I am astonished and envious when finding memorabilia related to the nation’s incredible transportation systems of the early 20th century.

Readers of these postcard stories may have noted how often I lament the negligence and destruction of the vast network of inter-city rail lines.

(We can hope that an Infrastructure Bill now before the Senate will begin the renewal and expansion of rail service.)

This promotional piece for the rail line connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Concord, New Hampshire was printed circa 1905.

Designed as a postcard, the advertisement is slightly larger than a modern postcard and printed on a heavier paper stock.

It was neither addressed nor mailed.

The simple illustration on the face shows that the cities (going north) of Boston, Nashua, Manchester, and Concord were linked by the “Connector” between Nashua and Manchester.

This efficient way to move travelers between these cities (only 68 miles apart in total length) was doomed by the ascendancy of the private auto and the interstate highway system.

I guarantee that many of us who have driven between these cities would be glad to exchange the highway congestion around Boston for a rail line northward.