A Photo and a Story

 

E. M Bittner

This image (click on it to see a larger view) is an ebay purchase. It's a vintage Ektachrome slide that given the decades and Ekta's propensity for color shifting, is actually in tremendous shape. I did little to adjust the color. About the image... as one can see, Yankee Stadium is in the background. The waterway in front is the Harlem River, a strait between the Hudson and East Rivers, separating upper Manhattan from The Bronx. There are two businesses behind the tracks. The one at left is a food distributor and likely the reason for the five food-related cars on the track. From left are an Atlantic Coast Line ventilated box car, a Pacific Fruit Express reefer, a Seaboard Air Line ventilated box car, a Santa Fe reefer, and another ACL ventilated box car. 

It is the business at right that yielded an interesting story. It is Hans Holterbosch. I did a little sleuthing and found the following obituary for H. Dieter Holterbosch:

"Born on July 26, 1921 in Dusseldorf, Germany to Marta and Hans Holterbosch, he immigrated to the United States with his parents and sister at the age of five. Raised in Manhattan, NY, he attended Columbia Prep and then went on to attend Penn State University. He served his adopted country proudly in the Coast Guard during World War II, stationed primarily in Brussels. A self-made man, he built a business empire in the years following the war that included running a family vineyard, importing and building the Lowenbrau* beer brand and starting the largest beer distributorship of major brands in New York State. A life long connoisseur of the fine and rare, he was known for his innate good taste. His first major collection of European royal carriages became the foundation of the permanent collection at the Museums at Stony Brook. He subsequently amassed one of the world's finest private collections of vintage automobiles. Recognized as a respected authority on vintage cars, he served as the chief Mercedes judge at the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach for 20 years. A wonderful raconteur, he was known by his friends and colleagues for his integrity, generosity and great good humor."

Back to the photo... while it's grainy and not too sharp, I was drawn to the pallets and kegs in front of the building that would make a good detailing addition to a similar scale model scene. This scene could be replicated for many different sizes of towns, from the modest track holding five cars, to the vehicles, and the buildings themselves along with their details.

*If you watched any television in the late 70s and 80s, you are familiar with the "Tonight, let it be Lowenbrau" advertisements. Here is an example.