Transportation - Overview
Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.
In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.
"Transportation - Overview" showing 31 items.
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Delaware and Hudson Railroad Engineering Drawings, 1900-1955
- Notes
- The Delaware and Hudson Railway Company grew out of the former Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which had been chartered in Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1823. The canal was last used in 1891. The company's first rail line ran between Carbondale, Pennsylvania and New York, beginning in 1872. After numerous mergers and purchases, it became the Delaware and Hudson Company and later Delaware and Hudson Railway. It was purchased by Guilford Rail System in 1984, and went bankrupt in 1988. Its lines were purchased in 1991 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. During its most successful years, Delaware and Hudson was the inventor, manufacturer and user of some of the most important innovations in steam locomotive design. One of its most important designers, John E. Muhlfeld, is well represented in this collection
- Summary
- The bulk of this collection consists of approximately 26,500 original ink and pencil drawings from which blueprints were later made. The drawings depict not only the rolling stock but the components of the railroad equipment, from the largest to the smallest. The drawings are indexed, titled, numbered, dated and annotated with dimensions and other information. In addition to the drawings, the collection also includes thousands of blueprints, photographs, ledgers, books, and periodicals
- Cite as
- Delaware and Hudson Railroad Engineering Drawings, 1900-1955, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1900
- 1900-1955
- 20th century
- creator
- Delaware and Hudson Railway Company
- donor
- Brosterman, Norman
- creator
- Muhlfeld, John E
- donor
- Nahem, Edward T
- Sasson, Maurice
- Smith, Sanford
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 1991.3199 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Baldwin Locomotive Works Engine Registers and Order Books, 1822-1956
- Notes
- The Baldwin Locomotive Works was started as a sole proprietorship by Matthias W. Baldwin in 1831. The company was the largest plant of its kind in the world. It is now out of business
- Summary
- Records of engine orders, specifications, prices and delivery (some duplicating), purchaser (usually a railroad), date of trial, engine name, construction number, class, track gauge, number of wheels, size of cylinders, number of valves, and fuel type are given. For later years, prices are given
- Cite as
- Baldwin Locomotive Works Engine Registers and Order Books, 1822-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1822
- 1822-1956
- Creator
- Baldwin Locomotive Works
- collector
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Baldwin, Matthias W. industrialist
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Interstate Commerce Commission Locomotive Inspection Reports, 1931-1964
- Notes
- Records and photographs of the ICC for the years 1931-1964. Most photographs are of accidents or failures of equipment
- Summary
- Records compiled by the Bureau of Rail Safety of the Federal Railroad Administration. Data include names of locomotive builders and railroads operating them. Photographs are dated and railroads identified. Accident times and circumstances are noted
- Cite as
- Interstate Commerce Commission Locomotive Inspection Reports, 1931-1964, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Martha Yungmeyer
- Date
- 1931
- 1931-1964
- 20th century
- creator
- Interstate Commerce Commission
- donor
- Yungmeyer, Martha
- collector
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Railway Express Agency Records, 1898-1969
- Notes
- The American Railway Express Agency was formed in 1917, when the federal government consolidated the nation's express companies in order to further the war effort. The company was purchased jointly by the nation's railroads in 1929, and its name was changed to Railway Express Agency, Inc. The company's name was changed to REA Express, and it conducted business under that title until 1975, when it filed for bankruptcy
- Summary
- Mainly forms, manuals, federal regulations, accounting instructions, and personnel materials. Included are labor agreements, an employee handbook, and information on the employees' sick benefit association. Other materials include drawings of property owned; and photographs, engineering drawings, technical publications relating to railroad passenger car brake equipment; also a public relations publication, "The Pony Express Story."
