Who: Phil Lind, 49, of Westwood, a district manager for Metro, who has a passion for streetcars.

        On display: About 1,600 photographs of the outmoded public transportation vehicles.

        Where: Hanging on the walls of his Queensgate office and compiled in a series of albums at the home he shares with wife, Debbie, son, Chris, 8, and their dog, Little Bit. (He also has a son, Rob, 22, a University of Cincinnati student who serves in the Ohio National Guard.)

        Streetcar desire: Mr. Lind has been collecting photos of streetcars for 25 years.

        “I got started in an accidental fashion,” he explains. “When I was promoted to supervisor in 1977, one of my former bosses had photographs of the old trolley buses and streetcars hanging in his office. They were really fascinating. As a kid, I remember riding the trolley buses, but I didn't know anything about streetcars. That kind of led to a curiosity and I started trying to find out as much as I could about the Cincinnati Street Railway Company.”

        All aboard: “From there,” he continues, “I began to seek out people who were around in those days. At the time, we still had bus drivers who had been railway motormen and conductors.”

        Mr. Lind began collecting by making copies of other enthusiasts' photos.

        Clang, clang: “I met several local people who took photographs of streetcars back in the 1930s and 40s as a hobby,” he says. “I've also purchased photographs from people as far away as California.”

        Passing the torch: “When my former boss retired,” he adds, “he gave me around 100 photographs. He showed up in my office and said, "I don't have any need for this anymore.' I was always very grateful for that.”

        The streetcars themselves are not the only things of interest in Mr. Lind's photographs.

        The backgrounds are a history lesson in themselves.

        Historical perspective: “You see neighborhoods and businesses that are no longer here today,” he says. “It's a constantly changing city scene. Even if the buildings are still there, it is interesting to see them in the context of another era.”

        One of his favorite photographs is of Chester Park on Spring Grove Avenue.

        “It was the Coney Island of the day,” he says. “Today it is the Cincinnati Waterworks property. It is amazing how things change. But, the cutouts (holding areas) for the streetcars are still there.”

        Remember with me: From time to time, Mr. Lind shares his collection by giving slide shows to groups.

        “They are fun to do,” he says, “Because they help me meet new people and keeps everything fresh in my mind.”

       
       Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, or e-mail: marsolete@aol.com.

Superhero leaps from page to screen
Some projects never leave drawing board
Cammy nominees cover wide spectrum
Cammys to feature King Records tribute
Sept. 11 casts huge shadow over TV business
Artist plans memorial for 9-11 victims
DAUGHERTY: Everyday
KENDRICK: Alive & well
Once homeless, now hopeful
Photos of streetcars are Westwood man's desire
CCM's 'Moveable Feast' a performance buffet
Playhouse's 'Blues' should cheer you up
DEMALINE: The Arts
Everything adds up in Stoppard's 'Arcadia'
GELFAND: Classical music
Louisville native rooting for 'In The Bedroom'
Sony Classics buys Louiso's feature films
Sunday Salon series begins in February
Mmm, good: Bowls good enough to eat
One minute you're chewing, the next you're choking
Serve it this week: Parsnips
Get to it