RAILWAY & LOCOMOTIVEHISTORICAL SOCIETY

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The table below presents information on 42 locations for railroad history research which are arbitrarily classified as "major". Clicking on the name of underlined locations will call up a brief description. Some of the descriptive material is excerpted from Thomas T. Taber III's The Railroad Historical Research Reference Guide, published about ten years ago, so will not necessarily be fully up to date. Comments and/or updating information will be welcome, including opinions for either the addition or subtraction of locations from this "major" list. Contact Bob Webber, Directory Editor

Notes:
E-mail addresses are sometimes those of individuals, and subject to change. If necessary, see website for up-to-date E-mail contact addresses. Some E-mail links point to web pages containing inquiry forms.
Addresses in the table are generally mailing addresses. See website or use telephone contact for visiting directions.

Univ. of California at Berkeley Library
All railroad material, other than maps, is at Bancroft Libr., which is the research library at Berkeley.

California State Railroad Museum
Open Tuesday-Saturday 1-5. Has good reference library. Huge book collection. Has a very large collection of manufacturer trade catalogs. (upd. 1/03, RW) Has collection of 10,000 original Lima Locomotive Works drawings, of which copies may be purchased if identified by road number.

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society
Two Sacramento locations, one at California State Railroad Museum. Some materials, such as Employee Timetable Collection, accessible through CSRM. Other visits by appointment only. See main R&LHS website for information about various other archival services.

Stanford University
The former Hopkins Transportation Library collection, acquired mostly prior to the 1940s for railroad items. Stanford was the only university west of the Mississippi River to have a railroad library in the 1800s. Set up in l892 by Timothy Hopkins for his collection, it quadrupled in size by l895 when an inventory was published of its holdings. In l936 it was renamed Hopkins Transportation Library. As a result Stanford has one of the four or five greatest collections of railroad books and ephemera in the U.S. - both pertaining to specific railroads and on railroading subjects. In the 1960s the contents of this library were disbursed thruout Stanford's various libraries. Green Library:- The library has a large amount of foreign railroad material, particularly on England. Most of the U.S. material is annual reports. The Tillitson collection is mostly common notes on about 15,000 steam and electric railroads taken from magazine articles and Poors with less than a page of information. The Hoover Institute, which is not part of Green Library, has extensive Russian railroad material.

Denver Public Library
Wm. Jackson glass plates and Otto Perry negatives. They have a large amount of railroad material in six different basic files: (1) 3x5 index catalog cards of certain materials in the library and references to articles in the Rocky Mtn. News (mostly), and magazines and so forth. None of these card references index the other basic files, (2) Photo collection in file folders by railroad name, (3) Pass collection mounted in albums and loose in box(es), (4) Vertical file collection of archives, timetables, annual reports, and miscellaneous materials, (5) Clipping file in file folders by railroad name, (6) Joseph Schick collection of prints of Colorado railroads.

Colorado Railroad Museum
See Website for collection description. No on-line catalogue

U. of CT., Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
Has very large collection of New Haven RR Corporate Records, including originals of valuation maps.

Hagley Museum & Library
Located at the east end of Buck Road at the very north end of Wilmington off of Rte. 52. Extensive railroad records are kept at two locations - the library and the archives-manuscript collection at the Soda House. Complete on-line catalog. Substantial manuscript collections of Pennsylvania RR (2,000 linear ft.) and Reading RR (1,200 linear ft.) Also archival material from LV, CNR, NYC and DL&W. Vulcan Loco Works negatives, Jackson & Sharp Car Co.records. Large collection of trade catalogs, all indexed.

Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has a huge collection of railroadiana, but has seldom been used by most railroad historians due to lack of understanding of its holdings or the slowness of getting anything done. The library has various major departments. One is the photographic dept, with a railroad photograph section. Another is the map dept. which has all of the library's maps. The library publishes a large three volume book titled Subject Headings. It gives a researcher an idea on how the Library is organized and what may be found there. Prior to going to the library, this book should be seen to help organize your thinking. Large city libraries and the better university libraries will have copies. Surprisingly, locomotives are not included in the railroad section although just about every other railroad subject seems to be.

