The archivist has arranged the collection into five series. The collections consists of orginal photographs, brochures, advertisements, correspondence, and trade literature as wells as photcopies of same and assembled by John White for many of his books about railroads.
Series 1: Car Builders, arranged alphabetically by company or individual.
Series 2: Equipment, Rolling Stock, arranged in two sections: alphabetically by White's heading: Articles in Progress and alphabetical by type of railroad car under White's heading: Research Files for Book in Progress.
Series 3: Locomotives, arranged alphabetically by Locomotive builders in two sections, first by individual company and second by individuals.
Series 4: Railroad Companies and Lines, arranged alphabetically by railroad companies and railroad lines.
Series 5: Publications, White's files for his book The American Railroad Freight Car, which are arranged into two sections, Illustrations and Text. Both sections are arranged numerically by chapters or sections of the book.
Series 6: Freight Cars
Series 7: Passenger Cars
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into seven series. Most material arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.
Series 1: Car Builders
Series 2: Equipment--Rolling Stock
Subseries 2.1: Articles in progress
Subseries 2.2: Research Files for Books in Progress
Series 3: Locomotives
Series 4: Railroad Companies and Lines
Series 5: Publications
Series 6: Freights Cars
Series 7; Passenger Cars
Historical:
John H. White, Jr., (1933- ), historian and museum curator, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated with a B.A. in history from Miami University, Ohio, in 1958. Shortly after receiving his degree, White joined the staff of the Smithsonian Institution as Assistant Curator of the Division of Transportation, Department of Science and Technology, National Museum of History and Technology (NMHT). White became Associate Curator of the Division, 1961-1966, Curator, 1967-1985, and Senior Historian, 1986-1989. White specialized in land transportation, particularly the history of railroads. He retired in 1990. His papers, the John H. White, Jr., Papers, circa 1959-1989 are at the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
This collection of railroad materials was begun many years ago by employees of the Smithsonian Institution, and maintained later by curators and museum specialists working in the Division of Transportation, NMHT, later named the National Museum of American History (NMAH).
Some of the clippings date back to the time of J. Elfreth Watkins in the 1880-1890s. In 1885 Watkins was appointed Curator of the Section of Steam Transportation, which was successively known as Transportation and Engineering, and Technological Collections. Other portions of White's collection were clearly from Carl Mitman, author of several hundred entries on inventors and engineers in the Dictionary of American Biography and a Smithsonian employee who served as Curator of Mechanical Technology in 1919. In 1921 Mitman took the title of Curator of the Divisions of Mineral and Mechanical Technology, serving in this capacity until 1931. In 1931 the Division of Engineering was established. Mitman served as Curator of the Division and in charge of Mineral Technology, 1931-1938, Head Curator of the Department of Arts and Industries, 1932-1938, and Head Curator of the Department of Engineering and Industries, 1938-1948.
Some portions of this collection were acquired under the time of Frank A. Taylor (Mitman's protégé) who was Assistant Curator, 1928-1931, Assistant Curator for Mechanical Technology, 1932, Curator of the Division and in charge of Mechanical Technology, 1932-1948, Head Curator of the Division of Engineering and Industry, 1948-1957. In 1955 Taylor was appointed Assistant Director, United States National Museum (USNM), with special responsibility for planning the new NMHT, and in 1958 was appointed the first Director of the new museum. In 1962 Taylor became Director of the USNM with responsibility for both the National Museum of Natural History and NMHT.
Smith Hempstone Oliver of the Division of Transportation also kept up the files to a degree, though his main interest was in automobiles.
When White started employment at the Museum in June, 1958, there were, perhaps, two file cabinets on railroads. As Mr. White mentions in a letter to the archivist in March of 2002, "It was and is a great mix of odds and ends -- photos, news clippings, small prints, manufacturing catalogs, post cards, etc. Some junk and some treasure."
White found the material very useful for research and greatly expanded the collection. It more than doubled in size during his years in the Division, 1958-1990. The collection was White's working file and was set up to meet his needs. According to White, the collections greatest lack was cross referencing -- which was mostly in his head. He could usually find things but the organization might be confusing to other users. It was not intended for public use.
White is the author of many books on railroads, including:
American Locomotives: An Engineering History, 1830-1880. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1968; 1997.
