What is in the Fred Abele Transportation History Collection?
The print collection includes thousands of photographs and slides of trains, trolleys, buses, and steamboats, as well as many, if not most of the negatives from which they were made. Especially important to researchers is the fact that Mr. Abele meticulously labeled and indexed large portions of the collection and the indexes were part of the donation. Also included are ticket stubs, postcards, timetables and even a few blueprints for railroad stations, stock certificates as well as some illustrations drawn by Mr. Abele. Another important part of the collection are Mr. Abeles research notes. The collection included a number of artifacts – signs that would have been posted in trolleys or buses, destination signs, a couple calendars, red and green signal flags and a box of tools that probably was used to repair trolleys or buses. These items will be housed in the New York State Museum.
