Street Car and Underground Cable System, circa 1880
Add to SetSummary
Horsecars on steel rails were more efficient than omnibuses, but horses were expensive, vulnerable to disease, and left a mess on city streets. Cable railways -- with stationary steam engines that pulled cars using steel cables -- solved these problems but introduced difficulties of their own. This image illustrates the complex mechanical grip that connected a car to the underground tow cable.
Horsecars on steel rails were more efficient than omnibuses, but horses were expensive, vulnerable to disease, and left a mess on city streets. Cable railways -- with stationary steam engines that pulled cars using steel cables -- solved these problems but introduced difficulties of their own. This image illustrates the complex mechanical grip that connected a car to the underground tow cable.
Artifact
Print (Visual work)
Date Made
circa 1880
Subject Date
circa 1880
Keywords
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
82.129.828
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Printing (Process)
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 3 in
Width: 4.25 in
Inscriptions
Verso: Museum of Science and Industry (Founded by Julius Rosenwald) Chicago, Illinois
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