James H. Gildea Middle East Railroad Collection, ca. 1940s-1970s, bulk early 1950s

Summary

Creators:

Gildea, James H.

Abstract:

The collection contains documents and photos, mainly about James H. Gildea's involvement in the early 1950s, as engineer and manager in charge of the construction of the Saudi Government Railway, running through the Arabian desert from the Persian Gulf to the capital city of Riyadh.

Extent:

1.1 linear feet (2 document boxes and 1 oversize box).

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

James H. Gildea Middle East Railroad Collection. Bernath Mss 219. Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains documents and photos, mainly about James H. Gildea's involvement in the early 1950s, as engineer and manager in charge of the construction of the Saudi Government Railway, running through the Arabian desert from the Persian Gulf to the capital city of Riyadh. The project came about as a result of a 1947 agreement between King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud and the Arabian-American Oil Company (Aramco). The cost was financed primarily from Saudi oil revenues, with engineering and construction under the guidance of Aramco and the Bechtel Construction Company. Gildea, formerly with Union Pacific, was chosen to head the project because of his experience in World War II as an operating manager for the Iranian railroad. Gildea later lived in Santa Barbara and was married to Madame Gildea.

Acquisition information:

Gift of the Gildea Estate and Purchase, 2006.

Physical location:

Del Norte (boxes 1-2); Annex 2 (box 3); Del Sur Map Cabinets (Map Cabinet 20-5).

Rules or conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Railroads--Saudi Arabia.

Names:

Gildea, James H.

Restrictions:

None. Collection is partially stored off-site; advance notice required for retrieval.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred citation:

James H. Gildea Middle East Railroad Collection. Bernath Mss 219. Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Location of this collection:

UC Santa Barbara, Special Research Collections

UC Santa Barbara Library

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US

Contact:

(805) 893-3062

special@library.ucsb.edu

Website