Early American Locomotives, with 147 engraving. New York: Dover Publications, 1972.
American Single Locomotives and the "Pioneer". Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1973.
The Pioneer, Chicago's First Locomotive. Chicago: Chicago Historical Society, 1976.
The American Railroad Passenger Car. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978.
The John Bull, 150 Years a Locomotive. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981.
A Short History of American Locomotive Builders in the Steam Era. Washington, D.C.: Bass, 1982.
Great Yellow Fleet: A History of American Railroad Refrigerator Cars. Golden West Books, 1986
The American Railroad Freight Car: From the Wood-Car Era to the Coming of Steel. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
Provenance:
Collection materials donated by Jack White in 1995.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Division of Transportation Street Railways Reference Collection
Creator:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
4.25 Cubic feet (5 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Articles
Maps
Newspaper clippings
Negatives
Patents
Photographs
Stock certificates
Tickets
Date:
undated
Content Description:
Collection documents street railway cars through photographs and ephemera. INcludes reprints and articles from Street Railway Journal, Capital Traction Quarterly, The Railroad Gazette, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and Scientific American.
Arrangement:
Collection is unarranged.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Merchant's Despatch Transportation Company Records
Donor:
Merchants Despatch Transportation Company Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
3.75 Cubic feet (8 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1880s
Summary:
Collection documents the Merchant's Despatch Transportation Company, an express railway service.
Content Description:
Collection consists of photographs, business documents, blueprint and packing crate labels documenting the Merchant's Despatch Transportation Company, an express railway service.
Arrangement:
Collection is unarranged.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Merchant's Despatch Transportation Corporation, through Philip W. Allen, 2000.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
8 Cubic feet (24 boxes
)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Records
Photographs
Date:
1931-1964
Summary:
Records compiled by the Bureau of Rail Safety of the Federal Railroad Administration. Data include names of locomotive builders and railroads operating them.
Scope and Contents:
This collection is arranged into four series: Series 1: STEAM LOCOMOTIVES BOILER RECORDS, Series 2: ELECTRICS, DIESELS, RAIL CAR RECORDS, Series 3: RECORD BOOKS, & Series 4: PHOTOPRINTS and consists of records and photographs of the ICC for the years 1931-1964. Most of the photographs are of accidents or failures of equipment. The photographs are dated and railroads identified. Accident times and circumstances are noted. The records were compiled by the Bureau of Rail Safety of the Federal Railroad Administration. Data include names of locomotive builders as well as of railroads operating them.
Arrangement:
Divided into 4 series
Series 1: Steam Locomotive Boiler Records
Series 2: Electrics, Diesels, Rail Car Records
Series 3: Record Books
Series 4: Photoprints
Biographical / Historical:
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), a former independent agency of the U.S. Government, was established in 1887 and charged with regulating the economics and services of specified carriers engaged in transportation between states. Surface transportation under the ICC's jurisdiction included railroads, trucking companies, bus lines, freight forwarders, water carriers, oil pipelines, transportation brokers and express agencies.
The first regulatory commission in US history, the ICC was established as a result of mounting public indignation against railroad malpractices and abuses. The ICC's effectiveness was at first limited by the failure of Congress to give it enforcement power, by the Supreme Court's interpretation of its powers and by the vague language of its enabling act. However, beginning with the Hepburn Act (1906), the ICC's jurisdiction was gradually extended beyond railroads to all common carriers except aircraft by 1940. Its enforcement powers to set rates were also progressively extended, through statute and broadened Supreme Court interpretations of the commerce clause of the Constitution, as were its investigative authority for determining fair rates of return on which to base rates. In addition, the ICC was given the task of consolidating railroad systems and managing labor disputes in interstate transport. In the 1950s and 1960s the ICC enforced Supreme Court rulings that required the desegregation of passenger terminal facilities.
Beginning in the 1960s the ICC's functions were progressively reduced as government control of surface transportation was deregulated. The agency was terminated at the end of 1995 and many of its remaining functions were transferred to the new National Surface Transportation Board.
Source
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Smithsonian in [1971?] by Martha Yungmeyer, the daughter of D.W. Yungmeyer, who had been an inspector for the ICC.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Interstate Commerce Commission Locomotive Inspection Reports, 1931-1964, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Martha Yungmeyer.