Seth Bramson
Private collection, visitors welcome. Florida East Coast Railway Archives, plus collection of US railroad and traction memorabilia numbering more than 1 million individual items featuring the history of the FEC. Bramson is the Company Historian of the FEC, one of only two people in the US who bears that official title with a railroad (the other is the Union Pacific). The FEC and Florida transportation collection includes FEC history and records, letters signed by Henry Flagler, the bulk of the company's extant official negatives, hardware, Key West Extension maps and records and much material of both the FEC's predecessors and the predecessor companies of the ACL and SAL in Florida. Visits are by appointment: Cell phone: 305-467-3321

Center for Research Libraries
There is a one day delay to see desired materials as they are stored in a warehouse. Has an excellent collection of annual reports obtained from Univ. of Wisconsin and railroad tariffs. Also good on railways of the British Empire, and to a lesser extent on other countries. Foreign material comprises annual reports of pre nationalized countries going back into the 1800s and some timetables plus other archival material. The Library has a detailed listing of railroad names for each country which they have material on. Material on U.S. railroads almost entirely annual reports going back to the l860s with a few tariffs of post l940s which are indicated by an X in the Archives column. The collection of railroad materials obtained from the Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, Il., has apparently been incorporated into the general Center for Research Libraries collection.

Newberry Library
http://www.newberry.org/ Has CB&Q, I.C., and Pullman Co. records which include some car drawings and manufacturing records. Cataloging is now in progress by the library. Most other materials are annual reports and guide books.

Univ. of Chicago
The Univ. of Chicago has two libraries. Regenstein Library has all the railroad materials the University acquired prior to the l980s. Largely annual reports. Regenstein Library's Manuscripts Dept and in its main card catalog are extensive materials on foreign railroads. John Crerar Library:- The original John Crerar Library shut down about l984 due to finances, and its contents were transferred to the Univ. of Chicago in a new building which was named the John Crerar Library. In the late l950s the Crerar Library sold off much material. The railroad annual reports and many railroad books were acquired by Northwestern University's Transportation Library.

Northwestern University Transportation Library
http://www.library.nwu.edu/transportation/ (located in the main library) Has excellent collection of annual reports partially obtained from the John Crerar Library, Copeland Traffic Density maps, much foreign railroad material, and other materials dealing with specific railroads obtained from the Crerar Library. The library also has an excellent collections of books dealing with foreign countries and specific foreign railroads. These can be found in their Association of American Railroads Collection and the Deering Collection.

Indiana Historical Society, Midwest Railroad Research Center
Large Monon RR collection primarily photos. Large amount of RR material 1830s-70s very well indexed.

Purdue Univ. Library
Library strong on railroad engineering, but little pertains to specific railroads.

Baltimore & Ohio RR Museum
Has company records of B&O Railroad and non railroad predecessor companies and subsidiaries.

National Archives
See description on main website.

Boston Public Library
Second only to New York Public Library for miscellaneous railroad reference materials. The huge J.O.Brew street car collection not yet inventoried. Has a huge general collection of railroad books. There is no cross reference of railroad names under the subject of railroad.

Massachusetts Historical Soc.
Because New Englanders helped finance most middle-west and western railroads and the society is full of papers of such people, there is much investment information on railroads.

Harvard Business School
Open 7 days a week, early morning to late evening except summer when open only weekdays in the daytime. Baker Library is intended for student use and financial sponsors. Use by others severely restricted, and permission must be obtained ahead. Most material not stored at the library creating a one day delay to see. Four separate sections each cataloged separately: general library, manuscript and archive collections, annual reports and company archives (Cole Room), and Kress Library. Kress Library limited to only pre l850 with much foreign material. All materials at the manuscript and archives collections described and well indexed in "Manuscripts in Baker Library" published l978.

American Antiquarian Society
Open Monday-Friday. Contact ahead of visit is desirable, and all first time users will be interviewed before granted permission to research. Has the Thomas W. Streeter collection of pre l841 railroad archives, the largest such collection in existence. It is necessary to check a main card index for items of a railroad which may be in both the main collections and Streeter. The Society limits its collection mostly to pre l875 although its passes are l870s-l9l0. Passes contained in two scrapbooks in Archives Dept. and envelops in Graphics Dept. Most material is in archive boxes, but oversize is stored separately as are maps and broadsides (single sheet documents). Some timetables in the archive boxes and others in Graphics Dept. Has many stock certificates and some old tickets (kept with passes).

Univ. of Michigan Bentley Library
A large railroad collection. The Bentley Library, located on North Campus, specializes in Michigan history. It also has all the special collections and some printed matter which is indexed by railroad name in their card catalog. The Special Collection Library, located adjacent to the Undergraduate Library on the central city campus, all historical (i.e. non current) material pertaining to railroads. Pennsylvania RR Collection of minute books, finance records, some annual reports, etc. Records of the Grand Rapids & Indiana, the Ann Arbor, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton, and the minutes of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Michigan Central and their associated companies. Library has inventory listing.

