles and a substantial stone civic building in the background. This is a wonderful document of small-city interurban electric transit in the coalfields of southern West Virginia.

Historical Notes

The Tri City Traction Company operated interurban electric streetcar service connecting Princeton, Bluefield, and Welch in Mercer and McDowell Counties, West Virginia - the heart of the Pocahontas coalfields. The line served coal-country communities that depended on electric traction for passenger movement between these small but economically vital towns. Like most American interurban systems, Tri City Traction fell victim to the post-World War II automobile boom and the expansion of paved roads. Service on the Princeton-Bluefield line was abandoned in 1947, making photos of cars like No. 118 in active service exceptionally rare surviving documents. Car 118 and its sister cars were retired as the nation's interurban network rapidly contracted in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Text Present

Front of photo - on trolley car roofline board: 'PRINCETON BLUEFIELD INTERURBAN'
Front of photo - on trolley front destination sign: 'PRINCETON'
Front of photo - on trolley car sides: '118'
Back of photo - red rubber stamp at top: 'TRI CITY TRACTION CO. #118'
Back of photo - handwritten pencil notation lower right: '49'
Back of photo - stamped or printed blue notation lower right: '54'

Print analysis

This is a small snapshot-format print (4.5x2.5 inches) consistent with a personal photographic print from the late 1940s era. The notation '49' on the back likely refers to 1949, suggesting this print was made shortly after or around the time the photo was taken. The paper stock, tonal range, and surface appearance are consistent with a period silver gelatin print. This is likely a Type 1 original photo, produced close in time to when the image was captured, from the estate of a rail enthusiast who documented the line before or just after abandonment.

Condition

In fair to good vintage condition. Please see photos for precise condition.