Archival Resources

	Archival Resources Railroads

	Railroad Records Guide Answers basic questions about items such as collections, microfilm, photographs, subsidiary companies, and more There is a list included of all manuscript groups and record groups which include railroads and there is also a description of each There are sections to answer each commonly asked question which will point you in the appropriate direction There are other binders which follow the initial one which may help to further specify a location Very descriptive and complete guide to help direct A few more manuscript groups and record groups are presented in the guide than are here Manuscript Group 213- Postcard Collection Dates from 1880-present Separated into counties, subjects, and business and advertising Postcards and trade cards Larger cities are broken into categories More information on MG 213 Views may be found in the subject box and with larger cities Makes a special note of the rail line or location Postcards of rail yards, shops, and stations Manuscript Group 218- Photograph Collection Dates from the mid 19th Century to the mid 20th Century More information on MG 218 Photographs at various railyards Some railroad construction photographs Photographs of railroad bridges Penn Central Railroad stereographs Manuscript Group 219- Philadelphia Commercial Museum Photograph Collection Dates 1840-1954 Arranged by category More information on MG 219 Photographs of train engines and passenger cars Photographs of stations Photographs of rail yards Most are identified on the back side of the photograph Manuscript Group 401- Delaware and Hudson Railway Company Collection Dates from 1887-1959 Northeastern PA Various records and photographs More information on MG 401 Some files are from New York and England Locomotive alteration reports, classification books, and inventories Drawings, correspondence, and photographs of the Stourbridge Lion Some random blue prints, tracings, reports, correspondence, and specifications Locomotive classification books and inventories provide photographs along with a drawing and measurements Many photographs are not individually identified Manuscript Group 48- Fall Brook Railroad and Coal Company Records Dates from 1768-1938 with the bulk dating from 1819-1939 Various records of the Magee Family dealing primarily with the railroad Mostly Northcentral PA Microfilmed in part More information on MG 48 Primarily vouchers, letters, bank books, reports, papers, contracts, accounts, payroll, court cases, correspondence, ledgers, and a few other various records and documents Some cartons have been moved to a new location Includes Wellsboro and Lawrenceville Railway Company, Blossburg and Corning Railway, and Pine Creek Railway Fall Brook Railroad was originally the Corning, Cowanesque, and Antrim Railroad A lot of difficult to read, hand written pages Many documents deal with matters in New York Some personal, non-railroad documents Manuscript Group 199- Railroad Museum of PA Collections Dates from 1860-present Arranged into collections The Walter A. Lucas Collection is restricted and requires permission to view it Partially microfilmed Images and various records of numerous lines throughout PA More information on MG 199 In the finding aid, each collection contains a brief description Some information does not directly pertain to PA Images include photographs, slides, negative, and postcards There are images of rails, cars, stations, engines, scenes, and trolleys There are drawings and blueprints too Documents include items such as rosters, tickets, publications, manuscripts, locomotive instructions, correspondence, reports, and track charts There are also scrapbooks that include various documents, clippings, and pamphlets Not all images are identified A few railway maps are included Record Group 29- Record of the PA Turnpike Commission: South PA Railroad Dates 1875, 1881-1909, and 1935-1941 Various records and documents relating to the railroad Arranged into series All over PA More information on RG 29 Engineers records includes cross section record books, estimate books, level books, slope books, survey record books, topography books, transit books, alignment and gradient records, chairman's plus books, and construction notebooks Land acquisition records contain general correspondence, legal papers, letter press books, reports, and right of way reports Maps, blueprints, and tracings has printed material, topographic maps, and tunnel, bridge, road, and culvert tracings and maps South PA Railroad syndicate includes cash books, estimates, forms and resolutions, general correspondence, and reports Business records has general correspondence, letter press books, a list of stock holders and board of directors, and