Inventory of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen / Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Collection, 1890-1962

Processed by Blaine Lamb; machine-readable finding aid created by Xiuzhi Zhou

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

Inventory of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen / Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Collection, 1890-1962

Collection number: MS 3

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:: Xiuzhi Zhou

Descriptive Summary

Title: Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen / Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Collection,

Date (inclusive): 1890-1962

Collection number: MS 3

Creator: Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen

Extent: 72 bound volumes, 4 cartons, and 1 flat carton

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

Provenance

United Transportation Union, 1982 + various donors

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], Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen / Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Collection, MS 3, California State Railroad Museum Library, Sacramento, California.

Historical Background

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was founded on December 1, 1873 at Jervis, New York, to provide mutual support for railroad firemen. The Brotherhood early on emphasized insurance, although in the late nineteenth century it became involved in labor/management relations. By the turn of the century, the organization also had changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, thereby permitting locomotive engineers to hold membership. In 1969, it joined with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the United Transportation Union.

Collection Description

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen records contain material relating to the national organization, national railroad labor relations, and railroad labor issues, from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries. In addition, the General Chairman's Reports, which comprise a sizable portion of the collections, relate largely to labor cases on the Southern Pacific, El Paso and Southwestern, and Northwestern Pacific Railroads. Of particular interest is the volume on the arbitration of questions raised by electrification of the Southern Pacific's East Bay suburban operations. In addition to information on these lines, the volume contains testimony describing operations on the Pacific Electric Railway and other Southern California electric routes.

The records of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen are organized in eight series listed below. The first seven are arranged according to the office or organization of origin, and then chronologically within each series. The eighth series, consisting of ephemera pertaining to the Brotherhood, is arranged according to the type of item.

Abbreviations in the inventory

BLE Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
BLF Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
BLFE Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen
BRT Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
EPSW El Paso and Southwestern Railroad
NWP Northwestern Pacific Railroad
ORC Order of Railway Conductors
SP Southern Pacific Company, Pacific System

Series 1: Presidential Bulletins 1920-1962

Scope and Content Note

(printed; issued monthly by the Office of the President)

Volume Bound volumes(6)

1920-1925; 1926-1932; 1933-1936; 1937-1940;1941-1943; 1944-1946

Carton Ctn. 1-2

Loose issues: 1947-1962

Series 2: General Grievance Committee Proceedings 1928

Scope and Content Note

(contains records of meetings)

Volume Bound volumes (8)

1917-1922; 1923-1926; 1927-1929

Additional Note

(bound with Report of Board of Trustees of the General Grievance Committee, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, Southern Pacific, Pacific Lines, 1925-1929); 1931, 1936, 1937 (bound with Audit of the Property of the General Grievance Committee, 1930-1937); 1938, 1939, 1941, 1945 (bound with Audit of the Property of the General Grievance Committee, 1938-1946); 1947, 1948, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1959 (bound with Audit of the Property of the General Grievance Committee, 1947-1960); Joint Report, 1928 (synopses of cases settled); Material on the SP (pp. 1-414; material on the EPSW (pp. 1-63)

Series 3: Convention Proceedings 1913-1941

Volume Bound volumes

1913

Additional Note

(26th convention, Washington, D.C.); 1916 (27th convention, Denver); 1919 (28th convention, Denver); 1922 (29th convention, Houston); 1925 (30th convention, Detroit); 1928 (31st convention, San Francisco); 1931 (32nd convention, Columbus); 1937 (33rd Convention, Milwaukee); 1941 (34th convention, Denver)

Series 4: BLF Joint Protective Board, SP, Proceedings of Annual Meetings and Special Sessions 1902-1916

Volume Bound volumes (4)

1902-1907; 1908-1910; 1911-1913; 1914-1916

Series 5: BLFE Joint Protective Board, SP, Reports 1908-1916

Scope and Content Note

(contains business matters and synopses of settlements of labor/management disputes)

Volume Bound volumes (3)

1908-1910; 1911-1913; 1914-1916

Series 6: General Chairman's Reports 1909-1960

Scope and Content Note

(contains business matters and discussions of grievance cases, settlements of labor/management disputes, and labor/management contract issues)

