Inventory of the Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company Collection,
1916-1928
Processed by Blaine Lamb; machine-readable finding aid created by Gabriela A. Montoya
California State Railroad Museum Library
111 "I" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 323-8073
Fax: (916) 327-5655
Email: csrmlibrary@csrmf.org
URL: http://www.csrmf.org/library.html
© 1999
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company Collection,
1916-1928
Collection number: MS 37
California State Railroad Museum Library
Sacramento, California
Contact Information:
- California State Railroad Museum Library
- 111 "I" Street
- Sacramento, California 95814
- Phone: (916) 323-8073
- Fax: (916) 327-5655
- Email: csrmlibrary@csrmf.org
- URL: http://www.csrmf.org/library.html
- Processed by:
- Blaine Lamb
- Encoded by:
- Gabriela A. Montoya
© 1999 California State Railroad Museum. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1916-1928
Collection number: MS 37
Creator:
Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company
Extent: 2 cartons
Repository:
California State Railroad Museum Library
Sacramento, California 95814
Shelf location: Big Four Building or off-site storage. Please contact the Library in advance of your visit.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
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 Senior Curator. 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company Collection, MS 37, California State Railroad Museum Library,
Sacramento, California.
Historical Background
The Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company was organized in 1916 to manufacture and market a device invented by John B.
Shelton for a movable deck to be installed in railroad box, refrigerator and stock cars. The officers of the company included
Shelton as president and Guy V. Fleming as secretary. Offices were in San Francisco. A Canadian subsidiary also was established
in 1919.
Over the years the company succeeded in installing adjustable car decks for test purposes on a number of railroads, including
the Southern Pacific, Nevada-California-Oregon, Northwestern Pacific, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, and Chicago and Alton.
None of the railroads however, ordered the devices.
The company encountered financial difficulties in the 1920s, and in 1924 A. R. T. Lackie replaced Shelton as president. Further
attempts were made to interest railroads in the adjustable car decks, but with little success. It appears as though the company
ceased operation by the 1930s.
Collection Description
The collection consists of the business records of the Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company, and includes the by-laws,
minutes of the board of directors for the American and Canadian firms, stock sales books and patents information. There are
also miscellaneous letters, stock transfer records and advertising materials. In addition, researchers will find photographs
of the device in the Museum's photograph files and drawings in the drawings collection. Wood and brass advertising models
of the adjustable car decks are located in the Museum's artifact collections.
Box 1, Volume Vol. 1
Typewritten by-laws and minutes of the first meeting of the Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company, January 24, 1916
Volume Vol. 2
Typewritten minutes of the meetings of the Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company, February 7, 1916-January 25, 1926
Volume Vol. 3
Typewritten minutes of the meetings of the Canadian Adjustable Double Deck Company, Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia,
December 1, 1919-January 19, 1920.
Volume Vol. 4-8
Stock issue books containing receipts for stock issued, lists of persons to whom stocks were issued, the number of shares
and the dates, 1916-1927.
Box 2, Folder Folder 1
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1918-1928
Folder Folder 2
Canadian Adjustable Double Deck Company certificate of incorporation, November 22, 1919
Folder Folder 3
Canadian stock transfer records, 1919
Folder Folder 4
Miscellaneous financial papers and minutes of meetings, 1922-1928
Folder Folder 5
Specification of letters patent, 1916-1917
Folder Folder 6
Assignments and letters of patent, 1916, 1917
Folder Folder 7
Combined adjustable stock and freight car patents along with supporting papers, 1926
Folder Folder 8
Promotional letters, 1923
Folder Folder 11
Photocopies of photographs showing Shelton Adjustable Double Deck Car Company demonstration cars and models (originals located
in CSRM photograph files)
Folder Folder 12
Miscellaneous clippings and envelopes
