Original Negative C&S 74 & 76

[Steve Headford]

There are 2 original negative of engines 74 & 76 available on eBay. They were taken in 1947 at the Morse Machinery Works in Denver prior to scrapping I believe. Ends soon.

[Todd Hackett]

There have been a number of negative on Ebay recently that were listed as"original" but were clearly copies. The white border of the print being copied was visible in the scan of the negative. These listings didn't show the edges of the negatives, so it's hard to tell whether they're originals or copies. This is a different seller, and the images are not as early,  so they may well be originals.  I have some similar views of the B4Fs, but not the same ones, so these will be welcome additions whether original or copies, as long as they're reasonably clear and sharp.

[Steve Headford]

Hi Todd,
The negatives you got were photographed by my uncle Basil on his D&RGW railfan trip in 1947 and are the originals. He owned a printing business and did all the developing himself.

[Todd Hackett]

Steve - Thanks for the details.  It really helps to have good information about the photos. Were you the seller? I didn't see your post until about the time the auction ended, so I assumed you had just come across them while  browsing.

[Todd Hackett]

The negatives arrived a few days ago, and I finally had time to scan them. The detail wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but they have a good tone range.



I already had a print of this photo, which has slightly better detail but not as much tonal range. It's amazing how close the spot is to where Steve's uncle took his photos. It's clearly not exactly the same spot, but very close. It even looks like the same time - the weeds look the same. It's possible that two two photographers were standing or kneeling next to each other.


Steve: Was your uncle Basil's last name "Headford" (so I can properly attribute the source)?

[nickgully]

Nice shots Todd.

Would this have been at the dead line in Rice Yard, or at Morse Brothers in town? Where did they stash all the engines they brokered?