The collection includes approximately 600 glass plate and film negatives.
Scope and Content
The collection includes approximately 600 glass plate and film negatives. The majority of the plates are 5 x 7, but vary in size from as large as 8 x 10 to 4 x 5. The collection also includes prints made from the negatives by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club after it received the collection in 1962. A preliminary inventory was received with the collection. The CSRM Library has created a searchable database including corporate name, locomotive numbers, geographic location, and dates when available. Please contact CSRM Library staff with specific search requests. The glass plate and film negatives are filed by the Adams negative number. Prints are filed by corporate name.
History / Biographical
These images are the work of J. Foster Adams (1882-1962), a commercial photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Adams began photographing engines and trains, principally on 5 x 7 glass plates about 1913, and took both still and action photographs of railroads in the Portland area, including Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation, Spokane Portland & Seattle, and others. The bulk of the negatives are dated between 1913 and 1943.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research at our off-site storage facility with one week's notice. Contact Library & Archives staff to arrange for access.