Barriger Library
Large, substantial collection, probably the best in the country. Emphasizes railroad economics. Proactive acquisitions policy. Thorough description on website, plus tutorial guide to railroad research.

Museum of Transportation
The museum is outside the city of St. Louis, being about 2-3 miles west of Kirkwood, Mo. The library is similar to the Railroad Museum at Strasburg except much smaller on non Missouri railroads. Has little prior to 1900. Has a good collection and actively growing. Has 36 volume White & Kembles Atlas & Digest of RR Mortgages.

Union Pacific RR
A large corporation library. Also contains the Rastrick Library Collection which is primarily on British railway and locomotive circa 1820-1850. They have U.P. corporate records and recently acquired railroads such as the Western Pacific and Missouri Pacific.

Princeton University Firestone Library
Extensive railroad holdings in general collection. No specific railroad collections. Good on-line catalogue.

Cornell University Olin Library
Industrial & Labor Relations School has excellent railroad Brotherhood archives, Debs papers. The main college library, except for special collections, has very little other than recently published railroad books and some tourist travel guides issued by railroads.

New York Public Library
This library is second only to the Library of Congress in size. It has about 50,000 railroad items. Large pre 1841 collection. The library's card catalog is published in a 788 volume series, Dictionary Catalog of the Research Library, (1979) plus several other series of 3 to 30 volumes. Manuscripts Department holds the minute books of the New York Central and its predecessors east of Buffalo and of the Long Island RR. The library has a great deal on foreign railroads. It also has much on railroad signalling. Much railroad material is at a distant annex and is accessible only on one day's advance request. Periodicals are at the Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, 212-592-7000

Oregon Historical Society
A huge amount of material in numerous collections and several different photo files. There are two basic photo groups - loose in file folders and mounted and inventoried in a computer. Some photos are also in the special collections such as the David Stearns albums. The historical society also has the 17,000 negatives/pictures of the former Timberman Magazine, some of which show logging railroads.

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
(per C. Baer, 12/02) Holdings include a very large block of the Pennsylvania RR archive (3,000+ linear ft.), including equipment drawings; also the archives of the Erie, Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, plus the records of the Canal Commissioners who managed the Philadelphia & Columbia and Allegheny Portage Railroads. They have other railroad collections which are currently (early 2003) being processed. This material might at some point in the future (as of 2003) be moved to Strasburg. (upd. 1/03 RW)Collection of 30,000 Baldwin Locomotive Works drawings, largely uncatalogued. Best reference for locating is the Sales Order Number. Contact for this material is snelson@phmc.state.pa.us

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Open daily and weekends 9-4. Library and Archives accessible by advance appointment only. A very large general collection. Website has summary description of holdings, plus helpful links to other locations with related holdings.

Pennsylvania State University
(per C. Baer) Has a large block of Pennsylvania RR archival materials and the records of the Beech Creek RR.

DeGolyer Library
Everett DeGolyer's collection of prints, negatives, and books, David Goodyear print collection. Railroad pass collection represents passes from several collections that have been combined together. It has the largest number of passes issued in the l860s of any pass collection extant. (upd. 1/03 RW)Has collection of . 5,000 Baldwin works drawings, catalogued by road number. Copies available, but because of understaffing, will require a wait of several months for service.

Utah State Historical Society

Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
Has a huge C&O collection including 50,000 negs, 10,000 35 mm slide, 500 films,30,000 civil engr'g drwgs. of C&O, HV, PM, complete run employee timetables. Almost anything dealing with the operating department except equipment. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-5

Museum of History and Industry
Operated by the Historical Society of Seattle & King County. Collection accessible by advance appointment only. Probably the best railroad collection west of Minneapolis in the north west quarter of the U.S. Huge collection of employee timetables and maps.

University of Wisconsin
They have the collection of the Wisconsin State Historical Society. Some items have been dispersed to the libraries of the regional colleges of the university, particularly at Milwaukee. James J. Hill collection:- Large collection of charters, engineering reports, special reports, stock prospectuses, etc. Most prior to 1850.

University of Wyoming
This is one of the ten largest railroad collection libraries in the U.S. Has much of Howard Greene's, which is one of the six largest private railroad collections ever assembled, and Rogers M. Whittaker. The library is gradually being given the huge collection of Wm. J. Dixon, the last CRI&P president. Collections currently number more than 250 and are well described in the library's guide and inventory description. Photos are presently stored in the photographic department of the library.