weekly progress reports Accounts include cash books, estimate and force accounts, estimate of cost, general accounts, ledgers, and proposals The secretary's records contains a history The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company records includes calculation books Some records are undated The manuscript group is a mix of official and personal records Manuscript Group 311- Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Records Various records on microfilm and in document form Dates from the 1820s- 1950s Also includes records from the subsidiary companies More information on MG 311 Administration files primarily correspondence with a few blueprints Minutes of meetings along with an index A wide variety of volumes of sketched maps Index of the land register Briefs of title, reports, agreements, mortgages/leases Financial records Employment records Large set of tracings and blueprints Miscellaneous volumes including the story of the company, information written about the canal, reference items, charter, by laws and agreements Atlases taken from a geological survey which have been separated into counties Maps that are separated by drafts of lands, land ownership and leases and charts and blueprints Record Group 17- Records of the Office of Land Records: Board of Canal Commissioners Dates from 1827-1868 Microfilmed in part Records of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad, and Gettysburg Railroad Various documents and maps More information on RG 17 Check rolls, work receipts, accounts, work estimates, reports, documents, contracts, and damage claims Inspection reports and clearance reports both include the train number and the cargo Register of passengers and cargo Numerous hand written records which may be difficult to read Contracts and agreements are a standardized form with room for specifications Composite map of Old and New Allegheny Portage Railroad along with the Pennsylvania Railroad Manuscript Group 300- Erie Lackawanna Railway Company Deposit Dates from 1831-1976 Various records of the railroad PA and some surrounding areas Partially microfilmed More information on MG 300 Various journals, ledgers and minute books for subsidiary companies Minutes of meetings for the board of directors, executive committee of the board of directors, and finance committee Journals and ledgers for the railroad Some documents are broken into years, including a few subsidiary company records Subsidiary companies include the Erie Railway Company, New York and Erie Railroad Company, New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad Company, Erie Railroad and Erie Lackawanna Railroad Companies Corporate history of Erie Railroad system Manuscript Group 274- Lehigh Valley Railroad Company Records Dates from 1844-1972 Various records and photographs along with a few drawings, tracings, and blue prints Microfilmed in part Organized into the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, subsidiary companies, and photographic negatives More information on MG 274 Lehigh Valley Railroad Company records include minutes, reports, correspondence, pamphlets, history, agreements, contracts, auditor's journals, ledgers, and cashbooks, earnings and expenses, pay rolls, engineer's files, cash books, real estate, and more Transportation and nontransportation subsidiary company records including minutes, accounts, ledgers, journals, bonds, cash, voucher books, etc. Subsidiary company records vary by company Glass plate negatives, negatives, and prints are from PA and surrounding areas Some images are vaguely identified and are undated Most Lehigh Valley Railroad Company and subsidiary company records are dated Manuscript Group 286- Penn Central Railroad Records Dates from 1835-1938 Documents covering PA and surrounding areas Includes records of the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central Railroad, Penn Central Corporation, Penn Central Transportation Company, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Erie Railroad, and Erie-Lackawanna Railway Types of files found are administrative files, financial records, legal files, equipment records, engineering drawings, blueprints, photographs, subsidiary company records, and other various documents Subsidiary company records vary by company, and may include annual reports, registers, minute books, journals, ledgers, blueprints, cash books, earnings and expense statements, account books, treasurer's documents, correspondence, stock documents, statements, and some indexes Files are organized by company name, followed by the department and series name In order to help with searching MG 286, there is a series of 6 binders which contains all of the series along with a brief summary and manner of organization More