Book of the Royal Blue, Volume VII, October 1903 to September 1904

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Published by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Passenger Department, 1904

About this Item

This is a bound edition of 12 issues of the monthly passenger magazine of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It has a customized binding of royal blue cloth with gilt titles and the railroad's logo in gilt on the front cover. The magazine was developed for distribution to travelers on B&O trains. Issues are typically 28 pages plus covers and have front covers that feature an ornate design motif of royal blue and gold with the company logo. Each issue typically contains ads -- most full page -- promoting B&O trains, routes and services along with feature articles that relate to the railroad and its history, places and activities to which B&O routes provided access, and also to notable milestones in American history and culture. The publication uses photography liberally including photos produced by the B&O staff, commissioned by the B&O or drawn from the company archives. There is a three-page section at the rear of most issues that contains: 1) a detailed "condensed schedule for Royal Blue trains 2) a detailed listing of Pullman Palace cars and Dining Service cars serving various routes 3) a listing of B& O ticket and passenger agents at about 50 locations in the United States, Mexico and Europe. The back inside cover routinely features a current B&O service map in royal blue and white, while the back cover features a calendar. The inside front cover typically features an ad on B&O service in New York City that includes a map of Manhattan below 50th Street or the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Throughout the volume is a wealth of information, history, trivia and photography related to railroading including railroad poems. One issue of particular interest in this volume is the March 1904 issue which is devoted to the massive fire in downtown Baltimore Feb. 7, 1904. The issue includes 22 photos of devastation caused by the fire, 16 of which are full page photos. There is a full page map of downtown Baltimore showing the burned district while also noting undamaged B&O locations. One condition note is that there is some damage to the frontspiece photo of the B&O building as that page had partially stuck to the text page opposite and some of the surface of the right half of the photo has been pulled onto the text page. Here's a sampling of some of the other noteworthy items found within this volume. Articles w/photos on: a number of articles related to the World's Fair in St. Louis including a 10-page article with 25 photos on the B&O exhibit at the fair; a 10-page article with numerous photos on Locust Point in Baltimore, dubbed "America's Largest Immigrant Pier;"; a feature on a meeting of B&O freight officers that includes a group photo at the B& O cornerstone and a listing of the freight officers; use of an electric crane at the Mount Claire Station; a two-page spread on plans for a 285,000 pound locomotive that includes detailed specifications and a drawing; an architect's drawing of plans for Union Station in Washington with an article detailing the B&O role in the project; summer conventions throughout the country; various summer seaside, mountain and lake resorts as well as Civil War battlefields along the B&O. Ads of particular interest include: special Royal Blue tours to Florida; winter excursions; many ads with a variety of different themes related to the World's Fair including one with a cartoon that boasts of an additional $600,000 spent on cars to handle fair business; Congressional session trains, trains via Washington; "every hour on the hour " services; Pittsburgh area service; the Royal Limited. General interest articles with photos and illustrations include a special 50-page issue (May 1904) on the American Press Humorists convention. Tight, Bright copy. Seller Inventory # 003757

Bibliographic Details

Title: Book of the Royal Blue, Volume VII, October ...

Publisher: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Passenger Department

Publication Date: 1904

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition