Technology, Invention, and Innovation Collections

Railroad Collections

The Archives Center's railroad collections document America's western expansion, industrialization, the rise of big business, and the development of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century railroad system in the United States.  The collections are organized in five subject categories: personal papers, railroad company records, railcar builders, hardware, and other related topics.  The finding aids for these collections are listed below.

The majority of these collections were originally acquired by the Museum's Transportation History Collections, formerly the Division of Transportation prior to the 1980s, and then transferred to the Archives Center.  However certain portions of the railroad materials acquired by that division were not transferred to the Center.  Access to those railroad collections  is available by appointment.  Please call (202) 633-3949 or write to Transportation History Collections, The National Museum of American History, Behring Center, Washington, DC 20560.  

The Archives Center collaborates with the Museum's Lemelson Center
for the Study of Invention and Innovation to acquire and make accessible collections documenting the history of invention. The finding aid below marked with a double asterisk (**) is located in electronic form on the Lemelson Center's web site. When you click on that title you will open a window to the Lemelson Center site. To return to this page close that window. 

Collection Finding Aids Currently Available On-Line

Personal Papers:

• Forman H. Craton Papers, 1902-1983, #454
• John W. Garrett Collection, 1850-1880, #171
• James J. Hill Scrapbook, 1916, #334
• William Mason Papers, 1839-1857, #45
• Samuel Morse Felton Family Papers, 1841-1930, #170
• James A. Millholland Collection, 1866-1899, #163
• Edwin Price Reminiscences, 1893, #70
• John Stevens Collection, 1808 - 1881, #333

Railroad Company Records:

• Camden & Amboy Railroad Rules and Traffic Agreements Collection, 1844-1871, #152
• Chicago Surface Line Drawings, 1886-1926; 1948, #212
• Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway Company Drawings, 1948-1950, #279
• Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company Records, 1866-1927, #282
• Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company Records, ca. 1860-1936, #208
• Providence and Worchester Railroad Repair Shop Account Book, 1851-54; 1880-1899, #154
• Railway Express Agency, 1899-1970, #260
• Swatara Railroad Papers, 1805-1894, #272
• Ross Winans' Letterbook, 1850-51, #155

Railroad Locomotive and Car Builders:

• Baldwin Locomotive Works Collection (Engine Registgers and Order Books), 1833-1956, #157
• Baldwin Locomotive Works Drawings, 1870-1890, #353
• Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, #225
• Jackson and Sharp Car Company and American Car & Foundry Company Records, 1884-1948, #156
• Lima Locomotive Works, Inc., Service Department Records, #1180
• Pittsburgh Locomotive Works Records, 1874-1910, #164
• Pullman Palace Car Company Collection, 1867-1982 (bilk 1900-1930s), #181
• Timken Roller Bearing Co. Collection, 1925-1957, #380

Hardware:

• **William E. Woodard Patents, 1909-1949, #125
• Southern Iron & Equipment Company Records, 1903-1960, #354

Other Collections:

• Division of Transportation: Railroad's Engineering Data, 1912-1949, #207
• Grand Central Terminal Collection, 1831-1978 (bulk 1903-1933), #1071
• Interstate Commerce Commison Locomotive Inspection Reports and Photoprints, 1931-1964, #241
• Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad Photographs, 1925-1928, #1079
• Sperry Rail Detector Car Collection, 1928-1985, #497
• John H. White, Jr. Railroad Reference Collection, 1880s-1990, #523

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