Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- This collection consists of Western Pacific train orders, publications about the life of James E. Boynton and the negatives of North American railroads both collected and created by James E. Boynton.
- Extent:
- 6.709 Linear Feet 1-half manuscript box, 13-"shoebox" style negative boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], James E. Boynton Collection, MS 850, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Series 1. Train Orders is a collection of Western Pacific Railroad train orders organized by the station and then date. These train orders used Form 17, 19, 31. Form 31 was a more restrictive order and the conductor was required to stop and sign for the order. Form 19 is not as restrictive and did not require the signature of the conductor. Form 17 is specific to the Western Pacific Railroad, replacing form 19 and Form 31 in approximately 1970.
The train orders are used in conjunction with the Dispatch Sheets and the Employee Time Tables for specific days of the month to get an accurate record and understanding of the movements of a specific train on a specific day.
This collection of train orders includes orders from the Oakland Yard, Carbona, Stockton Yard, Termmous Junction, Thornton, Marysville, Oroville Yard, Bloomer, Belden, Greenville, Mason, Portola, Doyle, Sand Pass, Gerlach and Sulpur.
Series 2. Publications contains articles written about Boynton. "LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE IRON HORSE: JIM BOYNTON's LIFE ON THE STEEL RAIL" edited by Mary Rehwald is an oral history interview of Jim Boynton. The interview was conducted by David Weitzman in the late Spring of 1983. The Feather River Short Line Railroad: Steam Forever: James Earle Boynton is the Official Publication of the Feather River Short Line Railroad, dedicated to the life and memory of James Earle Boynton. It includes stories and memories from Ted Benson, Kevin Bunker, Guy L. Dunscomb, and Ted Wurm.
Series 3: Negatives is collection of 26 "shoebox" size boxes of negatives of railroads. These 26 boxes have been divided into two subseries.
Subseries 1 Catalogued Negatives are 13 boxes that have been arranged alphabetically by railroad name. Photos of railroads, motive power and rolling stock within this series are listed in the finding aid and have been catalogued and are part of the CSRM L&A online catalog.
Subseries 2 Uncatalogued Negatives has been interfiled with the CSRM A-Z negative collection and given a CSRM Negative number. There is not a listing of the images within the numbered CSRM A-Z Negative collection.
Negatives within this collection are comprised of images that Boynton took himself, as well as images that he acquired from other railroad photographers, whenever possible the original photographer's name has been cataloged with the image. In addition to original negatives, there are many copy negatives of historical images, images from reference materials and documents.
Photographic print materials has been interfiled into the CSRM Photograph A-Z collection.
Additonal photograph materials can be found in the James E. Boynton Collection and the J.E. Boynton Collection at California State Univery, Chico, Miriam Library.
There are no Western Pacific Railroad negatives within either grouping of negatives.
- Biographical / historical:
-
James Boynton was born in Oakland, California on October 3, 1921 and passed away on March 4, 1992 in Plumas, California. After high school he attended the University of Idaho and Oregon State University in Corvallis and studied mechanical engineering. Boynton enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 as an ordnance man and became an aerial gunnery instructor for B-17 and B-29 bombardment aircraft. According to his book jacket biography, he invented a run-away gun eliminator for use on remote control turrets of B-29 aircraft. He received a commendation from the Air Corps for his invention.
Mr. Boynton worked for nearly 32 years with the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads as a locomotive engineer running trains from Keddie to Bieber and back. He authored the popular book, Three Barrels of Steam, about the 4-10-2 steam locomotive. He was a charter member of the old Golden State Railroad Historical Society and was an associate member of the Pacific Locomotive Association. He was the Vice-president of the Feather River Rail Society.
For further reading about James Boynton, please see, Love Affair with the Iron Horse: Jim Boynton's Life on the Steel Rail edited by Mary Rehwald is a oral history interivew of Jim Boynton. The interview was conducted by David Weitzman in the late Spring of 1983. The Feather River Short Line Railroad, Steam Forever: James Earle Boynton is the Offical Publication of the Feather River Short Line Railroad, dedicated to the life and memory of James Earle Boynton.
- Arrangement:
-
MS 850 is arranged into three series:
Series 1. Train Orders
Series 2. Publications
Series 3. Negative Collection.
Sub-series 1: Catalogued Negative Collection.
Sub-series 2: Uncatalogued Negative Collection.
- Physical location:
- Big Four Building (Series 3) Statewide Museum Collections Center (Series 1-2)
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research by appointment.
- Terms of access:
-
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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], James E. Boynton Collection, MS 850, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
111 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 323-8073