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The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Harold Stirton Photography Collection
MS 934
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Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Harold Stirton photography collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 934
Physical Description:
5.46 Linear Feet
13 Shoe-boxes
Date (inclusive): Circa 1930-1960
Abstract: The Harold Stirton Photography collection contains photographs of locomotives and trains in North America. This collection
contains photographs that were collected by Stirton, but also by other railroad photographers.
Physical Location: Statewide Museum Collections Center
Language of Material:
English
.
The Harold Stirton Photography collection contains photographs of locomotives and trains in Canada, Mexico, and the United
States, ranging from the 1930's to the 1960's.The photographs taken within the United States mostly cover railroads located
in the Midwest and Eastern parts of the country. This collection contains photographs that were not only taken by Stirton,
but also by other railroad photographers, such as Paul Eilenberger and Robert J. Foster.
The negative photographs are in good condition, and come in various sizes from 16mm to 3x5 negatives. The photographs are
kept in envelopes which can include the corporate name, locomotive number, wheel arrangement of the locomotive, date of the
photo, and the initials or name of the photographer. The negatives are sorted alphabetically by the corporate name of the
railroad, and then by the locomotive number.
Collection is open for research by appointment.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
On loan from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
This collection is arranged into 2 series: Series 1. Photography; Series 2. Postcards.
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.
Collection is organized in original order.
[Identification of item], Harold Stirton photography collection, MS 934, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives,
Sacramento, California.
Harold James Stirton was born between 1928 and 1930 in the city of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to parents Thomas Stirton,
and Dorothy Stirton. By 1947, Harold Stirton began working for the Chicago and North Western Railroad, both as a clerk and
a trucker. He was an active fan of railroad photography, as he both collected and took photographs of locomotives across the
United States, as well as participated in railfan groups of various focuses, such as the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical
Society, and the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
Harold Stirton advertised in railroad magazines, asking to buy or trade for steam locomotive negatives, and was one method
used to build up his collection of photographs. Stirton's photograph collection is featured in publications such as Trains
Magazine, the Chicago & North Western Historical Society's magazine, and several published books about railroad history, such
as "The A : Norfolk & Western's Mercedes of steam" by Ed King, and "Monon : the Hoosier Line" by Gary Dolzall and Stephen
Dolzall. Several of Harold Stirton's photographs can also be found within the collection of other railroad photographers,
such as Charles H. Stats and Bill Raia.
Stirton died on February 1, 1991, when Stirton was in his early sixties.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photograph collections
Railroads--Mexico--Photography
Railroads--Photography--Locomotives
New York Central Railroad Company
Pennsylvania Railroad