information on MG 286 Penn Central Corporation Secretary's annual reports Vice President of Finance and Accounting and Controller Equipment accounting and trust records, equipment valuation journal entries, and a list of additions, betterments, and retirements Vice President of Public Affairs' general correspondence files Vice President of Real Estate's maps and atlases Penn Central Transportation Company's Annual reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission New York Central Railroad Director/Manager of General Accounting's records of equipment and investment, details, daily reports, and more Mechanical engineering general files Purchasing Department's GM trade catalogue Secretary's reports, rules, and annual meetings Subsidiary companies include the Canada Southern Railway, Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, Mahoning Coal Company, Michigan Central Railroad, New York and Harlem Railroad, New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Lehigh Valley Railroad Chief Engineer's general correspondence files Chief of Motive Power's records of locomotive bending at various loadings Comptroller's accounts, reports, valuation dockets, records, lists, finance dockets, correspondence, and more Law Department's general correspondence files Real Estate Department's abstract and opinion of legislative acts and opinions Secretary's annual reports, charters, docket papers, list of presidents, mortgages and agreements, records, printed agreements, and more Vice President of Finance's general correspondence files Subsidiary companies include the Bay Shore Connecting Railroad, Buffalo Creek Railroad, Coxe Brothers and Company, Inc., Ironton Railroad, Lehigh and New England Railroad, Lehigh and New York Railroad, Lehigh Valley Railroad Company of New Jersey, Loyalsock Railroad, Montrose Railroad, National Storage Company, Niagra Junction Railway, Owasco River Railway, Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad, Pioneer Real Estate company, Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Railroad, State Line and Sullivan Railroad, and Wyoming Transport Company Erie Railroad Comptroller's annual reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission Real Estate and Taxation Department field survey books, land record books, and tax registers Secretary's annual reports Erie-Lackawanna Railway Legal Department's general correspondence files and merger files Trustees' minute books Pennsylvania Railroad Company Comptroller records include annual reports, cash books, legends, journals, monthly balance sheets, accounts, and various other records Presidential files list the presidents with the dates served and files which may vary and include letter and telegram letter press books, presidential correspondence, index to presidential correspondence, and committee files Secretary's records include annual meetings and reports, board files, board of directors, railroad histories, correspondence, minute books, indexes, stock ledgers, certificates and transfers, and various other records Pennsylvania Railroad Company Library includes photographs, reference materials, pamphlet files, and tickets Vice President of Finance, Law, Operation, Personnel, Public Affairs, Purchases, Stores and Insurance, Real Estate and Taxation, Altoona Works, Central Region, Chesapeake Region, Eastern Region, Special Services, Traffic, Western Region Files for the Vice Presidents may vary, but include correspondence, journals, ledgers, records, payroll, claims settled, dockets, proceedings, architectural drawings, maps, blueprints, freight files, historical record cards, equipment records, registers and valuations, classification and ownership books, statements, specifications and proposals, and expenditures Subsidiary companies include: Algard Coal Company; Allegheny Supply Company; Allegheny Valley Railway; Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; Bald Eagle Valley Railroad; Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Baltimore and Potomac; Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway; Bedford and Blair County Railroad; Bedford and Bridgeport Railroad; Bedford and Bridgeport Railway; Bedford and Hollidaysburg Railroad; Beech Creek Railroad; Bellfonte and Eastern Railway; Bellfonte and Snowshoe Railroad; Bellfonte, Nittany and Lemont Railroad; Bell's Gap Equipment Trust; Bell's Gap Railroad; Belvidere and Delaware Railroad; Berkshire Land Company; Boston and Maine Railroad; Brookville Railroad; Brush Valley Railroad; Buffalo Coal Company; Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway; Bustleton Railroad; Caledonia Street Railway; Cambria and Clearfield Railroad; Cambria and Clearfield Railway; Cambria Land Company; Camden and Atlantic Railroad; Canal