Four scrapbooks containing items relating to the Baldwin Locomotive Works, including: blueprints, photographs, examples of company letterhead and blank company forms, clippings and articles, business records such as contracts and specifications, trade literature, and miscellany.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical/Historical note:
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was started as a sole proprietorship by Matthias W. Baldwin in 1831. The company was the largest railroad engineering plant of its kind in the world. It is now out of business.
Provenance:
Collection donated by James C. Macinnes.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
0.2 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Cumberland (Md.)
Newark (Ohio)
Baltimore (Md.) -- 1920-1930
Huntington (W. Va.)
Date:
1925-1930.
Summary:
Nitrate negatives depicting street views with automobiles and railroad cars, in several areas of the country. Many are numbered and dated in ink on the negative. The groups are: views of Newark, Ohio, by Bill Finney, March 19, 1926; Huntington, West Virginia, 1927; Cumberland, Md., by Bill Finney, Oct. 28, 1925; and "Baltimore, Md.--Sharp St. Looking South from Camden St. / for Police Dept. / Oct. 21, 1930.
Scope and Contents:
This is a group of forty-three (43) cellulose nitrate negatives (8" x 10", 5" x 7", and smaller)depicting streets and railroad tracks with buildings such as houses, stores, and other commercial establishments. In many cases vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, and railroad cars from about 1925-1930 appear in the images. Dates on the photographs include 1925, 1926, 1927, and 1930, and the unidentified images appear to have been made within the same date range. Most of the photographs apparently were taken by Bill Finney of Concord, New Hampshire. The locales depicted include Baltimore and Cumberland, Maryland; Newark, Ohio; Huntington, West Virginia; and areas in New England.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Numerically arranged.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Advance appointment required, as original negatives are stored in a freezer. Researchers should use copies. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
4.6 Cubic feet (13 oversized folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Tracings
Drawings
Blueprints
Place:
Chicago (Ill.)
Date:
1880-1948
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of blueprints, working drawings, line drawings, tracings, and plans of the Chicago Surface Railway system from 1896-1926; 1948. The majority of the drawings are on linen and are 24" x 36" or larger. Some of the drawings are annotated. The drawing number, title of drawing and the date are provided for each sheet.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into seven series:
Series 1: West Chicago Street Railroad Company
Series 2: Chicago Board of Traction Supervising Engineers/Chicago Railway Company
Series 3: Chicago Traction System (Car Drawings)
Series 4: Chicago Cable Blueprints
Series 5: Chicago Union Traction Company
Series 6: Pennsylvania & West Virginia Railway
Series 7: Miscellaneous
Biographical / Historical:
The first street cars in Chicago were horse cars run by the Chicago City railway Company and the North Chicago City railway Company around 1858-1861. This method, however, was slow and expensive, and the companies began substituting cable cars in the 1880s. Chicago City was the first railway company in 1881, with the addition of the Chicago Passenger Railway in 1883, and the West Chicago Street Railroad Company in 1887. Chicago had the largest cable railway system in the world.
In the 1880s, electric powered trolleys first became practical. The Chicago companies hesitated at first to install these faster and more efficient systems because of their heavy investment in cable cars. Smaller Illinois cities and the Calumet Electric Street Railway of the South Side of the city built successful systems, causing the Chicago companies to feel themselves dropping behind. By the mid 1890s most companies began the conversion to electricity.
The 1890s saw the consolidation of many of the Chicago companies and through this reorganization continued into the next century. In 1905 the city voted that the surface railways should come under municipal ownership but not operation, provided the companies rehabilitate their systems, and give the city the right to buy the property at a fixed value. In addition, new construction was to be approved by a new bureau, the Board of Traction Supervising Engineers.
The continuous reorganization was finally completed by the Unification Ordinance of 1913 which stipulated that all lines would come under the management of a single operating company called the Chicago Surface Lines (CSL). Four companies made up the CSL-the Chicago Railways Company, Chicago City Railway, Calumet and South Chicago Railway, and Southern Street Railway. At this time Chicago had the largest street railway system, the longest one-fare ride, the longest average ride, and the most liberal transfer privileges in the world.
The 1920s saw continued growth despite the increasing competition from the automobile, but the Depression dealt a heavy blow to traffic. By 1948 the Chicago Transit Authority, which took over the Chicago Surface Lines in 1927, had abandoned all but four lines in favor of buses. By 1958 the remaining lines were "bustituted."
Related Materials:
Materials at Other Organizations
The Chicago Historical Society
Holds approximately 13 cubic feet of materials documenting the Chicago Surface Lines, 1857-1951. The materials include minute books, corporate records, account books, agreements, correspondence, contracts, ordinances, patents, memoranda, stock certificates, bank statements, and blueprints.
Provenance:
Gift of the Chicago Transit Authority.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Engineering and Industry Search this
Extent:
18 Cubic feet (78 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Right of way deeds
Reports
Letterpress copybooks
Mechanical drawings
Estimates
Financial statements
Circular letters
Bills
Accident reports
Correspondence
Place:
Lackawanna County (Pa.)
Luzerne County (Pa.)
Cressona (Pa.)
Harrisburg (Pa.)
Norristown (Pa.)
Philadelphia (Pa.)
New Jersey
Sumerton (Pa.)
Cheltenham (Pa.)
Sunbury (Pa.)
Reading (Pa.)
Trenton (N.J.)
Schuylkill County (Pa.)
Pennsylvania
Date:
1860-1936
Summary:
Collection of engineering reports and correspondence from the Engineering Department of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad was most used for the transportation of anthracite coal within Pennsylvania from 1833 through the early 1970s.
Scope and Contents:
Primarily outgoing correspondence from the Engineering Department of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, the remainder being engineering reports and other miscellaneous papers.
Series 1: Letterpress Copybooks consists of 219 volumes from various engineers, each with own index (1865-1892): were generated by Chief Engineer, Assistant Chief Engineer, various resident engineers, other lower-level engineers, and the Chief Road-Master. Bulk of copybooks created by William H. Bines and Henry K. Nichols during long careers with the Philadelphia & Reading. Other volumes contain letters and reports by Charles W. Buckholz, Charles E. Byers, William Lorenz, and others. Correspondence covers all aspects of the engineering operations of the railroad, much of it at highest levels, being addressed to the Presidents of the Reading. Also includes one letterbook from John E. Wooten (1865), Superintendent.
Series 2: Reports of Chief Engineer to Auditor, 1908-1910; structural design calculation notebooks, 1901-1935; right of way deeds, 1903; and tracings of assorted machine parts.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into five series.
Series 1: Letterpress Copybooks, 1866-1870
Series 2: Chief Engineer Standard Plans, 1904-1942
Series 3: Construction Reports, 1901-1913
Series 4: Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Valuation of Railroads, 1913-1922
Series 5: Reports and Miscellaneous Papers, 1860-1936
Biographical / Historical:
This railroad was chartered in 1833 to provide low-cost transportation from the Schuylkill and Mahanoy anthracite coal fields in eastern Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. Main line from Philadelphia to Pottsville opened 1842. Reading expanded by acquiring other railroads, and by 1869 had monopoly of coal traffic from Schuylkill anthracite region.
Expansion accelerated when Franklin B. Gowen became president (1869) and attempted to dominate entire anthracite trade. Purchased Schuylkill Canal (1870) to eliminate competition for coal trade; then organized the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company in 1871 to purchase and operate coal mines; secured over 40 percent of U.S. anthracite reserves, but debt incurred led railroad to bankruptcy and receivership (1880). Gowen's reckless style drove the Reading into second receivership (1886), and he was forced to resign.
Gowen's Successor, Archibald A. McLeod, tried to increase company control over anthracite trade (1892-1893), then control of several New England railroads. The Reading went bankrupt again and McLeod was ousted. In a reorganization (1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad and the Coal & Iron Company became properties of the Reading Company, a holding company. Later additions to system were infrequent and largely confined to short branches and improvements inalignment. Due to anti-trust proceedings, company divested mining subsidiary (1923) and merged wholly owned railroad companies into an operating company. Acquired Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad 1963, went bankrupt in early 1970s, and conveyed portions of its lines to Conrail (1976). The reorganized Reading Company retains real estate and other non-rail holdings.
Collection donated by the Reading Company, Philadelphia, Pa., 1960s.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
0.3 Cubic feet (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Reports
Clippings
Place:
Pennsylvania
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Date:
1841-1930, undated
Summary:
Papers of Samuel Morse Felton, civil engineer and railroad president, and his family.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains biographical material on both Feltons; a handwritten bound report by Felton on the construction of the Norfolk Co. Railroad, 1847 1849; correspondence, 1861 1927, to and from both Feltons; various reports on military railroads during the World War years; and news clippings and articles on the Feltons, 1889-1930.
Arrangement:
Collection divided into five series.
Series 1: Biographical, 1841-1921
Series 2: Correspondence, 1861-1927
Series 3: Reports, 1847-1919
Series 4:History of Transportation Department, undated
Series 5: News clippings, 1889-1930
Biographical / Historical:
Samuel Morse Felton (1809 1889), civil engineer, became Superintendent and engineer of the Fitchburg Railroad in 1843 and left in 1851 to become President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PWBRR). Under Felton's able management this unsuccessful and financially failing railroad was rebuilt, restored and prospered. The road was of great strategic importance during the Civil War and performed a great service by transporting troops and supplies for the Union. In 1857, he installed the locomotive engine "Daniel Webster" in service on the PWBRR. It was probably the first really successful coal burning passenger engine in regular service upon any RR in the U.S. In 1865 he left the PWBRR to become President of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. This was the first attempt in the United States to manufacture steel rails as a commercial enterprise. During this period he also served as director of many railroads including the Philadelphia, Wilmington & BRR, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co., the Northern Pacific, the Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain and several others. He was director for ten years of the Pennsylvania RR. In 1869 he was appointed by President Grant as a Commissioner to inspect Pacific Railroads.
His son, Samuel Morse Felton (1853 1930), followed in this father's footsteps. He graduated from MIT in 1873 and began a life long career in American railroading. In 1889 he became President of the Chicago and Alton Railroad, later assumed the Presidency of the Mexican Central Railroad, and became President of the Chicago Great Western Railroad in 1909. During WWI he was appointed Director General of Military Railways and in that capacity had charge of the organization and dispatch to France of all American railway forces and supplies. He continued in that position during the World War years. By 1928 he was Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Great Western Railroad, President of the Western Railroad Association, and Chairman of the Western Association of Railway Executives, to name only a few of his positions. At his death he was an advisor and associate of the Central Trust Company of Illinois.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Records of the Pittsburgh Locomotive Works and correspondence and personal papers of General Manager Daniel A. Wightman.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of business correspondence 1895-1901 of the company, including correspondence of the General Manager, D.A. Wightman; personal papers of Mr. Daniel A. Wightman including a sketch book, 1874-76; Specifications for locomotives and tenders; price lists; locomotive cost estimates; tests; hauling capacities of locomotives; and conditions of apprenticeship. There are also as 311 blueprints of the company's designs or drawings for various sizes of locomotives.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into ten series.
Series 1: Business Correspondence
Series 2: D.A. Wightman Personal Papers
Series 3: Specifications
Series 4: Price Lists
Series 5: Estimates for Locomotive Construction
Series 6: Locomotive Tests
Series 7: Hauling Capacities of Locomotives
Series 8: Apprenticeship
Series 9: Miscellaneous Notes
Series 10 : Locomotive Designs of the Company
Biographical / Historical:
Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works was founded by Andrew Carnegie and T.N. Miller in 1865. Like most other railway companies, Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works was involved in designing and building light locomotive engines. Its first locomotive was finished in April, 1867, two years after the Civil War.
An energetic new superintendent, Daniel A. Wightman of Allegheny, Allegheny County, joined the company soon after its founding. The date of his employment with the company is unknown, but Wightman1s sketches of locomotives appear about 1874. In 1893, Wightman applied to the Commissioner of Patents for patent rights over his invention of an improvement in compound engines.
Wightman was the company's Superintendent and General Manager between 1895 and 1900. By the following year, 1901, the company had built a total of 2,400 locomotives. That same year, Pittsburgh Locomotive merged with a new corporation, the American Locomotive Company. The American Locomotive eventually closed the Pittsburgh plant after March, 1919.
Pittsburgh Locomotive Works was one of the first to produce really huge locomotives under Daniel A. Wightman. Many of these engines were sold to other Railway Companies throughout the United States.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Locomotives -- Design and construction -- 1874-1910 Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
0.5 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Patents
Photographs
Correspondence
Clippings
Date:
1898-1957
Summary:
The papers of inventor and engineer George Eli Whitney.
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence includes handwritten letters to John H. Bacon from Whitney. Bacon apparently undertook the task of collecting documentation of Whitney's career in the 1950s. Another 30 letters involve former associates of Whitney's, particularly Nathaniel Henry Cooledge (known as "Oliver") who was associated with Whitney as his trusted foreman and assistant for 50 years and Capt. Ted Middleton. Also included are agreements, contracts and patents concerning Whitney's inventions as well as newsclippings, photoprints, etc. A lengthy questionnaire prepared by John H. Bacon was filled out by Whitney in 1955 giving information on his major inventions and projects as well as his personal life.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Whitney (1862-1963) was an engineer and inventor who developed many applications of steam power, including bicycles, cars, and boats from 1890s-1930s. The Locomobile Company, of which Whitney was chief engineer, produced several thousand steam cars around the turn of the century. During WWI, Whitney designed the compound steam engine which powered about 300 U.S. Navy anti submarine ships. Whitney was the recipient of about 150 patents on his inventions, a number of which he sold rights to.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Edward Bacon, October 31, 1992.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
2 Cubic feet (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Blueprints
Place:
Maine
Date:
circa 1895-1950
Summary:
The Hyde Windlass Company was founded in 1895 for the manufacture of deck machinery. Growing interest in marine transportation and the necessity for it because of wars increased the company's size enabling it to design and manufacture a larger variety of products from propellers and marine fittings to other heavy machine assemblies.
Scope and Contents:
Blueprints and drawings for the company's manufacturing of marine machinery and equipment.
Biographical / Historical:
The Hyde Windlass Company was founded in 1895 for the manufacture of deck machinery. Growing interest in marine transportation and the necessity for it because of wars increased the company's size enabling it to design and manufacture a larger variety of products from propellers and marine fittings to other heavy machine assemblies.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Hyde Windlass Company, Bath, Maine.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Danville & Pottsville Railroad Company Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
0.5 Cubic feet (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Place:
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Date:
1808-1881
Scope and Contents:
The main component of this collection is a double-spaced typewritten document of 858 pages transcribed (apparently in 1903) from original records and consisting of correspondence, newspaper articles, technical descriptions, legal documents, and other material relating to John Stevens, his professional work and career. Some of the correspondence is between Stevens and his rival inventors, such as Robert Fulton, credited with producing the first steamboat.
Other documents in the collection are the orginal papers incorporating the Danville and Pottsville RR in 1831 and a carefully detailed survey and cost estimate of the Camden and Amboy RR in 1830.
Biographical / Historical:
John Stevens (1749 1838) of New York, inventor and engineer, graduated from King's College (now Columbia University) in 1768. Admitted to the New York Bar in 1771, he served as treasurer of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. He became interested in steam powered navigation in 1787 and for the next fifty years was active in building and promoting steam boats and trains, securing numerous patents, and inventing such important developments as the screw propellor. He established the worlds first steam ferry, between New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey and later built the first operating steam locomotive in the United States Stevens secured a charter from the Legislature of Pennsylvania for the Pennsylvania Railroad, from Philadelphia to Lancaster County. Two of John Stevens' seven sons, Robert and Edwin were also prominent engineers and developers of transportation equipment who collaborated with their father.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
4.66 Cubic feet (20 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Cyanotypes
Photoengravings
Drawings
Date:
1871-1892
Scope and Contents:
Most of the collection consists of drawings, both pen and ink and pencil, photoengravings and photographs and blueprints of fish, fishermen, fishing gear, nets, traps, seines, fishing vessels both small and large, and fish processing. Some are identified by type, some by location; others lack specific identification. Many carry comments and directions for reduction. These may have been illustrations for annual or other reports and publications. Many of the photographs were taken in the 1880's and 90's. The key to a number of them is in U.S. National Museum Bulletin No. 27, which consists of descriptive catalogues of the collections sent by the United States to the International Fisheries Exhibition held in London in 1883.2 Where a photograph has been identified in Bulletin No. 27, a notation of the appropriate page number has been made on the back of the photo.
Also included is a bound, handwritten journal of the Commission with entries that relate to official actions such as its establishment, its appropriations, and Congressional authorizations for specific activities. These identify the statute or House or Senate journal entry that is applicable. The entries run from February 9, 1871 to December 24, 1892. There is an index by subject. There are some handwritten notes about fishing vessels made by Captain J. W. Collins and his partial draft manuscript describing fishing vessels. A draft of his annual report for 1884 is also included. A small amount of correspondence relates to descriptions of fishing vessels as well.
Historical Note:
The United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, established in 1871, launched and carried out the first sustained study of marine biology in the United States. It was instrumental in the artificial propagation of fish, thus increasing the country's fish resources and in concentrating attention on the preservation of natural resources. In 1877 the Commission initiated the collection of detailed and reliable data on American commercial fisheries, their modernization and improvement.
The immediate origin of the Fish Commission lay in a dispute in southern New England between the owners of traps (nets, weirs, or other means of capturing large quantities of fish) and a much larger group of fishermen who fished from small boats or the shore with single lines. Accusations that traps were responsible for the diminution in the supply of coastal fish raged. Spencer Fullerton Baird, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, with a keen interest in marine biology had followed the dispute closely. He recognized that the practical work related to its solution would contribute to proving the utilitarian value of science and provide excellent opportunities for basic marine biological research. Backed by prominent friends and his own knowledge of the political dynamics of Washington he sought a congressional appropriation for an extended investigation of coastal fisheries.
At the request of Henry L. Dawes, chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives to whom Baird had turned for help, he outlined in a letter of January 3, 1971 the dispute in southern New England, including a proposal for a commission charged with determining the scientific reason for the decrease in coastal species and headed by a mediator empowered to consult with the states and seek a fair solution. As it shortly emerged from Congress the resolution established the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries. This created a body with no time limits, and without restriction as to area, thus opening the way to a national investigation. The head of this new agency was to be appointed by the President, to be an officer of the government and to serve without additional pay. With its basic authorization assured, a $5,000 appropriation was quickly approved and Spencer Baird, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was appointed Commissioner by President Grant. He took the oath of office on March 8, 1871.
While its appropriations for the propagation of fish far exceeded those for research, the Commission on Fish and Fisheries was influential in promoting scientific development in the federal government. In 1881 the Congress at Commissioner Baird's request, appropriated $190,000 for a sea going vessel, the Albatross, especially equipped for marine biology. He settled on Wood's Hole in Massachusetts as the site for a permanent scientific station and arranged for the purchase of the land by private subscribers such as the Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University and Williams College. Such institutions had a right to send a specialist to the station to do research. The marine biological laboratory at Wood's Hole developed into a world famous research institution.
In 1903 the independent commission became the Bureau of Fisheries in the Department of Commerce and Labor. The Bureau was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1939 and in 1940 was merged with another bureau to become the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Provenance:
Collection donated by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior, circa 1940.
About 1940 when the Bureau of Fisheries became part of the Department of the Interior and was renamed the Fish and Wildlife Service, most of these photographs were given to Mr. Frank Taylor of the U. S. National Museum, Department of the Interior. The collection was transferred to the Division of Transportation of the NMAH in 19 _. The collection was transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Transportation on April 10, 1987.
Many of the photographs, particularly those identified in Bulletin No. 27 of the U. S. National Museum were taken by Thomas W. Smillie on the staff of the Smithsonian and also of the U.S. National Museum.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photograph album and scrapbooks compiled by Blanch Anderson Kitteredge on Winton Company employees and actvities, as well the Winton and Anderson families of Cleveland, Ohio.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a photograph album and two scrapbooks compiled by Blanch Anderson Kitteredge, wife of Harold B. Anderson, and Lewis Harris Kitteredge. The photographs depict Alexander Winton; employees of the Winton Co. and their families; the Winton touring car; the Winton Bullet No. 2 (including being shipped in 1903 to Ireland for fourth Gordon Bennett Race, views of the car in Ireland, and during the race); other racing cars; family travels; steam yachts; homes; friends and relatives; and leisure activities. The scrapbooks contain programs, ribbons, news clippings, and other ephemera related to leisure activities and life of the Winton and Anderson families in Cleveland from the 1890s to the 1920s.
