1907 Dell's Electric Railway Map of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana

This is a 1907 Dell's Electric Railway chromolithograph map of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. Depicting from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh and from Detroit to Louisville, solid red lines trace electric railways currently in operation and dashed red lines mark those under construction. Cities and towns with stations are labeled along the routes, many of which are illustrated with electric train cars. Some networks, particularly around major cities, are extensive and can stretch hundreds of miles, while other rural systems only connect a handful of small towns. Two insets are included in the lower right corner. One illustrates the electric rail network between Syracuse, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls, while the smaller inset focuses on the small network between Shingle House and Salamanca in New York. Stylistically this map is similar to other semi-view style maps issued to promote New England electric railways.

The Meadville and Cambridge Springs Street Railway Company

A Timetable for the Meadville and Cambridge Springs Street Railway Company is situated along the bottom border, complete with their logo bearing a swastika (not a reference to the Nazi Party founded in Germany a few decades later). The Meadville Street Railway Company, which must have been The Meadville and Cambridge Springs' predecessor, was founded on February 29, 1896. The line ran from Meadville to Cambridge and then to Edinboro and opened on April 14, 1898. By 1909, twenty-seven trains operated through Cambridge Springs daily. The Meadville and Cambridge Springs merged with another rail company in 1912 and became the Northwestern Pennsylvania Railway.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominate method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by 'Arc' of Youngstown, Ohio, and published by the Cheltenham Press in New Castle, Pennsylvania. This is the only known example.