Boston & Maine Railroad Photo Albums

Very Good. Condition: Very Good. Set of seven photo albums depicting engines and scenes from the Boston & Maine Railroad dating from the late 1880s to the 1930s. Approximately 630 photographs tipped or laid into seven albums; also includes 2pp of typed notes, two ALS and 1 TLS regarding engines and history of the B&M railroad system. Photographs range in size from 2 ¼" x 3" to 7 ½" x 11"; 25 of the 630 photos are mounted albumen prints; includes a variety of photographic printing methods including albumen, gelatin silver, RPPC, and b&w. Pliable leather album covers measure 11 ¼" x 7" with black leaves; around half the pages have annotations in white pencil or annotations on verso of photos. Albums are organized chronologically by engine number; this range is written on the front of the album in white pencil (annotations list the alternate names and numbers of engines, most engines had at least one alternate name or number over the years). Overall very good. Album covers and leaves have light to moderate wear and chipping; photographs have light to moderate silvering or yellowing, and some have light wear or creasing.This impressive set of photographs chronicles early locomotives of the Boston & Maine Railroad system. Images depict the engines along the main lines (often depicted with their crew) , smaller branches, and freight yards; the compiler of this collection was able to identify some crew members and their positions, and often provides specs for the engines and date the photograph was taken. The Boston & Maine Railroad "linked hundreds of cities, towns, and villages in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York...It was the successor to the Andover and Wilmington Railroad which opened in 1836. Over the next 65 years the B&M gained control (through lease, purchase, or stock ownership) of the Eastern, Boston and Lowell, Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers, Concord & Montreal, Connecticut River, Fitchburg, Portland and Rochester, and Worcester and Nashua railroads, most of which themselves were agglomerations of shorter, earlier roads. All had their main lines and branches that wove a tight web of steel through northern Massachusetts, southern Maine, the state of New Hampshire, and eastern New York and Vermont. At its peak B&M maintained over 2,300 route miles of track, 1,200 steam locomotives, and a force of 28,000 employees. The road's principal shops were located at North Billerica, Mass. And Concord, N. H. Major freight yards were built at Boston, East Deerfield, Rigby, and Mechanicville" (Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society). A comprehensive collection of photographs recording Boston & Maine Railroad locomotives, these albums would be a fabulous addition for the enthusiastic railfan or research library. .