and Lake Steamboat Company; Canadaqua Lake Railroad; Central Elevator Company of Baltimore City; Central Pennsylvania and Western Railroad; Central Pennsylvania Mining Company; Central Railroad of Maryland; Chambersburg and Gettysburg Electric Railway; Chambersburg Land and Improvement Company; Chambersburg Turnpike Road Company; Chartiers Railroad, Chemung Railroad, Cherry Tree and Dixonville Railroad; Chesapeake and Ohio Railway; Chicago and Northwestern Railway; Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway; Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad; Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Railway; Cincinnati, Labanon and Northern Railway; Clarke and Company; Clearfield and Jefferson Railroad; Clearfield and Jefferson Railway; Cleveland, Akron and Cincinnati Railway; Cleveland and Marietta Railway; Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad; Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway; Colebrook Valley Railroad; Columbia and Port Deposit Railway; Columbia Bridge Company; Columbus and Xenia Railroad; Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad; Cresson and Clearfield County and New York Short Route Railroad; Cresson and Irvona Railroad; Cresson Railroad; Cresson Springs Company, Cumberland Valley and Martinsburg Railroad; Cumberland Valley and Waynesboro Railroad; Cumberland Valley Railroad; Danville, Hazleton and Wilkes Barre Railroad; Delaware and Hudson Company; Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad; Delaware Railroad; Denver and Rio Grande Railroad; Dillsburg and Mechanicsburg Railroad; Downingtown and Lancaster Railroad; Duquesne Warehouse Company; East Brandywine and Waynesburg Railroad; Ebensburg and Black Lick Railroad; Elmira and Lake Ontario Railroad; Elmira and Williamsport Railroad; Elmira, Jefferson and Canandaiqua Railroad; Empire Transportation Company; Enola Realty Company; Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad; Erie and Western Transportation Company; Erie and Western Transportation Company-- Anchor Line; Erie Canal Company; Fairmount Coal and Coke Company; Finley Company; F.J. Scarr Motor Coach Services; Franklin Railroad Company; Frederick and Northern Railroad; Frederick and Pennsylvania Line Railroad; Germantown, Norristown and Phoenixville Railroad; Gettysburg and Petersburg Turnpike Company; Girard Point Storage Company; Girardville Railroad; Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway; Gravel Run Water Company; Great Lakes Coal Company; Greencastle and Maryland Line Turnpike and Plank Road Company; Green Mountain Coal Company (Green Ridge Improvement Company); Green Ridge Coal company and Mammoth Vein Coal Company; Hanover and York Railroad; Harrisburg and Bedford Railroad; Harrisburg and South Western Railroad; Harrisburg, Carlisle and Chambersburg Turnpike Road Company; Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mt. Joy and Lancaster Railroad; Harrisburg Warehouse Company; Harrison Gas Coal Company; Hollidaysburg, Bedford and Cumberland Railroad; Homer and Susquehanna Railroad; Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad and Coal Company; Illinois Central Railroad; Inianapolis and Madison Railroad; Johnsonburg Railroad; Katharine Water Company; Kensington and Tacony Railroad; Keystone Hotel Company; Lake Ontario and Southern Railway; Lancaster and Quarryville Railroad; Lancaster and Reading Narrow Guage Railroad; Lancaster, Lebanon and Pine Grove Railroad; Lebanon and Reading Railroad; Lebanon Belt Railway; Leechburg Company; Lehigh and Western Railroad; Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company; Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad; Lewisburg and Tyrone Railway; Lewisburg Bridge Company; Lewisburg, Centre and Spruce Creek Railroad; Lewistown and Tuscarora Bridge Company; Lisbon Coal Company; Little Miami Railroad; Littlestown Railroad; Lock Haven and Clearfield Railroad; Logansport and Toledo Railway; Long Island Railroad; Long Run Coal and Iron Company; Louisville and Nashville Railroad; Louisville Bridge Company; Lykens Valley Coal Company; Lykens Valley Railroad and Coal Company; Lykens Water Company; Lytle Coal Company; Mammoth Vein Coal Company; Manor Real Estate and Trust Company; Marion Railway Corporation; Martinsburg and Potomac Railroad; Mifflin and Centre County Railroad; Millersburg and Brookside Railroad; Millersburg Railroad; Mineral Railroad and Mining Company; Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Saint Marie Railway; Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad; Missouri Pacific Railroad; Missouri Pacific Railway; Monbel Company; Mont Alto Railroad; Monshannon and Clearfield Railroad; Monshannon Railroad; Mountain View Water Company; Nescopec Railroad; Newark