Don't Test Us

This 1984 car card in SEPTA 55 is a riot. At first, with the faded lettering, what you notice is the big and diverse crowd of amiable-looking cartoon characters. Ah, that's nice. Then you squint and read the lettering: We take graffiti and vandalism seriously. And it's only then that you notice every person in the crowd has their hands behind their backs because they're handcuffed. Welcome to Philadelphia!

Stop Smoking

This is a circa-1984 car card in SEPTA 55. The ones in the 55 are pretty new, but still dated enough to be somewhat interesting.

Take the Shiver Out of Your Shoes

Here's a 1984 advertisement for Dr. Scholl's from SEPTA 55. 

Free Dictionary With Purchase

Here's an unusual car card in SEPTA 55: an advertisement for a 20-volume encyclopedia for $19.90, plus a free Merriam-Webster Dictionary if you act now. The thing that makes it interesting is the three stacks of tear-off mail-in slips, still well stocked. Make sure you call before 3PM or you may be the victim of slow service in shipping your new encyclopedia, which is never a good thing. And you know it's a good set because it doesn't tell you the brand name anywhere.

(Randy adds: By the way, this really makes me feel old.  I can easily remember when having a good encyclopedia was essential for being a well-educated person.  There was no other convenient way to find detailed information on a host of subjects.  And as a boy, I even had my own Britannica Jr., which is still in my library.  I keep it just to check up on what people were thinking back in the late 1940's!)

The Seventh Safest Year in CTA History

Here's a car card that's easy to date. Seventh consecutive safety record is indeed quite an achievement. Weirdly, this car card was found over the weekend on the ground next to Yard 5, slightly damp from the frost but otherwise in good shape. Anyone know how it got there?

A Man For All Sports

From Cleveland, apparently. You'll have to forgive the warp.

LIVEat6&11

New Car Cards

All preserved CA&E cars had the essentially the same set of car cards in them when they were acquired by the various museums, I believe, so I was surprised to find two in the 453 that I hadn't seen before.  They appear to be authentic, but I don't know that for sure.

This is unusual only in being from a paid advertiser - by 1957 most cards were public service announcements that Chicago Car Advertising provided for free. Mr. Peanut is still with us, unlike most of the other advertisers.

This one is a little strange.  It's not clear what exactly this booklet, "The Future of America" from the Advertising Council, has to say.  I wonder if anything they predicted back in 1957 actually came true.

Flying X Rodeo

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These are now hosted on a special page on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Five Just Wouldn't Be Enough

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These have now been posted in a special section on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

All Mesopotamian and Babylonian Breeds Welcome

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These have now been posted in a special section on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

(The image caption says "Dogs of War - Nineveh - 668 B.C. - British Museum")

San Carlo Opera Company

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These have now been posted in a special section on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Our Desire

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These have now been posted in a special section on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

We should also mention that everyone here at Hicks Car Works also strives to act like we have only one reader, as we figure that sooner or later that's inevitably going to be true!

New Aurora Terminal

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These have now been posted in a special section on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Beware Clowns Riding Giraffes

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These have now been posted in a special section on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Invest Your Vacation

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. These will all eventually end up on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Much Better Than the Trailer Truck Show

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These will all eventually end up on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Obtain Your Grain

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These will all eventually end up on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Popular Prices for the Hollywood Ice Revue

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These will all eventually end up on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Nightly Roller Derby

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These will all eventually end up on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Meet Me At The Opera

Our friend Ray Piesciuk has been scanning CA&E bulkhead advertising cards (the ones hung in the bulkhead windows between the cars' smoking and main compartments) from the Julie Johnson collection. A few duplicates have been passed along to us so that we can either use them in the cars or easily get them copied. The batch he's working on currently seem to mostly be from 1939-1940. These will all eventually end up on the fascinating www.irm-cta.org archive site Ray and Julie manage.

Randy adds: That's an astounding list of names -- some of the greatest artists of all time.  I wish I could have been there.