About this collection

David Harrison Cope (1913-2001) held a lifelong interest in railroads. From an early age, he began a collection consisting of photographs, negatives, and 35 mm slides dating from 1890 to the 1960s, mostly of locomotives and trains from southeastern Pennsylvania. His own photography of railroads began in the 1930s.

The David H. Cope photographs (Accession 2001.242) collection primarily consists of black and white photographs and negatives of steam locomotives from a variety of railroads, but it includes some other images as well; mostly rolling stock, station photos, street railroads, and other related railroad items. Cope also photographed and collected 35 mm color slides of his subjects, dating predominantly from the 1970s.

This collection has not been digitized in its entirety, and more items may be added to this digital collection at later dates.

Image: National Railway Historical Society chartered train, March 4, 1939. Click here to view this image in the collection.