This document is an attempt to provide a guide to available resources related to railroad history. This is by no means a compete listing, but is intended to be a starting point.

Railroad Histories

Railroads and their history have been a hobby for many. Railroad history books are numerous. Many are not the scholarly history you might hope for, instead they are written as entertainment. While the scholarship and research may be good, sources are frequently not cited (one exception is photos) with the exception of bibliographies (sometimes even these are missing). These books are good for both developing a background for further research and helping establish dates and other facts which allow you to find additional information. I recommend the following:

• Hilton, George W., American Narrow Gauge Railroads, (Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, 1990). A study of narrow gauge as a failed industry. Valuable for its detailed study of history and practices.

• White, John H., The American Railroad Freight Car, (John Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland, 1993) John White was the curator of transportation at the Smithsonian. This book is one of several in a series including volumes on passenger cars and early locomotives. This is the textbook of freight car history. Its only weakness is a B east coast bias.

• Western Railroader, Various issues 193? to present. This is an enthusiast's publication. Each issue normally has a single article on western railroad history. It is valuable for the coverage it has given a wide variety of railroad topics over the years. It is common to find that this is the only published information on a given railroad.

In many cases the railroad was among the most important local industries. As a result, local histories frequently give good descriptions of their operation and occasionally descriptions of their equipment.

Financial and Industry Reports

• Henry V. Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States, Issued annually from 1868. Primarily a guide for investors.

• Moody's Railroad Manuals, Issued annually since 1900. Primarily a guide for investors.

• The Official Railway Equipment Register, Published monthly beginning in 1885 and quarterly since 1937. A shipper's guide to railroad equipment owned by railroads.

• The Railroad Gazette, Published 1870 to 1895. This was the forum for railroad carbuilders in the wooden car era. Typical articles will debate what color cars should be painted, or how to attach couplers. The ads for car builders' supplies are as informative as the articles.

• The Car Builders Dictionary(s) An occasional publication by the Railroad Gazette until the turn of the century. In the first Car Builders Dictionary, published in 1879, the editor, Matthas Forney, defined the problem they were addressing: "Ever since the general interchange of cars among railroads, a great deal of inconvenience, confusion, and delay has been caused to those who build and repair them by the want of common names for the different parts." Eventually, as intended, it became the definitive compendium of railroad carbuilding terminology and practices. Revised editions were issued in 1888, 1898, and 1906. (publication continued after 1906, but by a different company). The "This Old Flat Car" project will use The Car Builders Dictionary terminology as its standard. These have been reprinted (in some cases repeatably) and as a result are widely available.

• Voss, William, Railway Car Construcion, (R. M. Vann Arsdale, New York, New York, 1892) In 1892 William Voss wrote a textbook giving detailed technical descriptions should be fitted, and discussed new innovations and why they were being adopted.

Government Records

For the most part I mean California state records, but could include any state in which the car was used as well as federal records (best source: State Archives). PUC and Railroad commission reports: Railroads were public utilities and as a result were expected to prepare annual reports containing information on their financial transactions and reporting on the physical property owned (including track, tunnels, bridges, and rolling stock). These are better sources of information in earlier years because the Southern Pacific reported on a single report for all lines owned or leased.

Court Records: For many reasons railroads were involved in various legal actions. Court cases are interesting for both the testimony recorded as well as lists of assets.

Articles of Incorporation: More valuable for the names of the organizers than for car information.

Railroad Records

Like any business railroads kept records of their activities. When these records are available they will be among the richest and most reliable source of records relating to any specific car. Of interest to our project are Southern Pacific records held by the CSRM. Remember that each department had separate needs and therefore kept different kinds of records. Railroad records include: car ledgers, car records, accounting records, shop records, personnel records, and correspondence files. (hint: in the CSRM library records of the Southern Pacific and subsidiarries are cataloged under MS 10)

Other

Photographs: Railroad hobbyist have been prolific photographers and collectors-- but locating a photo of what you want can be the proverbial needle in the hay stack. Normally photos are organized and stored under the collectors name ... Indexing will be by the primary subject and subject to the whim and knowledge of the indexer. It is common especially with freight cars to find the car you are looking for in the background of a photo and therefore not indexed. (hint: railroad photo collectors were collecting prints, not negatives. It is common to find the same photo in several collections. It pays to shop around and purchase any prints required from the cheapest source.)

Newspaper reports: Newspapers are rich sources for information on railroads. The problem with newspapers is finding the information you are looking for. The traditional method calls for reading all papers for a given period of time, sometimes years. Short cuts include identifying target dates by use of secondary sources. There is an advantage to reading the entire paper. You start to understand the context in which the railroad existed. Newspapers cover "news" such as new line opening, car deliveries, orders and accidents, but they also include notices such as what was being shipped, new hiring, and gossip, some of which may provide the missing facts you need.

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