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Guide to the Howes (William "Bill") Collection MS 916
MS 916
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: William "Bill" Howes collection
Creator:
Howes, William F., Jr.
Identifier/Call Number: MS 916
Physical Description:
24 Linear Feet
24 record cartons
Date (inclusive): 1845-2020
Date (bulk): 1945-2010
Abstract: The William "Bill" Howes collection contains copies of various publications, correspondence, notes, and records that Howes
either collected or personally generated. These publications include MIDWEST RAILROADER, RAIL PHOTO SERVICE, and various Railroad
& Locomotive Historical Society publications. The records within the collection include financial, builders, legal, and roster
records.
Physical Location: I2.208.Q1-I2.208.Q7, I2.208.R1-I2.208.R2.
Language of Material: English .
Collection is open for research by appointment. Certain files are restricted. Contact Library Staff.
Arranged alphabetically by subject. MS 916 is arranged into six series:
Series 1. MIDWEST RAILROADER/Roy W. Carlson Publisher Files
Subseries 1.1. Issues and notes
Subseries 1.2. Correspondence
Subseries 1.3. Railroad Research
Subseries 1.4. Photos
Series 2. Other Publications
Subseries 2.1. RAIL PHOTO SERVICE
Subseries 2.2. Various publications
Series 3. Railroad & Locomotive Historical Society/Bill Howes
Subseries 3.1. Records
Subseries 3.2. Correspondence
Subseries 3.3. Publications
Subseries 3.4. Harold K. Vollrath photo indexes
Subseries 3.5. Photos
Series 4. Locomotive Rosters
Subseries 4.1 Donald B. Robertson
Subseries 4.2. Railroad companies
Subseries 4.3. States
Subseries 4.4. Corporations
Subseries 4.5. Manufacturers
Series 5. Bill Howes Personal
Subseries 5.1. Correspondence
Subseries 5.2. Personal notes and ephemera
Subseries 5.3. Railroad research and ephemera
Subseries 5.4. Photos
William "Bill" Frederic Howes, Jr. was a civil engineer, railroad executive, and railroad historian. He was born the eldest
of two boys to William Frederic Howes, Sr. and Clara Howes nee Blanchard on June 11, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York. He had one
younger brother, Banning Blanchard Howes. Howes grew up in Yonkers, New York before moving to Pennsylvania to attend Carnegie
Tech as an adult. He graduated in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. From there, he briefly found work as
a draftsman for the New Haven Railroad until he began attending Purdue University. Howe graduated in 1963 with a master's
degree in civil engineering.
After graduating, Howes went to work for Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Baltimore, where he worked for the remainder of his
career in a multitude of departments. He worked as director for passenger services until the arrival of Amtrak. From there,
he moved to Jacksonville, Florida and worked as the vice president of the casualty prevention department. Howes retired in
1988 as the vice president of the research and analysis department. Howes' notable contributions while at Baltimore & Ohio
include organizing Chessie Steam Special excursions from 1977 to 1978 and the creation of the Chessie System cat logo.
Bill Howes was also involved in other organizations outside of his career. He served as a Board Member of the Railroad &
Locomotive Historical Society from 1991 and became President in 1994. In 2015, Howes received the Gerald M. Best Senior Achievement
Award from R&LHS. Howes additionally served as president of the Chesapeake Division of Railroad Enthusiasts at one time and
was a member of the Retired Administrators of Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (RABO).
Howes is also the co-author of three books with Joe Welsh and others: THE AMERICAN RAILROAD, TRAVEL BY PULLMAN, and THE CARS
OF PULLMAN.
Bill Howes passed away on July 30th, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida.
[Identification of item], William Howes Collection, MS 916, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento,
California.
The William "Bill" Howes collection contains files that railroad executive and historian Bill Howes either collected or personally
generated during his career and retirement. The material within the collection ranges from original material collected from
the mid to late 19th century or printed copies of older material to personal notes and emails up to 2020. Material is mostly
in good condition, with the exception of some older, more fragile papers.
Included within this collection are copies of various publications, correspondence, notes, photos and records. Some of these
Howe generated himself while other material he collected himself. Publications within the collection include MIDWEST RAILROADER,
RAIL PHOTO SERVICE, and various Railroad & Locomotive Historical Society publications. The correspondence includes a collection
from Roy W. Carlson to his various contacts. In addition, it includes correspondence to and from the Railroad and Locomotive
Historical Society while Howe was a member or serving on its board. The collection also contains Roy W. Carlson's notes concerning
Midwest Railroader. Notes additionally include Howes' personal notes. Photos within the collection include depictions of locomotives
and railroad related activities such as excursions, portraits or candid shots. The photos in this collection represent both
personal and professional photos. Records include financial, builders, legal, and roster records. Financial records are both
personal and related to various companies Howes collected for or worked with such as Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Chessie
System, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and CSX Transportation.
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
Correspondence--Letters
Railroad -- Historical Societies
Locomotive rosters
Railroads -- Advertising and publications
Organization--Railroad Society--Railroad and Locomotive History Society
Locomotive rosters
Robertson, Donald B.
Vollrath, Harold K.
National Transportation Safety Board (U.S.)