Francis A. Guido Papers MS 681

CSRM Library and Archives staff

California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives

2021

Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives

Title: Francis A. Guido Papers

creator: Guido, Francis A.

Identifier/Call Number: MS 681

Physical Description: 3 Linear Feet 2 manuscript boxes, 1 manuscript half box, 1 album, 44 films

Date (inclusive): 1922-1986

Abstract: The Francis A. Guido Papers contains material related to his numerous railroad excursion trips and to his editorial and publication of THE WESTERN RAILROADER from 1937 to 1986.

Physical Description: Statewide Museum Collections Center I2.210.N3

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research by appointment.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Francesca Guido, 2008

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into five series: 1. CORRESPONDENCE 2. RAILFAN EXCURSIONS 3. SUBJECT FILES 4. SCRAPBOOKS 5. EXCURSION VIDEOS

Biographical / Historical

¶ Born on December 8, 1920 in San Francisco, Francis A. Guido became interested in railroading as a child when an uncle gave him a Lionel train set. In 1937, he went on a West Coast railfan trip with Jack Gibson, which inspired them, along with John Carrick and Bill Darrough, to organize the Northern California Railroad Club.¶

¶ The first issue of the club's newsletter, THE WESTERN RAILROADER, was issued in 1937 and by April 1938, Francis Guido had agreed to write, edit, and publish it, which he did for the next forty-nine years. A "railfan" journal was novel for its time. Mr. Guido served as President of the Northern California Railroad Club, Director of the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, and Secretary of the San Mateo Historical Society. Mr. Guido frequently participated in Northern California railfan excursions.¶

¶ Francis Guido graduated from Stanford University in 1942 with a degree in transportation economics and from Stanford Law School in 1945 and began to practice law in San Mateo the following year. He married Helen Neuling and had two children, Gail and Garthand. He died February 1, 1986 in San Mateo, California.¶

Scope and Contents

The Francis A. Guido Papers contains material related to Mr. Guido's numerous railroad excursion trips and to his editorial and publication of THE WESTERN RAILROADER from 1937 to 1986.

In addition to correspondence with railroad historians and enthusiasts about contributions to THE WESTERN RAILROADER, these papers include business cards, roster note books, and meeting materials ranging from 1950 to 2009. The collection includes photographs, a scrapbook, ephemera and keepsakes collected by Mr. Guido during railfan excursions. It also includes videos taken during various excursions across California, the Pacific Northwest, and Nevada, which are located in series 5.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright has been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. Permission for publication must be submitted in writing to the CSRM Library and Archives.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Excursion--Railroad

Railroads--California--History

Biographical files

Correspondence--Letters

Series 1. Correspondence 1945-1946 1960-1980

Scope and Contents

¶ Contains both incoming and outgoing correspondence from the 1960s to the 1980s. Also includes Jack Whitmeyer's "Wheel reports from the Orange Empire" from 1945 and 1946. ¶

¶ Correspondents include prominent railroad historians and photographers such as: Henry E. Bender, Jr., Gerald M. Best, Stephen E. Drew, Mallory Hope Ferrell, George Harlan, Richard Kindig, Richard Steinheimer, John White, Jr., advertisers, publishers (Ira Swett), subscribers, historical societies (the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association, the Central Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, and the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society).¶

¶ Other prominent correspondents include Stuart Forsyth, Jack Gibson, Cornelius W. Hauck, Arthur L. Lloyd, Robert W. Parkinson, Governor Ronald Reagan, Charles Smallwood, Bert H. Ward, and representatives of AMTRAK and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company. ¶

¶ Subjects include: articles, photographs, and news items for THE WESTERN RAILROADER, the creation of the California State Railroad Museum, Southern Pacific track abandonments, AMTRAK, and railfan excursions.¶

box 1, folder 1-13

Unknown, A-Z

Series 2. Railfan Excursions 1922-1984

Scope and Contents

¶ This series includes photographs, postcards, brochures, route maps, tickets, menus and other ephemera collected by Francis Guido on excursions arranged by the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, the Northern California Railroad Club, and the National Railway & Historical Society between 1951 and 1984.

