Series 3: Yards, Tracks & Elevated Structures, 1899 - 1958

The Ari Bousbib Trolley Photograph Collection comprises 4 binders containing 1,715 mostly black-and-white prints, some in color, depicting revenue and work cars operative in Brooklyn and Queens from 1875 to 1991, with most items dating from 1900 to 1950. Images show trolleys in service on streets, at yards, and occasionally suffering damages or accidents. Most images are dated, and many present handwritten captions on the reverse denoting car specifications, locations, and photographers. Employees and passengers, while by no means the focus of the collection, may be observed in approximately one-quarter of the images. The collection also includes ephemeral material including color postcards, color prints, brochures, and some press releases and announcements documenting the preservation and restoration of certain cars at transit museums in the northeast region.

Among the photographers whose names appear in the collection are Edward B. Watson, E.P. Doyle, H.L. Goldsmith, Jr., G.B. Olsen, Tony Kozla, Alfred Seidel, W. Nesmond, and Steve Meyer.

The collection is divided into 4 series in function of subject matter:

Series 1: Revenue Cars, 1893-1991 (1369 images)

Series 2: Work Cars, 1885-1958 (260 images)

Series 3: Yards, Tracks & Elevated Structures, 1889-1958 (50 images)

Series 4: Early Railroads & Stock, 1875-1924 (36 images)