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This Auction is for...

1

VINTAGE

PHOTOGRAPH

1942

UNKNOWN LOCATION?

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA?

WISCONSIN?

CLIFTON FORGE, VIRGINIA?

LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA?


HERE'S WHAT AI FOUND:

NOT SURE IF CORRECT?


This photograph captures a Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) gas-electric "doodlebug" railcar, No. 9053.
Equipment Details & Design Features
  • Road Number: The large, painted digits 9053 are clearly visible on the front end of the motor car.
  • The "Doodlebug" Role: These self-propelled railcars integrated a passenger, baggage, or mail compartment with a front-mounted internal combustion engine (gasoline or diesel) driving an electric generator. The B&O heavily relied on these economical units to maintain mandatory passenger and mail service on quiet, low-traffic rural branch lines where running a full steam locomotive and train consist was far too expensive.
  • Distinctive Features: The car features the classic rounded rooflines of Brill or Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC) body builds, complete with roof-mounted cooling radiator coils, a prominent bell, an air horn assembly, and high-mounted exhaust vents centered above the front operator windows.
Collection Consistency
This print features the exact same scalloped, decorative wavy paper border, high-contrast black-and-white tonal quality, and sharp compositional framing as the other 1939–1940 prints in your lot. Given the B&O connection on your previous detour photograph, this represents the collector's thorough dedication to documenting the B&O's diverse operations during that same pre-war era.
The information on the back reveals exactly how this Baltimore & Ohio No. 9053 print made its long journey through the wartime railfan network of 1942.
Decoding the Back Elements
  • American Studios (La Crosse, Wis.): AMERICAN STUDIOS was a massive, nationally renowned mail-order photo-finishing plant located on Causeway Boulevard in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Instead of developing their own film, mid-century railfans all over the country frequently mailed their negatives to American Studios. The company would develop the prints—complete with their trademark registered stamp and crisp scalloped edges—and mail them back to the customer.
  • Wartime Context (1942): The 1942 date indicates this photo was processed shortly after the United States entered World War II. During the war, the government placed strict restrictions on photographing railroad infrastructure for national security reasons. Finding a verified 1942 railfan print is much rarer than finding pre-war prints like your 1939 and 1940 Roanoke examples.
  • Philip Ludwell Gilmer Stamp: PHILIP LUDWELL GILMER was an active railroad photographer and collector from Virginia. The presence of both stamps means that a photographer either used the mail-order lab in La Crosse to make this print and traded it to Gilmer, or Gilmer himself mailed an old negative to the Wisconsin facility to secure a fresh duplicate copy for his trading stock.
  • The handwritten caption reveals this photograph captures an incredibly important historical operation: a Baltimore & Ohio "doodlebug" running a joint pool-service route along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's historic James River Division.
    Breaking Down the Caption Details
    • C&O James River Div. (Clifton Forge – Lynchburg, VA): The James River Division was a famous water-level route following the James River. Because it avoided the brutal mountain grades of other Appalachian lines, it was the crown jewel of coal and local passenger traffic routing for the C&O.
    • The B&O / C&O Pooled Service: While this is explicitly a B&O motor car (No. 9053), it was operating directly on C&O tracks. To save money on low-traffic regional passenger routes, the B&O and C&O frequently pooled passenger equipment in Virginia. This allowed a single self-propelled B&O doodlebug to handle connecting local branch mail and passenger runs seamlessly across both networks between major hubs like Clifton Forge and Lynchburg.
    • Approaching Station: The small white structure on the right side of the tracks is a classic, rural C&O-style shelter or maintenance shed, acting as a flag stop along the remote river route.


" VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH RAILROAD BALTIMORE & OHIO B & O GAS-ELECTRIC DOODLEBUG IN VIRGINIA? OLD PHOTO "


THE PHOTO IS CLEAR

YOU CAN READ 9053 CLEARLY

HAZY-FUZZY NEAR SIDE EDGES

PHOTO VIEWS CLEAR HOLDING 1-2 FEET AWAY



THE PHOTO IS CLEAR 1-2 FEET AWAY, THE PHOTO IS CLEAR UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS, HAZY-FUZZY ON SIDE EDGES, BUT VIEWS CLEAR HOLDING 1-2 FEET AWAY, BIT DARK.


