Tracks Leading to Mississippi River
- Title:
- Tracks Leading to Mississippi River
- Collection:
- U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs
- Set:
- Illinois Central Railroad: Memphis Division
- Creator:
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (BLF&E)
- Photographer:
- Howell, Fred D.
- Date:
- 1960
- Coordinates:
- 34.536114,-90.547450
- Latitude:
- 34.536114
- Longitude:
- -90.547450
- Location:
- Trotters Point, MS
- Country:
- United States
- ID Number:
- 5003pb56f053
- Railroad Reporting Mark:
- IC
- Internal Number:
- #48
- Exhibit Number:
- N-26
- File Name:
- 5003pb56f053.jpg
- Work Type:
- b&w photograph
- Subject:
- Mississippi River
Illinois Central Railroad Company
Locomotives
Railroad cars
Railroad tracks
Railroads--Buildings and structures
Shipping
Steamboats
Railroads--Employees
Railroads--Freight - Measurement:
- 16x20 (inches)
- Description:
- Car float in picture. Unit No. 609. Shows the ferry operation between Trotters Point, Mississippi, and Helena, Arkansas. This is a picture taken on the Trotters Point side of the Mississippi River. This photograph shows a locomotive backing a car on a long incline toward the ferry which is shown just pulling up toward the shore. This operation is extremely hazardous and requires great alertness on the part of both the fireman and the engineer. As you can see from the picture it is obviously essential for the locomotive to push the car being loaded on the ferry. From eight to twelve cards are loaded on the ferry, the exact number depending upon the type of car being loaded. The engine is placed on the boat when transferring cards from the Mississippi side to the Arkansas side and on the return trip. On account of two tracks on the boat the engine has to shove the cars on the boat in order to put cars on both tracks. This operation actually cuts off the view of the engineer because his view is restricted not only by the locomotive but also by the cars which he is pushing. Moreover, there is the problem that loading the cars on the ferry has to be done very carefully and very precisely, because there is always a certain amount of movement of the ferry due to current on the river while the cars are being loaded. Naturally the same considerations apply where the cars are being pulled off the ferry.
- Cite As:
- U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs #5003 P. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
- Repository:
- Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University
- Archival Collection:
- U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs (#5003 P)
- Box:
- 56
- Folder:
- 53
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- The content in the "U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs Collection" (Kheel Center collection: #5003 P) is believed to be in the public domain, and is presented by Cornell University Library under the Guidelines for Using Text, Images, Audio, and Video from Cornell University Library Collections [https://www.library.cornell.edu/about/inside/policies/public-domain]. These images have been digitized from items in the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives at Cornell University Library. More information about the physical collection can be found here: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/KCL05003p.html. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.