When a decision was made to assess traffic on Main Street in 1928, it was performed in a clever way. The Mitchell Photo Shop mounted a movie camera on top of one of the trolley cars as it traveled up and down Main Street during the peak times of day.

There are some great historical details of Main Street: the officer directing traffic, the variety of automobiles, the style of dress, the architectural styles of the buildings, and more.

The film is a little shaky because it was produced with the camera operator riding on top of a trolley car.

The introduction title card of the film reads:
“Top of an electric car for the purpose of showing the various traffic conditions existing on Main Street at Springfield, Mass. The pictures reveal traffic conditions prior to and during the rush hours.”

The second title card reads:
“These pictures were taken through the courtesy of Mitchell Photo Shop, Springfield, Mass.”

The third title card reads:
“The reel was taken on Wednesday April 18, 1928 between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 P.M.”

The original film has been separated into two parts.