John F. Kirkland's Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton and WIX Filter Corporation Records, 1947-1986, bulk 1947-1953, 1984-1986

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Summary

Title:
John F. Kirkland's Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton and WIX Filter Corporation records
Dates:
1947-1986, bulk 1947-1953, 1984-1986
Abstract:
Project files of John F. Kirkland, Baldwin Lima Hamilton (BLH) Pacific Coast District Manager, and one correspondence file generated while working as a sales representative for WIX Filter Corp.
Extent:
1.33 Linear Feet 4 manuscript boxes
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The records of John F. Kirkland, Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton (BLH) Pacific Coast District manager, contain select project files for the purchase of diesel locomotives and switchers from BLH by Southern Pacific Co. in the 1940s and 1950s. They include correspondence between Kirkland and Southern Pacific representatives, internal memos, quotations, proposals, and specifications for each type of engine, and delivery or shipment details.

Many of the letters address technical questions, and defects or mechanical problems experienced by Southern Pacific with the equipment. There is also a correspondence documenting Kirkland's stint as a sales representative with WIX Filter Corp. in the 1980s after he retired from BLH.

Biographical / historical:

John F. Kirkland was a dealer and representative for the Baldwin Lima Hamilton Company in San Francisco beginning in the 1940s. He and his wife Dorothy lived in the Bay Area of California. In the early 1970s, Kirkland was promoted to regional manager of the Baldwin Lima Hamilton Company. He retired in 1978 and served as a sales representative for WIX Filter Corporation in the mid-1980s. He was born in 1906 and died in 2000.

Kirkland wrote Dawn of the Diesel Age: The History of the Diesel Locomotive in 1983 and The Diesel Builders in 1985 and 1994.

Acquisition information:
The WIX Filter Corp. file was purchased in 1999.
Arrangement:

Project files are arranged by project number. The WIX Filter Corp. correspondence file has been placed at the end of Box 4.

Physical location:
Statewide Museum Collections Center
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Bibliography:

Kirkland, J. F. (1983). Dawn of the diesel age: The history of the Diesel Locomotive in America. Interurban Press. Kirkland, J. F. (1985). Fairbanks-Morse and Lima-Hamilton. Interurban Press. Kirkland, J. F. (1985). The diesel builders. Interurban Press.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
CSRM Library Archives staff
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-04 23:53:44 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research by appointment. Contact Library Staff

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.

Location of this collection:
111 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814, US
Contact:
(916) 323-8073
Library.CSRM@parks.ca.gov
Website