Pennsylvania Railroad Engine No. 4471
01 The photograph
Parked, polished and blowing its whistle for the camera
This is a classic railroad company photograph. Pennsylvania Railroad Engine No. 4471, a 2-10-0 Decapod of the I1s class, stands polished and uncoupled under a full head of steam, blowing its whistle for the company photographer.
The engine isn't moving. The big 8×10 cameras of the day had shutters far too slow to stop a running train, so the locomotive was parked for the picture. The other giveaway is the smoke, which rises straight up instead of streaming back over the engine.
The negative comes from the Ernest Roberts Railroad Photography Collection, which Marc holds. The date and place were never recorded. The 8×10 negative prints beautifully, and Marc makes each print from it by hand in his darkroom.
"A classic promotional photograph, if there ever were one."
Marc Schuman
- Railroad
- Pennsylvania Railroad
- Engine
- No. 4471, 2-10-0 Decapod, class I1s
- When
- Date unknown
- Where
- Location unknown
- Negative
- 8×10 inch, Ernest Roberts Railroad Photography Collection
- Silver gelatin on fiber-base paper, made by hand by Marc from the original negative




