Lackawanna [R.R.] The Route of Phoebe Snow. Brief History of Railroad with Photographs & Description of its Motive Power. N.d., issued ca. 1947-1948.

Archive

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Hoboken Historical Museum

pg [1] front cover

pg [1] front cover

Name/Title

Lackawanna [R.R.] The Route of Phoebe Snow. Brief History of Railroad with Photographs & Description of its Motive Power. N.d., issued ca. 1947-1948.

Entry/Object ID

2012.007.0036

Scope and Content

Lackawanna. The Route of Phoebe Snow. Brief History of the Railroad with Photographs and Description of its Motive Power. No date, issued ca. 1947-1948. Booklet, 3-3/4" high x 9-1/8" wide. All photos printed in black-and-white. PDF on file. Hoboken was the eastern rail terminus of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and was included in text on pages [4-6] with other mentions in locomotive routes. The company would celebrate its centennial in 1951, but this small brochure provides a useful snapshot of its history. It illuminates the aging motive roster - the oldest steam locomotives dates to 1903 while the newest equipment is diesel electric and thus it presages the end of the steam era. The photos of locomotives have descriptive text including the date that they were built, the latest dated 1946. Since the Phoebe Snow as a named passenger train was not included (it was created and first run in 1949), the issue date is suggested as 1947-1948. Page [24] is devoted to text about "The Return of Phoebe Snow." The advertising image of fashionable woman was used by the railroad starting in 1904 and up to 1917. It was discontinued until 1944 when it returned. Illustrations are shown of her in 1904 and an updated one of "Today." See notes for full text of this page.

Acquisition

Accession

2012.007

Source or Donor

Lukacs, Claire

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Museum Collections. Gift of a Friend of the Museum.

Archive Details

Date(s) of Creation

1947 - 1948

Archive Notes

Date(s) Created: 1947-1948 Date(s): 1947-1948

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

General Notes

Note

Notes: Archives 2012.007.0036 text from page [24] [illustration, upper right, Phoebe Snow labeled: PHOEBE SNOW - 1904] [illustration, right, Phoebe Snow labeled: PHOEBE SNOW - TODAY] The Return of Phoebe Snow Back at the turn of the century, when rail- road travel was "in plush," although less refined than the service of to-day, an auburn- haired maiden, garbed in immaculate white and adorned by a dainty corsage of violets, made her bow on the American scene. Her name was Phoebe Snow. And her spark-ling-white dress and hat symbolized cleanliness of travel on the Lackawanna Railroad. The Lackawanna of those days was one of the few railroads whose locomotives took the "sin" out of cinders by burning hard coal instead of soft coal. Penrhyn Stanlaws and other celebrated portrait artists glorified Miss Phoebe Snow with palette and canvas. Vaudeville vocalists sang her praises. Poets and wags, too, contributed to Phoebe Snow's popularity. Advertisements, set to rhyme and illustrated with action pictures of Miss Phoebe, appeared in profusion in street-cars, in magazines and in newspapers. Typical of these verses was the one in which Phoebe admitted: "I won my fame and wide acclaim For Lackawanna's splendid name By keeping bright and snowy white Upon the Road of Anthracite." But when Phoebe Snow had reached her peak of popularity someone started a war - the first of the two World Wars. Then the Government took over the railroads, which were ordered to burn soft coal. That order restored the forgotten cinders and grime of Lackawanna travel. Phoebe Snow and her garb of dainty white disappeared from the scene for 27 long years. It was not until 1944, during the second World War, that Phoebe Snow was "rein-carnated" by the Lackawanna. She reappeared in Lackawanna advertisements, reeling off jingles as in the old days. This time Miss Phoebe extolled the Grade A job her railroad was doing in the war effort. Gone were the debonair white hat and gown, also the pert bouquet of violets. The new Phoebe Snow - lovelier than ever - made her wartime debut bedecked in natty service uni- form and jaunty overseas cap. Today, new equipment bears the legend, "Lackawanna - the Route of Phoebe Snow." And like "Granny," an ultra-modern Phoebe Snow in glorified white uniform, soon will break forth in verse again to tell the story of Lackawanna's new super-speed Diesel locomotives and of its streamlined, air-con- ditioned trains which will provide clean, smooth-riding, speedy and safe travel. Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2012-02-24