• what is this? - Arthur Felter
  • a railfan friend of mine says those were used in the old days to alert crews that may be on the roofs of cars that there is an area of low clearance coming up on the track such as a tunnel or something else "low clearance" that would injur crew members. - JohnTIZ
  • Yes, they are called telltales. The photo looks like it was taken on a bridge, so the telltales indicate low clearance ahead. - Station Studios

[Train and several sets of railroad tracks in the snow, Massachusetts] (LOC)

Delano, Jack,, photographer.

[Train and several sets of railroad tracks in the snow, Massachusetts]

1940 Dec. or 1941 Jan.

1 slide : color.

Notes:
 Title devised by Library staff.
Transfer from U.S. Office of War Information, 1944.

Subjects:
 Railroad tracks
Snow
United States--Massachusetts

Format: Slides--Color

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Part Of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection Lot 1167-1 (DLC) 93845501

General information about the FSA/OWI Color Photographs is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsac

Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsac.1a33863

Call Number: LC-USF35-15

Comments and faves

  1. ★

    petermathieson, terrytatum, rmcarrier1, libby.beer, and 82 other people added this photo to their favorites.

  2. billreidy (60 months ago | reply)

    Appears to be the New Haven Railroad's Middleboro, MA yard. View is looking NNE from the Route 28 overpass toward the Middleboro station (barely visible in the background in the top center of photo, to the left of the water tank) and toward Boston. Tracks on the far right head to Cape Cod. Tracks in the foreground head toward Taunton, MA.

  3. anderssonskanlena (56 months ago | reply)

    Nice to be here

  4. JustABigGeek (52 months ago | reply)

    I agree with billreidy. I live right up the street from this location. I think I have a picture from the same location. I will try and find it and post if if I can. It would be nice to see the difference.

  5. kumar303 (49 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called freightyards, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  6. Adam N. Ward (45 months ago | reply)

    In the UK chains are dangled from gantries a few yards ahead of low bridges (over roads) to alert vans and trucks. The driver hears the chains rattling over the roof of the van (and ruining the paintjob).

    This is a nice picture.

  7. cklx (12 months ago | reply)

    The poles with the chains above the tracks are called tell tales. They were used to warn brake men that walked over the car roofs for bridges and tunnels.

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