One of the exhibitions in the University which is known to few students is the collection of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society on the third floor of the Baker Library of the Business School.

The exhibition contains every sort of relic and souvenir of railroads in the United States from buttons of conductors' coats to old locomotive bells. There are also several hundred photographs and drawings of railroading scenes, and an exhibition of the advertising material of all the railroads in the country.

Six Old Locomotive Bells

At present there are six large locomotive bells from old engines, and an old kerosene headlamp four feet high which was found last year in Profile Notch, N. H. Other relics are five oldstyle ventilators from car number 7 of the Boston and Lowell railroad, an oil can used on one of the early engines, a group of switch keys, instruments used in surveying the Boston and Lowell railroad and the original surveys, which are very valuable, the first rail of that road, and a large watering pot with two glasses which was used in the '80's to provide drinking water for passengers.

The photographs, drawings, and paintings are dated from the pioneer years of railroading to the present time. Many queer looking engines are portrayed, including the "Samson", "Stoverbridge Lion", the "Norris", and "Boynton Bicycle Engine Number 1" This last contrivance had only one large wheel under the boiler with the engineer's cab located on top of the fireman's cab, the last located only a few feet above the road-bed.

Eight Currier, Ives Lithographs

The colored pictures include eight of the famous Currier and Ives lithographed scenes of western trains going thru fires, across the prairies, stalled in the snow, and other scenes.

The greater part of the permanent exhibition is of framed photographs, such as those of locomotives, stations, a Camden and Amboy engine with driving wheels nine feet in diameter and a smoke-stack ten feet high, and special train of flat cars carrying a consignment of 30 horse-drawn coaches from Concord, N. H. to Omaha, Nebraska.

Interesting Advertising Exhibit

The exhibition of advertising is interesting both from the railroad and advertising point of view. Some of the colored posters show a remarkable improvement over the usual unartistic methods of American advertising.

This collection of modern advertising literature contains scores of large colored posters from Holland, Belgium, France, England, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Sweden of remarkable beauty. There are a few of the same sort of large posters which have been printed by American railroads, including several by John Held Jr. of original character.

These modern advertisements contrast strongly with the old-time posters which are hung on the walls of the same room. The latter are merely printed information of a very brief nature.