- Cite as
- Railway Express Agency Records,1898-1969, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1898
- 1898-1969
- donor
- Karl, Roger F. R
- collector
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of
- author
- Railway Express Agency
- Subject
- Adams Express Company
- American Railway Express Agency
- REA Express
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
James Forgie Papers, 1890-1946, 1949
- Notes
- New York tunnel engineer
- Summary
- The papers contain correspondence, reports, drawings, blueprints, cost estimates, contracts, specifications, regulations, legal documents, photographs, profiles, diagrams, clippings, and publications concerning projects with which Forgie was associated, including the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the Mid-town Hudson Tunnel, and Pennsylvania Railroad tunnels in New York. Also included are publications and patents on subaqueous tunneling, subway stations, and bridges, and material on the Forgie submarine
- Date
- 1890
- 1890-1949
- 1890-1946, 1949
- 1890-1940
- 1900-1950
- 1890-1900
- 1890-1960
- 20th century
- author
- Forgie, James
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Pennsylvania Railroad
- Local number
- 2007.3207 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Transportation (series), circa 1835-1969
- Summary
- Contains material relating to transportation in the United States and abroad. This portion of the Warshaw collection has been processed; however, at this time, a complete finding aid for the materials is not available. Researchers interested in these materials should consult the survey forms for the collection or the container list for this series. Any questions should be directed to the reference archivist or collection specialist
- Cite as
- Transportation series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, box ##, folder ###, digital file number ####
- Date
- 1835
- 1969
- circa 1835-1969
- collector
- Warshaw, Isadore d. 1969
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Wilbur L. Metz Collection of Railroad Ephemera, 1910-1986
- Notes
- Railroad brakeman
- Summary
- Printed materials collected by Metz during his railroad career, including timetables, rule books, operational manuals, safety manuals, labor union materials, regulations, Metz' IDs and certifications, blank company forms, company newsletters, and internal memoranda and correspondence. The papers relate to several railroads: Western Maryland Railway Company, the Reading Co., Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and Conrail. Unions for which papers are included in the collection are the United Transportation Union, the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen
- Cite as
- Wilbur L. Metz Collection of Railroad Ephemera, 1910-1986, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1910
- 1910-1986
- 20th century
- collector
- Metz, Wilbur L
- Creator
- United Transportation Union
- Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of America
- Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen (U.S.)
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
- Chessie System, inc
- ConRail
- Pennsylvania Railroad
- Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Company
- Reading Company
- Western Maryland Railway Company
- collector
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 1996.3025 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Clayton M. Hall Railroad Photonegatives, 1936-1965
- Notes
- Photographer
- Summary
- Photographic negatives of steam locomotives, mostly taken in rail stations and rail yards. Geographically they cover most of the United States
- Cite as
- Clayton M. Hall Railroad Photonegatives, 1936-1965, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1936
- 1936-1965
- 20th century
- photographer
- Hall, Clayton M
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 299049 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Alfred Maevis Collection, 1903-1969
- Notes
- Maevis was an engineer who worked on New York City's subway system
- Summary
- The collection relates to the construction of the New York subway system. Included are diagrams; photographs of workers and of demolition, excavation, and dredging in the tunnels; reprints from professional engineering journals on topics relating to the subway construction; contracts; volumes containing budget information listing the costs for various elements for specific parts of the system; invitations for bids from contractors; and a bound volume of "Public Service Record", a monthly publication of the New York City Public Service Commission
- Cite as
- Alfred Maevis Collection, 1903-1969, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1903
- 1903-1969
- 20th century
- collector
- Maevis, Alfred
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3073 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Harry A. McBride Railroad Photographs, ca. 1940s-1950s
- Notes
- McBride was a foreign service officer and museum official. He was also a railroad enthusiast
- Summary
- Approxiamtely 3,000 views of railroads, railroad equipment, stations, yards and employees. The emphasis is on American railroads, but the collection includes a few views of railroad subjects in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, Scandinavia, and several island nations
- Cite as
- Harry A. McBride Railroad Photographs, 1940s-1950s, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1940
- 1960
- ca 1940s-1950s
- 20th century
- 1940-1970
- photographer
- McBride, Harry A
- collector
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 228816 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
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