Trains, streetcars, trolleys, trucks, buses, cars, ships, and planes — all provide transportation. But, more than this, they often hold a fascination for us that sets them apart from other facets of our daily lives.
Railroads revolutionized travel in the 1800s and soon connected nearly every community here in New England — and everywhere across this great country. At the turn of this century, trolley lines had spread far and wide permitting the unprecedented growth of suburbs surrounding the bigger cities. Then, as better roads were laid out, rubber-tired vehicles became dominant. Our freedoms soon were routinely protected by specially-adapted military vehicles, complementing a varied fleet of naval vessels and aircraft.
With the advent of steam-powered vessels, coastal and inland waterways thrived with the conveyance of cargo and passengers up and down the region’s rock-bound shore, as well as on its numerous lakes and rivers. Regularly-scheduled air service also had its roots here in New England — with some of the earliest carriers owned by the railroads!
Furthermore, we cannot forget industrial and agricultural transportation. New England’s quarries and forests poured forth their wealth using trains, unique logging machinery, and various water vessels to take stone and lumber to both local and far-flung destinations. Although an old saying asserts that New England’s primary agricultural crop is "rock", the region’s bountiful farm produce and agricultural products long have depended on efficient processing machinery and timely transportation.
From an age dominated by horse power and wagons to our present period overshadowed by supersonic jet aircraft and sports utility-vehicles, the Walker Transportation Collection has something to captivate anyone’s attention. If it moved within, around, or above New England; the Collection most likely has a photo of it! Even for those things that didn’t actually move — but are closely related to a transportation mode — a photograph or pamphlet probably exists in our files: train depots, grand resort hotels, motels, drive-ins, theatres, airports, gas stations, fire departments, train depots, car barns, garages, bridges, and diners. Come explore!
Since 1969, The Walker Transportation Collection has served the interest of the researcher, student, transportation buff, and casual visitor alike - supplying photos, duplications, and other materials at nominal cost. With thousands of photos and slides, hundreds of books and periodicals, and scores of artifacts and models to examine, the Collection offers a single source — and perhaps your best source — for discovering New England’s ways of transporting our people and their goods. Visit us soon, and discover this vast world of transportation for yourself.