CAPTION ON ALBUM

" NONE "


CAPTION ON BACK:

" JAMES R. DIV. C. & O. CLIFTON FORGE - LYNCHBURG, VA. RICHMOND, VIRGINIA APPROACHING STATION "

PHOTOGRAPHERS STAMP ON BACK

PHILIP LUDWELL GILMER

DEVELOPERS STAMP ON BACK

AMERICAN STUDIOS

LA CROSSE, WIS.

1942



OLD 

PHOTO


THIS IS A PHOTO

NOT A POSTCARD


SHADES & COLORS

CAN VARY



JUST IN CASE ANY OF MY LISTINGS 

HAVE WRONG INFO, I CANNOT ID PHOTO OR POSTCARD,

SEND INFO, I WILL INSERT CORRECT INTO INTO LISTING, TIA. 



LISTING 12 PHOTOS STARTING ON 6/6/26


12 RAILROAD PHOTOGRAPHS



SELLER INFO ONLY ON THIS LINE ( 1100 - RAIL - 469 ) 106

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY AUCTION!


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:

PLEASE LOOK AT PHOTO FOR DAMAGE:

DAMAGE RATINGS:

RANKING TO EDGES ( 2 )

( 1 )-LITE DAMAGE TO EDGES HARDLY ANY DAMAGE

( 2 )-MILD DAMAGE TO EDGES, SOME MINOR DINGS, CHIPPING & WEAR.

( 3 )-HEAVY DAMAGE TO EDGES, LOTS OF CREASES AND OR RIPS & TEARS.

RANKING TO CORNER TIPS ( 2 )

( 1 )-LITE DAMAGE TO CORNER TIPS, HARDLY ANY DAMAGE

( 2 )-MILD DAMAGE TO CORNER TIPS, SOME MINOR DINGS & WEAR.

( 3 )-HEAVY DAMAGE TO CORNER TIPS, BAD CREASES, BAD WEAR, MISSING TIPS.

CLARITY RANKING TO PHOTO ( 2 )

( 1 )-VERY CLEAR, LOTS OF DETAIL

( 2 )-PRETTY CLEAR SOME DETAIL 

( 3 )-CLEAR 1-2 FEET AWAY, A LITTLE HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS

( 4 )-HAZY-FUZZY 1-2 FEET AWAY AND UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS

CLARITY FROM 2 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, WILL BE RATED YES OR NO

CLARITY GOOD HOLDING 1-2 FEET AWAY ( YES ) BIT DARK

HAZY-FUZZY UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS ( NO ) 

CLEAR UNDER MAGNIFY GLASS ( YES ) 

HAZY-FUZZY IN BACKGROUND ( NO ) 

HAZY-FUZZY ON SIDE EDGES ( YES ) 

WRINKLE/CREASE/WAVINESS TO PHOTO FROM SHRINKAGE ( YES-LITE )

WRINKLE/CREASE/WAVINESS FROM BEING PULLED/SCRAPED OFF ALBUM PAGE ( NO )

DEPRESSED CORNER MARKS IN CORNERS FROM CORNER HANGERS ( YES-MILD )

DEPRESSED GLUE DIMPLE MARKS IN PHOTO FROM GLUE ON BACKSIDE ( NO )

RUBS FROM BEING IN AN ALBUM FOR YEARS ( YES-LITE )

OVERALL CONDITION OF PHOTO, WHICH INCLUDES DAMAGE AND CLARITY IN RATING, WILL BE RATED ON A ( 1-10 ) SCALE.

( 1 ) BEING VERY BAD & ( 10 ) BEING VERY GOOD

OVERALL CONDITION OF PHOTO ( 5-6 )

MADE OF PHOTO TYPE PAPER

BACK SOME DISCOLOR, FEW MARKS

FRONT FEW MARKS, SOME DISCOLOR

OTHER DAMAGE NOTED HERE: 

ALSO HAS USUAL SCRATCHES, MARS, DINGS, ETC.

DAMAGE A FEW SCRATCHES, DINGS & CREASES, ALL TIPS HAVE WEAR, DINGS OR CREASES, ALL TIPS HAVE DEPRESSED MARKS FROM HANGERS.

PHOTO SIZE SMALL 4-1/8 BY 3-1/8 INCHES



 

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Thanks for Looking and Happy Digging

 "SunkenTreazure"