John F. Tucker collection of Philadelphia transit photographs
Creation: 1905-2004 Creation: bulk 1966-1990Abstract
John Foster Tucker III (1950-2008) was a Philadelphia-born rail transit operating official and rail history enthusiast. This collection consists of photographs of trolleys, trains, rails lines, and rail stations in Philadelphia and the city's Pennsylvania suburbs, as well as offices, maintenance shops, and garages used by transit authorities. Most of the collection is devoted to SEPTA, but predecessor companies PTC (Philadelphia Transportation Company) and PSTC (Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company) are also represented.
Dates
- Creation: 1905-2004
- Creation: bulk 1966-1990
Extent
986 item(s)
General Physical Description
318 slides : b&w and color : 35 mm. 256 photographic prints : color : 5 x 7 in. or smaller. 187 photographic prints b&w 8 x 10 in. 182 photographic prints : b&w : 5 x 7 in. or smaller. 17 photographic prints : b&w : 8 x 10 in. 1 photographic print : color : 8 x 10 in. 134 negatives : color : 35 mm. 57 negatives : b&w : 35 mm. 1 album (70 photographic prints) : b&w : 8 x 10 in. 15 items (postcards). 2 items (calendars). 2 items (ephemera).
Biographical Note
John Foster Tucker III (1950-2008) was a Philadelphia-born rail transit operating official and rail history enthusiast. After graduating from Drexel University, Tucker worked at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) from 1972 to 1988, where he eventually became head of the Regional Rail Division. During the course of his career, Tucker collected documentation (including photographic materials) on historic and modern rail transit in the Philadelphia area.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of photographs of trolleys, trains, rails lines, and rail stations in Philadelphia and the city's Pennsylvania suburbs, as well as offices, maintenance shops, and garages used by transit authorities. Most of the collection is devoted to SEPTA, but predecessor companies PTC (Philadelphia Transportation Company) and PSTC (Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company) are also represented. Additionally, there is some documentation of urban rail transit elsewhere in the country, including San Francisco and San Jose in California; Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; and Washington, DC.
Additionally this collection contains photographs of street views documenting locations of accidents involving Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (1929-1939) and the Philadelphia Transportation Company (1940-1968) trolleys and buses. Each photograph is identified by case number, location, and date. There are also some photographs showing track deterioration, potholes, and poor quality roads.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Negatives, slides and color prints stored offsite in cold storage. At least 24 hours notice required to allow retrieval of these items.
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- John F. Tucker collection of Philadelphia transit photographs
- Author:
- Judy Stevenson and encoded by Laurie Rizzo in 2013.
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
- Language of description note:
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository
