Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- John "Jack" Fraser Weiffenbach Papers
- Dates:
- 1936 - 1956
- Abstract:
- The papers in this collection concern Mr. Weiffenbach's activities with Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Corporation, Fairbanks, Morse & Company, and the Canadian Locomotive Company.
- Extent:
- 3 Linear Feet 6 boxes
- Language:
- English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], John "Jack" Fraser Weiffenbach Collection, MS 50, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The papers in this collection concern Mr. Weiffenbach's activities with Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Corporation, Fairbanks, Morse & Company, and the Canadian Locomotive Company. The papers are primarily handwritten notes and a few drawings, with many internal memoranda, carbons of letters, and curve charts.
Mr. Weiffenbach also kept a few formal reports and some folders of clippings. The body of papers covers the development of the diesel-electric locomotive. Some folders are devoted to specific models (F3) or lines ("C" line), while others investigate a particular problem, such as braking. A few folders contain personal papers such as letters of congratulations to Mr. Weiffenbach sent by his peers upon his promotion to Vice President at Canadian Locomotive Company.
- Biographical / historical:
-
John "Jack" Frasier Weiffenbach (1910-1991) was born in Chicago on November 20, 1910. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1934.
From November 1934 to August 1946, he worked as a locomotive development engineer at the Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Corporation. Wieffenbach was Chief Engineer of the Railroad Division at Fairbanks, Morse & Company from August 1946 to July 1949. He became Director of Engineering at the Beloit (Wisconsin) Works of Fairbanks, Morse in July 1949. In April 1951 he was promoted to Vice President, Manufacturing and Director of the Canadian Locomotive Company in Kingston (Ontario), holding that post until January 1953, when he transferred to Director of Engineering with Fairbanks, Morse & Company in Chicago.
He left Fairbanks, Morse in September 1956 to be Corporate Director of Research and Engineering for Borg-Warner Corporation. He left Borg-Warner in June 1961 to be Vice President of Engineering at the Trailmobile Division, Pullman Inc. From 1963 until his retirement in 1975, he worked in the Winchester-Western Division of Olin Corporation. Mr. Weiffenbach died at his home in Branford, Connecticut on April 22, 1991.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Florence V. Weiffenbach, 1991
- Arrangement:
-
This collection has been arranged in 4 series:
Series 1: Personal papers
Series 2: Electro-Motive Division, General Motors Corporation
Series 3: Fairbanks, Morse & Company
Series 4: Canadian Locomotive Company
- Physical location:
- Statewide Museum Collection Center
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-03-06 22:07:54 +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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], John "Jack" Fraser Weiffenbach Collection, MS 50, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
111 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 323-8073