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Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Broadside Collection
MS 909
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Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Broadside Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 909
Physical Description:
17 Linear Feet
Seventeen record cartons
Date (inclusive): July 1828 - March 1968
Date (bulk): 1828-1927
Abstract: The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Broadside Collection contains 568 broadside posters from 77 different railroads
including: the Boston and Maine, Boston and Worcester, the Connecticut River, the Boston, Concord and Montreal, New York,
New Haven and Hartford, and Old Colony. The dates covered in the collection range from 1828 to 1968, with a majority falling
between the 1850s and 1900. Subjects covered by the broadsides range include excursion advertisements for fairs, musical,
theatrical and religious events, employee and public timetables, and announcements of schedule changes.
Physical Location: Statewide Museum Collections Center: I2.208
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection is open for research by appointment. Contact Library Staff.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
On loan from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society
Broadsides in the collection are arranged into two series:
Series 1. Timetables
Series 2. Subjects
¶ The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society was founded in 1921 by Charles Fisher, Arthur Curran, Warren Jacobs, and Roy
Carlson. In 1925, the aforementioned men, along with Albert Lumis and Carlton Philips, incorporated the society. It began
as a regional organization centered mainly around the northeast but has steadily grown into a global entity with ten local/regional
chapters, all of which are in the United States. ¶
¶ The New York chapter was the first to be established in 1934, and the latest chapter (The Steel City Chapter in McKeesport,
PA) was added in 2017. Originally, prospective members had to submit a monograph on a railroad-related topic, as well as two
photographs of locomotives. However now only a ten-dollar yearly fee is required. Membership has steadily grown since its
founding from 52 members in 1922, to 2,284 currently around the world. Members primarily consist of rail enthusiasts, as well
as archivists, librarians, authors, and former railroad employees. ¶
¶ The purpose of the society was preserving and studying all facets of both railroad history and technology. It is the oldest
organization in North America dedicated to this cause. In addition to archiving materials such as photographs, corporate papers,
and other rail ephemera, the local chapters may engage in the preservation and restoration of locomotives. However, each chapter
may emphasize a different aspect than the others. Additionally, most chapters publish a local newsletter/bulletin separate
from the national organization's publications. The Railway and Locomtoive Historical Society established their first archive
at Harvard Business School in 1927. In 1983 a new archive was built in 1983 as a part of the California State Railroad Museum.
It was also the Pacific Coast Chapter's collection which formed the initial foundation of the California State Railroad Museum.
¶
¶ Current (as of September 2022) organization leadership is as follows: The Society President is Robert Holzweiss, Treasurer
is Paul Gibson, Secretary is John Atherton, Membership Secretary is Ron Goldfelder, Membership Manager is Sherri Beck, and
Quarterly Newsletter Editor is Dan Cupper. ¶
[Identification of Item] MS 909 The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Broadside Collection. California State Railroad
Museum Library and Archives. Sacramento, California.
The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Broadside Collection contains 568 broadside posters from 77 different railroads
including: the Boston and Maine, Boston and Worcester, the Connecticut River, the Boston, Concord and Montreal, New York,
New Haven and Hartford, and Old Colony. The dates covered in the collection range from 1828 to 1968, with a majority falling
between the 1850s and 1900. Subjects covered by the broadsides range include excursion advertisements for fairs, musical,
theatrical and religious events, employee and public timetables, and announcements of schedule changes.
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.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Timetables
Broadsides
Scheduling
Fairs