Question regarding a old 1914 Photo

[Anonymous]

Hello, I found this picture

http://www.totland.de/DSO-Notablage/JonCon24-02-1914.jpg

 on a fleemarket. I suppose it to be taken in USA or Canada. On the back side is handwritten: " Jon Con 24-02-1914"
Does anyone know where this Jon Con could be?

Thanks! Gabriel

[SSW9389]

I could not get the link to work.

[Anonymous]

sorry - now it should work

[egmurphy]

There's really very little to go by on the photo itself.  With snow like that it could be almost anyplace in Canada or in the upper tier states, or the Rockies or other mountain range.

And the inscription "Jon Con" is as likely to be the photographer's name or code as it is to be the location.

But it is an interesting shot.  Bet they were snowed in for a good while.

Regards

Ed

[Anonymous]

Interesting picture. Does anyone know what type of locomotive it is? That might help to figure out where it was taken.

[M636C]

Interesting picture. Does anyone know what type of locomotive it is? That might help to figure out where it was taken.

There were a number of 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s built by Baldwin for use in Australia in 1892 that shared that style of boiler and cab. I assume many more were built for US use at that time. It could be a 4-8-0, but I'd bet on 4-6-0 or 2-8-0 and Baldwin mid 1890s.

M636C

[wjstix]

It looks to me like the boiler in front of the cab might be squared off - i.e. it could be a Belpaire firebox?? If so this would almost have to be a Great Northern engine, possibly in Minnesota or North Dakota.

[wjstix]

A quick follow up...to me I would guess it is a 4-6-0. I checked the book "The Great Northern Railway - A Pictorial Study" by Charles and Dorothy Wood. On pg. 398 I found a pic of GN 4-6-0 no. 907 taken in Minneapolis in 1938. The arrangement of the domes, bell etc. seem to match up pretty well to the 1914 pic. The engine was built by Rogers in 1889, so it was around in 1914. These engines were common in MN and ND.

So it is at least possible it is a GN 4-6-0 stuck somewhere in Minnesota or North Dakota...or it could be something completely different !!

[M636C]

It looks to me like the boiler in front of the cab might be squared off - i.e. it could be a Belpaire firebox?? If so this would almost have to be a Great Northern engine, possibly in Minnesota or North Dakota.

No, definitely no belpaire firebox there! The Australian locomotives were later equipped with them. Did GN locomotives of that period have belpaire fireboxes?

M636C

[Anonymous]

Im still thinking about "Jon Con".

Could this mean "Con(nection) to Jon(sen bay)" or something like this? Is there a line to a station with "Jon" in the name. Its for thouse times quite unussual that a photographr signs his pictures with handwriting, so I suppose that Jon Con shout mean a place oder line.

Any idea?

[wjstix]

Almost all GN steam locomotives had belpaire fireboxes. They weren't always as obvious as say on the Pennsy.

I know it snows in the mountains in Australia, but does it really snow that much??

[Anonymous]

   While we are on the Subject, but,  with more info.

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/railways/index_choice.cfm?id=55&photoid=72302711

[M636C]

Almost all GN steam locomotives had belpaire fireboxes. They weren't always as obvious as say on the Pennsy.

I know it snows in the mountains in Australia, but does it really snow that much??

I wasn't saying that the photo was of the Australian Baldwins, just that It didn't look like a Belpaire firebox, which the Australian locomotives (at least the 4-6-0s) had later. The Australian 2-8-0s did work in the mountains and would be familiar with snow, but drifts like that would be unknown.

I'd date the photo before 1914 from the locomotive details, possibly as early as 1895.

M636C

[Anonymous]

Very interesting picture.

[wjstix]

I recently got (for Xmas!) a DVD from the Northern Pacific Historical Society of former NP railroader Warren McGee narrating a slideshow of his RR picture collection. (He was 90 at the time.) There is a picture in there that looks very much like this one, only taken from the other side. It's labelled "Minnesota and International" and I think "1909". The M&I was a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific, running from central Minnesota to International Falls MN on the Canadian border (and yes, Rocky and Bullwinkle fans, that is where they got the name "Frostbite Falls, Minnesota"!). I'd have to look closer to try to pick out the details but it did strike me right away as being just like this pic.

[underworld]

No idea but it is a fantastic photo!!!

underworld

[markn]

Any chance you can read the numbers on the head light?-that might give someone a clue.  Also can you post the back side with the writing?- the way the date is written is  more European than American (the photographer may have been a recent emigrant) -nice photo-interesting puzzle.

[wjstix]

Any chance you can read the numbers on the head light?-that might give someone a clue.  Also can you post the back side with the writing?- the way the date is written is  more European than American (the photographer may have been a recent emigrant) -nice photo-interesting puzzle.

That's a good point, with the date written in that style, could be evidence it was Canada rather than the US, since (at least at that time) I assume they use the British / European style of day / month / year instead of our month / day / year format.

[Trainmaster.Curt]

Could be a Northern Pacific engine in Southern Manitoba. They had a line which is still in use that runs from Morris to Hartney. The line is now under the SMNR