Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: trailers

The Keystone Auto Transit Company used this business card to signal big plans--service to five cities, $1.5 million in authorized capital, a full slate of officers--when it started up in 1917, but it seems to have stayed in business for only a short time. The company placed an advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, October 21, 1917, offering motor freight services that were intended to compete with the railroads. The ad promised quick delivery of freight by "trackless locomotives," a term that was sometimes used to refer to trucks and cars in the early twentieth century. "Freight in a Day" was the title of an article (though it reads like another advertisement) that appeared in the same newspaper a week later on October 28, 1917, and it also used "trackless locomotives" and other railroad terminology to describe the company's operations: "The Keystone Auto Transit Company have inaugurated a freight and express service between New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, [and] Harrisburg, employing a great fleet of tractors and trailers [early versions of today's tractor-trailer trucks] that carry as much as thirty tons to the load. "These big trackless locomotives [ trucks ] and their trailers will leave a specified station in each of the cities at exactly 11 A.M. and will undertake to deliver to the consignee's door on the day of shipment, which, of course, provides for early morning collection. "These collections are made by more than fifty lighter and even faster trucks, which carry the individual shipments to the general depot [which was a truck depot, not a railroad depot] for loading on the overland trains [over-the-road trucks ]. These trains [ trucks! ] are scheduled to meet frequently on each route, so that drivers and supplies are always available should an accident occur." Although it's obvious that the Keystone Auto Transit Company intended to compete with the railroads, the venture apparently failed, and I haven't been able to uncover much besides this business card to document the company's existence. For some interesting details about the challenges facing early trucking companies like this one, take a look at Wikipedia's article on the History of the Trucking Industry in the United States . Keystone Auto Transit Co. (Incorporated) Incorporating with auth. cap. $1,500,000. Large Shipments Especially Solicited. New York. Pittsburgh. Atlantic City. Baltimore. Philadelphia Service Station, 1714-16-18 Callowhill St. Bell Phone, Spruce 3826. Keystone Phone, Race 5090. J. W. White, President. F. T. Finch, 1st Vice President and Traffic Mgr. Pres., Phila. Motor Service Corp. V. E. Kugler, 2d Vice President and Treasurer. Treasurer, Blair Eastern Co. F. H. McNerney, 3d Vice President. Mgr., Western Furniture Mfg. Co. F. J. P. Hildenbrand, Secretary. General Insurance, Philadelphia, Pa. Hon. W. H. Fisher, District Mgr. Oaklyn, N.J. Represented by

"Best Christmas wishes and happiness throughout the year." See below for some other vehicular Christmas greetings!

Caption on the front: "Nicollet Bay Camp Ground, Peninsula State Park , Wis. E-764." Postmarked: "Fish Creek, Wis., Sep 7, 1949." Addressed to: "Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Potter, Woodhull, Ill." Message on the back: "Labor Day. Dear folks: This is where we located--lovely weather, fine time. Everyone swell. Bye, Hilda & M."

For additional photos and information regarding the Greyhound "trailer coaches" that were used in 1933 and 1934 at the Chicago World's Fair (its offical name was "A Century of Progress International Exposition"), see Lord K's Garage #125: The Greyhounds of Progress , an article posted on Dieselpunks. Handwritten on the back of the photo: One of the Fair Buses 10¢ one way around the grounds. 25¢ round trip with all the stops you desire. This means anytime and anywhere. You can't see much by riding.

"301 Trailer Park and Grocery, U.S. 301, 5 miles north, Statesboro, Georgia." Handwritten on the back of this linen postcard: "We camped here twice in June 1966."

A cars photo for the Vintage Photos Theme [Car] Park . A car and trailer are the focus of this photographic greeting card from "George and Norma," who have compiled a montage of images illustrating their transition from the chilly northern United States to the sunny south. Their car is magically pulling a trailer through a holly wreath, transporting them from the snowy northern woods to the grassy slopes of a southern golf course. Perhaps that's Norma--barely visible--standing beside the travel trailer. And presumably George is one of the golfers playing among the palm trees. In any case, it's evident that they've willingly traded a pair of ice skates for a set of golf clubs in order to spend the holiday where the weather is warmer.

Handwritten on the back of the photo: "1345 14th Street No., St. Petersburg, Florida, Wed. morning, Aug. 19th, 1936. All ready to pull out for home." I'm not sure why the photographer decided to hide in the weeds across the street in order to take the picture.