This collection includes papers collected by Kathleen F. Phelan Arnoldeson during her career as a telegrapher for Union Pacific Railroad and a train dispatcher for Western Pacific Railroad, the papers of her father Patrick J. Phelan, a telegrapher-station agent for Union Pacific, and her husband Glade M. Arnoldsen, a train dispatcher, telegrapher, and yard clerk / crew caller.

Kathleen Frances Phelan Arnoldsen was born on May 29, 1949 in Upland, California to Patrick Phelan and his wife. While her father was working as a telegrapher at La Habra, California, Kathleen delighted in waving at the trains at the window of her living room. She graduated from high school in Riverside, California, where she worked at the UP station for a month. Her love of trains and stations led her to apply for a position as a telegrapher with the Union Pacific. She was hired to work at Riverside station, where her father was station agent. She also worked in Ontario and East Los Angeles, and Yermo, California. She spent several weeks working in Sloan, Nevada. After her position was abolished at the end of 1970, Kathleen became the first woman to work at Hobart Tower in East Los Angeles. After her position was again abolished in 1972, she and her husband Glade moved to Northern California, where they were both hired by Western Pacific Railroad to work as telegraphers. After first working in Greenville, she transferred to the Oroville yard by April 1973. She assisted at Westwood, California after Southern Pacific had a washout on their line and needed to detour their trains on Western Pacific Railroad's track.

.17 Linear Feet 1 half archive box

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