box 1, folder 14

Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge 1922-02-22

box 1, folder 15

Northern California Railroad Club, Cal Western M-100 1951-09-16

box 1, folder 16

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Pacific Coast Chapter, Weekend in the Redwoods, Northwestern Pacific 1952-05-24

box 1, folder 17

Arcata & Mad River Centennial 1954-05-30

box 1, folder 18

E Clampus Vitus, Bodega Bay 1965-10-30-1965-10-31

box 1, folder 19

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Edaville Excursion and Fiftieth Anniversary Meeting, Boston, May 1971-05-01-1971-05-02

box 1, folder 20

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Pacific Coast Chapter, Picnic on the Sierra, Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, CA 1972-10-14

box 2, folder 1

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Pacific Coast Chapter, Silverton - Cumbres, Colorado 1974-08-22-1974-08-26

box 2, folder 2

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Pacific Coast Chapter, Queen Mary – Catalina Adventure, 1976-08-27-1976-08-29

box 2, folder 3

Northern California Railroad Club, Castro – Sonoma Special, Castro Point Railway 1980-06-22

box 2, Folder 4

Southern Pacific and Caltrans Special, San Mateo 1980-07-07

box 2, Folder 5

Northern California Railroad Club, Delta Day, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, San Francisco to Stockton to Oakland 1982-06-12

box 2, Folder 6

List of 1983 and 1984 excursions 1983-1984

box 2, folder 7

Northern California Railroad Club, Springtime Skunk Train 1983-04-22-1983-04-23

box 2, folder 8

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Annual Meeting, Los Angeles to San Pedro harbor 1983-05-07

box 2, Folder 9

Northern California Railroad Club, Nevada Caper, Virginia & Truckee, Nevada 1983-06-22-1983-06-23

box 2, Folder 10

National Railway & Historical Society, Rails in the Woods: Klamath Special, Pacific Northwest Chapter, Oregon, California & Eastern Railway / Oregon, Pacific & Eastern 1985-09-02-1985-09-05

box 2, Folder 11

Northern California Railroad Club, AMTRAK, The Fall Trio: Coast Starlight, Roaring Camp & Big Trees, and Southern Pacific / Caltrans 1983-10-29

box 2, Folder 12

Miscellaneous excursion brochures 1984

box 2, Folder 13

Northern California Railroad Club, Summer Skunk Train 1984-06-09-1984-06-10

box 2, folder 14

Northern California Railroad Club, Rio Vista, Gold Country Tour 1984-10-13

Series 3. Subject Files 1937-2009

Scope and Contents

¶ A biographical information file about Francis Guido includes his business cards, a 1965 correspondence with RAILROAD magazine editor Freeman Hubbard about an "Interesting Railfan" biography of Mr. Guido, and a 2009 letter from Joseph A. Strapac about Mr. Guido. ¶

¶ Mr. Guido's locomotive roster notebook records steam and diesel locomotives from various Northern California railroads. There are a few canceled postage stamps with a railroad theme, and a Railway Post Office cancel from the "Rio Grande Zephyr." The R & LHS, Pacific Coast Chapter meetings material includes photographs of the guests and is arranged chronologically. ¶

box 2, Folder 15

Biographical information 1950-1986

box 2, folder 16

Locomotive roster notebook

box 2, Folder 17

Postage stamps and cancel 1975-1982

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Pacific Coast Chapter Meetings 1950-1983

box 2, Folder 18

Annual dinner, Oakland 1950-03-24

box 2, folder 19

Annual dinner, San Francisco 1972-12-15

box 2, folder 20

San Francisco 1976-02-27

box 2, Folder 21

Dinner 1976-05-02

box 2, Folder 22

Annual meeting, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento 1981-05-01

box 2, Folder 23

Directors' meeting 1981-12-19

box 2, Folder 24

Chapter meeting 1982-07-22

box 2, Folder 25

Plaque dedication at California State Railroad Museum 1982-05-22

THE WESTERN RAILROADER 1937-1940

box 2, Folder 26

Miscellaneous material

box 2, Folder 27

Volume 1, No. 1, November 1937 - Volume 1, No. 9, July 1938 (loose)

box 2, Folder 28

Volume 1, No. 10, August 1938 - Volume 3, No. 5, April 1940 (bound)

Series 4. Scrapbooks 1937-1982

Scope and Contents

¶ Includes photographs and postcards of equipment, clippings, promotional material, train schedules and tickets for excursion railroads in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, including the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway, the Mount Manitou Incline Railway, the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway, and the Denver & Rio Grande Western. The material in this scrapbook was moved from a binder labeled "No. 4 Colorado Passenger Railroads, 1982." ¶

box 3, Folder 1-5

Colorado Passenger Railroads 1982

box 3

Album 144

Series 5. Excursion Videos 1941-1969

Scope and Contents

¶ The Excursion Videos series in the Francis Guido Papers includes the digital copies of forty-four video recordings from the excursions taken by Mr. Guido and the railfan groups he was a part of. The dates of these videos range from 1941 to 1968, with the bulk of the videos created in the 1950s (though it should be noted that several videos are undated). The subjects of the videos are largely focused on the landscape and points of interest seen by the groups during the trips , and the locations seen include points around California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. ¶

1941 Vacation Thru Oregon and Washington 1941

1941 Vacation Thru Oregon and Washington: 1941-