Collections Item Detail
Lackawanna [R.R.] The Route of Phoebe Snow. Brief History of Railroad with Photographs & Description of its Motive Power. N.d., issued ca. 1947-1948.
2012.007.0036
2012.007
Lukacs, Claire
Gift
Museum Collections. Gift of a Friend of the Museum.
1947 - 1948
Date(s) Created: 1947-1948 Date(s): 1947-1948
Good
Notes: Archives 2012.007.0036 text from page [24] [illustration, upper right, Phoebe Snow labeled: PHOEBE SNOW - 1904] [illustration, right, Phoebe Snow labeled: PHOEBE SNOW - TODAY] The Return of Phoebe Snow Back at the turn of the century, when rail- road travel was "in plush," although less refined than the service of to-day, an auburn- haired maiden, garbed in immaculate white and adorned by a dainty corsage of violets, made her bow on the American scene. Her name was Phoebe Snow. And her spark-ling-white dress and hat symbolized cleanliness of travel on the Lackawanna Railroad. The Lackawanna of those days was one of the few railroads whose locomotives took the "sin" out of cinders by burning hard coal instead of soft coal. Penrhyn Stanlaws and other celebrated portrait artists glorified Miss Phoebe Snow with palette and canvas. Vaudeville vocalists sang her praises. Poets and wags, too, contributed to Phoebe Snow's popularity. Advertisements, set to rhyme and illustrated with action pictures of Miss Phoebe, appeared in profusion in street-cars, in magazines and in newspapers. Typical of these verses was the one in which Phoebe admitted: "I won my fame and wide acclaim For Lackawanna's splendid name By keeping bright and snowy white Upon the Road of Anthracite." But when Phoebe Snow had reached her peak of popularity someone started a war - the first of the two World Wars. Then the Government took over the railroads, which were ordered to burn soft coal. That order restored the forgotten cinders and grime of Lackawanna travel. Phoebe Snow and her garb of dainty white disappeared from the scene for 27 long years. It was not until 1944, during the second World War, that Phoebe Snow was "rein-carnated" by the Lackawanna. She reappeared in Lackawanna advertisements, reeling off jingles as in the old days. This time Miss Phoebe extolled the Grade A job her railroad was doing in the war effort. Gone were the debonair white hat and gown, also the pert bouquet of violets. The new Phoebe Snow - lovelier than ever - made her wartime debut bedecked in natty service uni- form and jaunty overseas cap. Today, new equipment bears the legend, "Lackawanna - the Route of Phoebe Snow." And like "Granny," an ultra-modern Phoebe Snow in glorified white uniform, soon will break forth in verse again to tell the story of Lackawanna's new super-speed Diesel locomotives and of its streamlined, air-con- ditioned trains which will provide clean, smooth-riding, speedy and safe travel. Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2012-02-24