and Marion Railway; New Jersey and New York Railroad; Newry Railroad; New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad; New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad; New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad; Norfolk and Western Railway; North and West Branch Railway; Northern Central Connecting Railroad; Northern Central Connecting Railway; Northern Central Railway; Northern Pacific Railway; North Penn Coal Company; Northumberland and Nanticoke Railroad; Olean Petroleum Company, Limited; Orangeville and Lehigh Railroad; Panama Railroad; Pennsylvania and North Western Railroad; Pennsylvania Canal Company; Pennsylvania Company; Pennsylvania Company—Star Union Line; Pennsylvania Company—Union Line; Pennsylvania Midland Railroad; Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines; Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad; Peoria and Eastern Railway; Philadelphia and Camden Ferry Company; Philadelphia and Erie Railroad; Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley Railroad; Philadelphia and Merion Railroad; Philadelphia and Reading Railroad; Philadelphia and Sunbury Railroad; Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad; Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad; Philadelphia, Norristown and Phoenixville Railroad; Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad; Phoenixville and West Chester Railroad; Phoenixville, Pottstown and Reading Railroad; Pine Run Railroad; Pittsburgh hand Atlantic Railroad; Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad; Pittsburgh and Yuba River Mining Company; Pittsburgh and Western Company; Pittsburgh, Chartiers and Yougheogheny Railway; Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway; Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway; Pittsburgh, F. Wayne and Chicago Railway; Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Kentucky Railroad; Pottsville and Mahanoy Railroad; Pullman Company; Railway Express Agency, Inc.; Reading and Lebanon Railroad; Reading and Pottsville Railroad; Reading Company; Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad; Richmond-Washington Company; Ridgeway and Clearfield Railroad; Riverfront Railroad; Rock Island Company; Rutland Railroad; Scalp Level Railroad; Schuylkill and Juniata Railroad; Seaboard Air Line Railway; Shamokin Valley and Pottsville Railroad; Sodus Bay and Southern Railroad; Sodus Point and Southern Railroad; Southern Pacific Company; Southern Pennsylvania Iron and Railroad; Southern Pennsylvania Railway and Mining Company; Southern Railway; South Fork Railroad; South Pennsylvania Railroad; South West Pennsylvania Railroad; St. Louis Southwestern Railway; St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad; State Realty Company; Summit Branch Coal Company; Summit Branch Mining Company; Summit Branch Railroad; Sunbury and Erie Railroad; Sunbury and Lewistown Railway; Sunbury, Hazleton, and Wilkes Barre Railway; Susquehanna and Clearfield Railroad; Susquehanna, Bloomsburg and Berwick Railroad; Susquehanna Coal Company; Susquehanna Railroad; Swatara Water Company; Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railroad; Terre Haute and Logansport Railroad; Terre Haute and Logansport Railway; Terre Haute and Peoria Railroad; Terre Haute and Richmond Railroad; Texas and Pacific Railway; Tipton Railroad; Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway; Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad; Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway; Trenton Cut Off Railroad; Turbotville and Williamsport Railroad; Turtle Creek Valley Railroad; Tyrone and Clearfield Railroad; Tyrone and Clearfield Railway; Union Railroad; Union Pacific Railroad; United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company; V Company; Valley Real Estate Company; Vandalia Railroad; Wabash Railroad; Wabash Railway; West Branch and Susquehanna Canal Company; West Chester Railroad; Western Allegheny Railroad; Western Maryland Railroad; Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad; Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway; Western Pennsylvania Railroad; Western Warehousing Company; West Jersey and Seashore Railroad/West Jersey Railroad; West Jersey Express Company; West Jersey Railroad; West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway; Wilcox Railroad; Wilkes Barre and Western Railway; Williamsport and Elmira Railroad; Winslow Water Company (Sykesville Water Company of Winslow Township); Wrightsville, York and Gettysburg Railroad; York and Cumberland Railroad; York and Maryland Line Railroad; York, Hanover and Frederick Railroad; York, Hanover and Frederick Railway; York Haven and Rowenna Railroad
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