Biographical / Historical:
Alexander Winton was a builder and driver of early racing cars. His third racing car, called the "Bullet No. 2", was one of the first automobiles to use an 8-cylinder, in-line engine. Winton and Harold B. Anderson, chief engineer of Winton Motor Carriage Company, built this automobile for the fourth Gordon Bennett road race, held in Ireland in 1903. The car was forced
out of the race due to mechanical problems. A good account of the automobile, which is in the Smithsonian's transportation collections, can be seen in Donald H. Berkebile and Smith Hempstone Oliver's book, The Smithsonian Collection of Automobiles and Motorcycles, City of Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1968.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Gretchen Nyland, 1984, October 12, 1984 November 6.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. The leather photograph album is in poor and fragile condition. The leather is deteriorated and some of the black paper pages are loose.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
This collection is comprised of over 18 cubic feet of material generated during the course of the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey. The bulk of the collection consists of survey books and measured drawings. Other records include administrative papers relating to the project, an index and catalogue, and a listing of the names of vessels surveyed.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into five series.
Series 1: H.A.M.M.S. Index
Series 2: H.A.M.M.S. Catalogue
Series 3: Names of Vessels, 1789-
Series 4: Field Notes
Series 5: Drawings
Biographical / Historical:
The Historic American Merchant Marine Survey (HAMMS) was one of six projects created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to provide work for unemployed skilled or "white collar" workers. These projects were intended to provide work which was both useful and appropriate to the skills and experience of workers who were not suited for more traditional work programs involving manual or outdoor labor. The specific goal of HAMMS was to undertake a national survey of watercraft, in order to document the design and technical evolution of vessel types significant in America's commercial maritime history. This was to be accomplished by making measured drawings of existing vessels, ship models, and builders' half models; by making a photographic record of significant vessels; and by compiling written data about vessels.
The HAMMS program was in existence from January 1, 1936 to October 15, 1937. The Smithsonian Institution served as the official sponsor of the Survey and received all the documentation produced, thus augmenting its already significant National Watercraft Collection. Unlike other WPA projects, HAMMS was administered directly from Washington by its Director, Eric J. Steinlein, who coordinated the survey work of six regional directors. Despite its national mandate, the Survey actually was limited to the eastern seaboard, the Great Lakes, and California. Furthermore, the types of craft surveyed and the level of documentation varied considerably within the six regions. During the course of its existence, the HAMMS program conducted over 166 surveys and produced over 400 sheets of line drawings of ship's hulls, rigging, and details.
Provenance:
The materials in this collection were turned over to the Smithsonian soon after the completion of the project in 1937.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Naval architecture -- Designs and plans Search this
Genre/Form:
Records
Tracings
Notes
Drawings -- 1930-1940
Citation:
Historic American Merchant Marine Survey, 1936-1937, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Search this
Extent:
1 Cubic foot (2 volumes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1890-1900
Scope and Contents:
Two albums of photographs depicting rotary snow plows for railroads.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical / Historical:
Started near the turn of the twentieth century by John Leslie, the Leslie Company was established to automate the removal of snow in railroads through the production of steam powered rotary plows, as well as other types of steam equipment.
Provenance:
Collection donated by the Leslie Company, 1968.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Winans, Ross, 1796-1877 (railroad equipment supplier) Search this
Collector:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 volume)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Letter books
Place:
Maryland
Date:
1850-1851.
Scope and Contents:
Letterbook contains copies of 417 business letters, arranged chronologically, relating to the manufacture and sale of railroad equipment including locomotive engines, tenders, and car wheels. These letters were replicated in a process similar to carbon copies in an almost perfectly uniform handwriting.
Biographical / Historical:
Winans was an inventor, mechanic, and builder of locomotives and railroad machinery, including wheels, axels, bearings trucks and carriages. In 1828 he developed a friction wheel with outside bearings which established a "distinctive pattern for railroad wheels for the next one hundred years or so. In the late 1820s also he became associated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, eventually entering their service as an engineer. He retired from the locomotive business in 1860. When Winans died he left an estate worth over twenty million dollars.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
