ALCO HISTORIC
PHOTOS PROJECT
INTRO: ALCO Historic Photos (AHP) is a project
of the National Railway Historical Society. Housed in the Schenectady
City Hall and staffed by volunteers, it is the custodian of
a collection of almost 30,000 photographic negatives and about
10,000 drawings and documents relating to the American Locomotive
Company (ALCO) and its successor, ALCO Products.
AHP started in 1972 when the City of Schenectady placed its
large collection of glass plate negatives obtained from ALCO
on a permanent loan to the NRHS. In 1973 and again in 1982,
ALCO Products added large quantities of negatives and documents
to the collection.
The majority of the photographic negatives are "builder's
photographs" of locomotives built by ALCO and its predecessor
companies.
Miscellaneous negatives are of the construction of various
plant buildings, activities of workers during the erection of
locomotives, and employee activities such as War Bond drives,
blood donations, and apprentice class photos.
Over 100 years of locomotive building from 1865 to 1969 is
represented.
PURPOSE: As the custodian of the collection,
the mission of AHP is to preserve the collection for future
generations.
To raise funds to do this, AHP sells images at train shows
and through a small mail order service. This provides access
to the collection to historians, authors, railfans, and the
public in general, as required by loan agreements.
AHP customers are worldwide. Customers from North and South
America, Europe, Asia, and Australia have utilized the collection.
WE PROVIDE: The services we provide to our
customers include:
Photographic Print Format
- Black and white Prints - 8" x 10"
- Color Prints - 8" x 10"
Photocopy Format
- Photopasters: 3" X 8" photograph with limited
specification data on reverse
- Form 1007: Handwritten specification data (two sides) usually
with photo.
- Construction Number/Builders List
- Schenectady
- Brooks
- Pittsburgh
- Rogers
- Dickson
- Rhode Island
- Cooke
- Richmond
- Montreal
- Diesel Production
- Plant Maps:
- Plant Diagrams - Diesel
- Large Erecting Drawings:
- Vintage Steam
- Modern Steam
- Electric
- Diesel
Offset Print Format
OUR CATALOGS: The following catalogs are available:.
- General Catalog ($7.50)
- Erecting Drawing Catalog ($2.50)
- Paint Diagram Catalog Diesel ($2.50)
- Modern Erecting Drawing Sheet ($0.50)
All prices include shipping and New York State tax. Please
mail your check or money order to:
ALCO Historic Photos
P. O. Box 655
Schenectady, NY 12301-0655
