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One-man railroad train--Washington man, tired of walking to town, turns his bike and four papier mache wheels into a pedal-locomotive – Historic Reproduction

One-man railroad train--Washington man, tired of walking to town, turns his bike and four papier mache wheels into a pedal-locomotive, [between 1900 and 1950] — historic photograph
One-man railroad train--Washington man, tired of walking to town, turns his bike and four papier mache wheels into a pedal-locomotive, [between 1900 and 1950]. Historic photograph from the Railroads & Depots collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This rare historic photograph captures One-man railroad train--Washington man, tired of walking to town, turns his bike and four papier mache wheels into a pedal-locomotive in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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One-man railroad train--Washington man, tired of walking to town, turns his bike and four papier mache wheels into a pedal-locomotive

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John D. Lamey of Hoquiam, Washington, turned a bicycle and four papier-mache wheels into a one-man railroad, a pedal-powered contraption built, according to the caption, because he was tired of walking to town. Hoquiam, on Grays Harbor, was a lumber and shipping community in the early 1900s, and many residents relied on foot, bicycle, and rail for getting around. The photograph captures the homemade ingenuity of the period, when inventive individuals often improvised their own vehicles from whatever materials were at hand. Its playful staging, with the rider posed as if conducting a full locomotive, makes it a memorable example of the era's folk engineering.

Created / published[between 1900 and 1950]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePortrait photographs 1900-1950.Photographic prints 1900-1950.
NotesS/5160C907.
SubjectsLamey, John D. Bicycles & tricycles--Washington (State)--Hoquiam--1900-1950.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,000 × 2,404 px · prints to 10 × 8 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-192331

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