Inventory of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Glass Plate and Film Negative Collection MS 936
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Glass Plate and Film Negative CollectionLibrary & Archives staff
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
2023-08-22
Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's glass plate and film negative collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 936
Physical Description:
14.28 Linear Feet
34 shoe boxes
Date (inclusive): Circa 1843-1913
Abstract: The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Glass Plate and Film Negative Collection contains photographs of locomotives
located in North and South America between the years of 1843 and 1913. This collection contains photographs that were collected
by the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
Physical Location: Big Four Building and Statewide Museum Collection Center.
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection is open for research by appointment.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
On loan from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
This collection is arranged alphabetically by the corporate name of the railroad.
The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society was founded in 1921 as the first organization in North America to focus on the
history of railroads. This organization has been a longstanding resource for those interested in the history of railroads.
The 1st chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society was founded in New York City in 1934, and has since expanded
to include 10 chapters located across the country, including two within California. While the majority of members are nonprofessional
railroading enthusiasts, the society does count archivists, historians, preservationists, curators, and museum directors among
its ranks. The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has had its collections open to researchers since 1927, when it was
located in the library of Harvard's Business School. Since then, the National chapter of the R&LHS has partnered with the
CSRM to house several of their extensive collections, including the group's Glass Plate and Film Negative collection.
[Identification of item], Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Glass Plate and Film Negative Collection, MS 936, California
State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Glass Plate and Film Negative Collection contains glass plate and film negatives
depicting photographs of locomotives in North and South America between the years of 1843 and 1913. This collection contains
photographs that were collected by the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
There are several pieces of information written on every glass plate and film negative, with most of the negatives including
the railroad name, locomotive name and number, wheel arrangement, locomotive builder, build date, as well as information regarding
the negative's size, type and number. The sizes of the glass plate negatives vary from 8x10 to 3x5, with the majority of the
3x5 negatives are located in boxes at CSRM's offsite location, while the larger 8x10 negatives are currently located in file
cabinets at the CSRM Library. Contained within the glass plate collection, there is a much smaller film negative collection,
all of which are located at the end of the box and file listings for this collection.
Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the CSRM Library & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of
the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Railroads--Photography--Locomotives
Railroads--Mexico--Photography
Chicago and North Western Railway Company
Boston and Albany Railroad
Old Colony Railroad