The collection consists of nearly 300 pages of black and white photographs (image size: 1-1/4 x 1-½ inches), with 24 images pasted on each page) of male railroad employees, arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the surname, but not in precise alphabetical order. Each photograph includes a date (possibly a hire date), a job title (brakeman, motorman, conductor), and a geographical identification (regional or specific: Pasadena, Long Beach, Pomona). The men are not in uniform.

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 Senior Curator. 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.