The Transcona Historical Museum Archives Department holds in excess of 2,500 historic photographs, most of which illustrate the early phase of Transcona's development between 1912 and 1960. More than one quarter of these images portray railway subjects, mainly the Canadian National Railway operations in Transcona and its predecessor the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, with others such as the Canadian Pacific Railway also represented.
Beyond the railways, other principal subjects in the photograph collection include: armed services, businesses, churches, dwellings, streetscapes, industry, Town and City of Transcona (primarily buildings, staff, and services), portraits of people, Central School, sports, and aerial views. The collection also includes approximately 25,000 colour slides taken by Mr. John Russell Armer in the course of his travels around the world.
The photographs are available for public consultation in the form of photocopies which have been arranged in binders by subject for easy access. Each collection of images from an individual donor also has been described with a biography, notes on the scope and content, and has had an item list prepared. Approximately one third of the photographs also have been fully catalogued. Assistance from staff and full explanations on how these finding aids can be used by the public are provided on-site.