Volume Bound volumes

1909-1913

Additional Note

(pertains to labor issues on the SP); 1917-1919 (SP); 1920-1924 (SP); 1925-1927 (SP); 1929-1931 (SP); 1932-1935 (SP, pp. 70-1436, EPSW, pp. 122-242, NWP, p. 2-55); 1936-1937 (SP, pp. 1437-1981, EPSW, pp. 243-357, NWP, pp. 56-111); 1938-1939 (SP, pp. 1982-2466, EPSW, pp. 358-441, NWP pp. 112-147); 1940-1942 (SP, pp. 2467-3055, EPSW, pp. 442-513, NWP, pp. 148-184); 1943-1945 (SP, pp. 3056-3176, EPSW, pp. 514-697, NWP, pp. 185-259); 1946 (SP, pp. 3717-4247, EPSW, pp. 698-832, NWP, pp. 260-282); 1947 (SP, pp. 4248-4677, EPSW, pp. 833-917, NWP, pp. 283-311); 1948 (SP, pp. 4678-5160, EPSW, pp. 918-1015, NWP, pp. 312-351); 1949 (SP, pp. 5161-5777, EPSW, pp. 1016-1155, NWP, pp. 352-384); 1950 (SP, pp. 5778-6082, EPSW, pp. 1156-1211, NWP, pp. 385-415); 1951 (SP, pp. 6083-6463, EPSW, pp. 1212-1271, NWP, pp. 416-419); 1952 (SP, pp. 6464-6843, EPSW, pp. 1272-1329, NWP, pp. 420-435); 1953 (SP, pp. 6844-7593, EPSW, pp. 1330-1413, NWP, pp. 436-460); 1954 (SP, pp. 7594-8253, EPSW, pp. 1414-1534, NWP, pp. 461-508); 1955 (SP, pp. 8254-8732, EPSW, pp. 1535-1595, NWP, pp. 509-524); 1956 (SP, pp. 8733-8996, EPSW, pp. 1596-1659, NWP, pp. 525-550); 1957 (SP, pp. 8997-9417, EPSW, 1660-1747, NWP, pp. 551-585); 1958 (SP, pp. 9418-9951, EPSW, pp. 1748-1854, NWP, pp. 586-612); 1959 (SP, pp. 9952-10372, EPSW, pp. 1855-1935, NWP, pp. 613-621); 1960 (SP, pp. 10373-11018, EPSW, pp. 1936-2035, NWP, pp. 622-643)Bound with Special Adjustment Board No. 180, Decisions: Southern Pacific; El Paso and Southwestern

Series 7: Arbitration Electrical Question: Conference on Arbitration, 1913

Additional Note

Contains transcripts of hearings on changes in crews, instruction, and rules resulting from electrification of Southern Pacific's suburban lines in the East Bay, and a determination of the differences between street car service and suburban electric service.

Series 8: Ephemera 1890-1959

Carton Ctn. 3

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen Constitution: June- July 1919; January 1, 1920; January 1, 1938; January 1, 1942; January 1, 1948; July-August 1953; July-August 1959

Carton Ctn. 4

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen

Conventions. Invitation. 1890 (San Francisco)

Dances. Dance cards. February 22, 1901

Dances. Tickets. September 11, 1890

Dances. Invitation. February 19, 1908 (Oakland)

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen

Dances. Dance cards. March 2, 1906 (Rocklin); March 18, 1907; December 24, 1907 (Dunsmuir); March 17, 1908 (Raton, New Mexico); February 4, 1910 (Massachusetts?); February 12, 1912 (Sacramento)

Directories. [National]. January 20, 1948

Feeding the Iron Hog: The Life and Work of a Locomotive Fireman. Cleveland, Ohio: BLF&E, 1927. 100 pages.

Forms. Miscellaneous; Cypher card; Rates of pay/Weight of locomotives; Traveling card

History

Insurance manuals. October 1, 1941; January 1, 1942

Interstate Commerce Commission, Before the. Trains. Petition for promulgation and enforcement of rules, standards, and instructions for installation, inspection, maintenance and repair of power brakes. December 29, 1955.

Local lodge officers education and training manual. 1966?

Official circular of the Grand Lodge ... Report of General Policy Committee of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen on relations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the policy of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers. November 17, 1928.

Official circular of the Grand Lodge ... Third report of general policy committee of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen. April 2, 1931.

Report on Amalgamation. November 29, 1949. [BLE and BLF&E]

Carton Ctn. 5

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen

Conventions. Souvenir program. September 1892 (Cincinnati)

Minutes of the meetings of the co-operative joint committee of and grand officers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Enginemen, Order of Railway Conductors, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, August 13-23, 1913

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen

Conventions. Souvenir programs. 1928 (San Francisco); 1908 (Columbus, Ohio)

Ritual books. January 1, 1920; April 1, 1909