National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Search this
Extent:
3.25 Cubic feet (7 boxes, 1 map-folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Correspondence
Payrolls
Blueprints
Reports
Date:
1860-1940
Summary:
Papers and photographs documenting the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection consists of papers and photographs relating to the infrastructure of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, including correspondence, blueprints, inspection reports, plat and profile books, and photographs of tracks and bridges.
Biographical/Historical note:
Originally known as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad, the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) competed for the lucrative anthracite coal transport trade in northeastern Pennsylvania. It dominated the industry in eastern Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, becoming known as the "Route of the Black Diamond." The Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad was first suggested by prominent members of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, and the bill was carried through the legislature by Dr. Jesse Samuel, then a representative from Lehigh County. In August 1847, the necessary certificate to the Governor was signed for the purpose of obtaining a charter of incorporation. The name of the company was changed to Lehigh Valley Railroad Company by an act of assembly on January 7, 1853. Although the railroad did carry passengers, it depended mainly on the transportation of coal as its source of profit. The demise of the coal industry and the rise of auto and air transportation in the 1950s led to its financial ruin and a takeover by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1960. The records were acquired over the course of several years from the main offices of the LVRR.
Source
Historical note courtesy the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) Company Records Collection MG-274, Pennsylvania State Archives
Related Archival Materials:
Materials at the Archives Center
Coxe Brothers Collection (NMAH.AC.1002)
Girard Estate Records (NMAH.AC.1011)
Lehigh Valley Coal Company Records (NMAH.AC.1106)
Materials at Other Organizations
Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) Company Records Collection MG-274, 1849-1962, undated
The bulk of the records are 703 volumes of minutes, reports, journals, ledgers, cash books, company history, records of lands owned by the LVRR, and other records pertaining to everyday operations. Major series include: Minutes of the Board of Directors, 1850-1962 (which, among other things, contain information on accidents); Annual Reports, 1852-1975; Trustee Files, [ca. 1900-1982]; Cash Books, 1855-1952; Ledger, 1853-1955; and Real Estate Department Records, 1878-1951. (For records documenting personnel see Robert Dructor's publication: Guide to Genealogical Sources at the Pennsylvania State Archives, 2nd ed.) Records of Subsidiary Companies, consisting of 1,421 volumes, are organized by transportation companies, 1851-1950, and non-transportation, 1844-1947, then arranged alphabetically by company name. For each company there are minutes and/or financial accounts. Also included are three cubic feet (over five-hundred items) of photographic negatives taken by staff photographers. Subjects include construction of the Claremont Terminal, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1917-1923; ruins of the Morris Canal near Washington, New Jersey; the 1902 Lehigh River flood near Easton; and construction of an unidentified engine and freight-house, probably in Buffalo, 1915.
Provenance:
Original provenance unknown.
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
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.
Assessment data and treatment recommendations report : B & O Railroad Bridge Piers Stabilization Design Project, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Capital Region : final report / prepared by Williamsport Historic Preservation Training Center, Harpers Ferry Center
Author:
Williamsport Historic Preservation Training Center (Harpers Ferry Center) Search this
Physical description:
48, [83] leaves : ill. (some col.), plans (most folded) ; 29 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
West Virginia
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Date:
1994
[1994]
Topic:
Railroad bridges--Foundations and piers Search this
Historic bridges--Maintenance and repair Search this
Construction and maintenance of railway roadbed and track : arranged and compiled from authoritative sources with an exhaustive description of railway surveys and construction / by Frederick J. Prior
Manual of recommended practice for railway engineering and maintenance of way, containing the definitions, specifications and principles of practice adopted and recommended by the American railway engineering and maintenance of way association. Publication approved by the Board of direction
Author:
American Railway Engineering Association Search this
Car builders c̀•yclopedia of American practice : definitions and typical illustrations of railroad and industrial cars, their parts and equipment ; cars built in America for export to foreign countries ; descriptions and illustrations of shops and equipment employed in the construction and repair of cars / editor, C.L. Combes
Car builders' dictionary and cyclopedia definitions and illustrations of American railway cars, their parts and equipment compiled and edited for the Master car builders' association by Roy V. Wright and Charles N. Winter
Car builders' cyclopedia of American practice definitions and typical illustrations of cars, their parts and equipment; descriptions and illustrations of shops and tools employed in their construction and repair; cars built in America for industrial operations and foreign railroads compiled and edited for the American Railway association--Division V, Mechanical(formerly Master car builders' associ...
Car builders c̀•yclopedia of American practice : definitions and typical illustrations of railroad and industrial cars, their parts and equipment ; cars built in America for export to foreign countries ; descriptions and illustrations of shops and equipment employed in the construction and repair of cars / editor, C.B. Peck ... [et al.]
