The collection consists of photocopies of typescripts of historical essays by Joslyn which have been bound in three parts:

David Lindsay Joslyn (1886-1963) was born in Kansas, but from the age of ten, lived in Sacramento. While still in his teens, he went to work at the Southern Pacific's Sacramento General Shops. There he worked at a number of assignments, including laborer, car truck builder, foreman, clerk, draftsman, and photographer. Over the years Joslyn also spent much time researching and writing about the history of Southern Pacific and its predecessor and subsidiary companies, as well as other railroad topics. The collection represents a compilation of Joslyn writings along with some correspondence and notes.

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.