[PRCo] Re: Another Western PA field trip

[Fred Schneider]

I have a few negatives that I know were taken by Crowley .... 120  
size roll film.   And some of the prints on the trip that we tried to  
identify came from him.

There were two of those Crowley pictures marked "in Wellsville."   We  
didn't doubt for a minute that the identification was correct because  
it was on single track and other than in Wellsville most of the  
SEL&BVT was double track.   But the buildings are not there today.    
The only clue to where he took them is the slope of the street.   And  
that may have changed the last time the river went over its banks!

Ed and I were wondering what ever happened to Crowley's negatives.    
Maybe the refrigerator is still there, bulldozed into a filled in  
basement?   A treasure map?

Strange that anyone would consider 66 to be "too young."     You are  
also reminding me of my past.   I never knew Luther Hay.   I did know  
Roger Borrup.  Like many of us I bought from Barney Neuberger ... can  
still remember the address ... 6330 South Lafflin in Chicago ... an  
apartment where he stored shoe boxes on shoe boxes on shoe boxes of  
prints under his bed before he moved south into a mobile home.   I  
didn't know many of the Chicago or midwest people ... George  
Krambles, Bill Janssen (he is still barely living), Bob Mehlenbeck.    
I would have liked to have met O. F. Lee but never did.   I did meet  
Harry Bartley once.   Met Bob Brown many times.

Crowley was one of the real old timers.   Every city seemed to have  
at least one of them.   Washington DC had its Leroy O. King, Senior  
(Dallas still has Roy King, Jr.).    Roy Senior was around to  
photograph the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Niles-built  
Pullmans when the line opened as a 6600 volt AC operation in 1907.    
He also photographed horse cars and battery cars all over Manhattan  
way back when.   And Atlantic and Suburban cars to Pleasantville NJ  
when they ran out across the marsh in addition to the Atlantic City  
and Shore trains.   And Roy Junior has all dad's old glass plates.

Here in Lancaster we had a man named Harry Baughey.   Harry lived  
across the street from me and my mother would not let me even talk to  
him ... had sort of a shady reputation.   Even the law caught up with  
that man.   But he left a lot of his notes on paper which I've  
found.   He died of a heart attack when I was 17.   But he grew up  
with the trolleys and he knew which cars ran on which lines because  
he saw them delivered from the factory and assigned to the routes in  
the 1890s and early 1900s.     There weren't many of these really old  
types, but there were a few and we're lucky the few wrote things down.

And glad to read, Fred B, that you are still with us.   I wondered  
when I wrote that trip report yesterday if it would wake up Fred Bruhn.

On Apr 3, 2006, at 9:58 AM, Fredbruhn at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 4/2/2006 2:49:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> trams at adelphia.net writes:
>   I have a great McKinley Crowley
> negative of a low-floor car marked
> "in Stubenville" ...
> Just as a tidbit, Ed mentions this name from long ago.  McKinley  
> Crowley
> lived in Canton, Ohio, and was an employee of the NOT&L at one  
> time.  If you have
> CERA 109 you will see some of his photography.  I don't know how  
> extensive his
> travels were, but I had the pleasure of meeting him exactly 50  
> years ago.  He
> was retired and living less than a mile from where I lived.  I was  
> just 16
> and not that bold but did manage enough courage to call and ask if  
> I could
> visit.  McKinley had his collection in his finished basement and  
> had "left" 3 or 4
> headlights from LSE and NOTL and marker lights and other misc.  He  
> said at one
> time he had quite a few headlights, having visited LSE as it was being
> scrapped as well as NOTL.  He had sold much of his stuff by then  
> but all his photos
> were well protected in an old refrigerator in that basement room. I  
> wonder
> what happened to his photo collection.  A did manage to buy a few  
> of his prints.
> McKinley sort of fits into that group which includes W. Lupher Hay,  
> Roger
> Borrup, Barney Neuburger, I assume Harry Bartley, and other well  
> known names of
> the 30's and 40's.  Sorry Fred III, your too young.
>
>