Mid-century Curt Teich TRAIN postcards

My mother's father was a railroad man. He started out shoveling coal and retired as an engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad. I have great memories of him coming home in his blue and white striped hat, jacket, and coveralls. Only once did I get to ride on a train on which he was the engineer. Most of my childhood was spent on the far side of the country from my maternal grandparents.

Four of the following cards are from my grandmother's collection bought on a trip to California in the late 1940s. The other two cards I purchased at an estate sale.

The cards date from the late 1940s and are all Curt Teich linens. Only one has been used, the one with the small bag of salt attached. The salt is long since gone. I imagine that must have been an interesting item to receive in the mail. These days something like this would surely gum up the machinery that does the sorting, but back then mail was sorted by hand.

Click on any image to see it larger.

          "Hi kids,

          We are chasing this big water right now. Sorry we didn't get to see you in Berkeley. 

          Love Enid & Bruce

         (posted July 18, 1947)

To find out more about the printer Curt Teich click here and here.