Edwin Shearin Railroad Memorabilia Collection
MC 00374
Special Collections Research Center
2.0 Linear feet
1931-1981
Amassed through a life of collecting, the Edwin Shearin Railroad Memorabilia Collection covers 50 years of railroading in America. With the help of friends and family, Edwin Shearin compilied the various pieces of railroad memorabilia held within this collection.
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the
Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.
3 boxes
Shearin, Edwin
Restrictions to Access
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Acquisitions Information
Gift of Edwin Shearin, March 17, 2005
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Edwin Shearin Railroad Collection, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Copyright Notice
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Proccessing Information
Jason Smith,
May, 2005
Historical Note
Amassed through a life of collecting, the Edwin Shearin Railroad Memorabilia Collection covers 50 years of railroading in America. With the help of friends and family, Edwin Shearin compilied the various pieces of railroad memorabilia held within this collection.
The latter half of the twentieth century was a turbulent time for much of the United States railroads. With an increase in automobile and airplane traffic, America's railroad industry saw a marked decrease in rail traffic. Icons of the era like the California Zephyr and Twentieth Century Limited would complete their final runs. This era of railroading was captured in the song "City of New Orleans," penned by Steve Goodman and made famous by folk singer Arlo Guthrie in 1972. Rail traffic, which was at its height during the Second World War, declined sharply over the next 40 years. In 1959, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the merger of Virginian Railway and Norfolk & Western. This merger ushered in the modern railroad mergers and consolidations. In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with New York Central to create Penn Central, which would declare for Chapter 7 bankruptcy two years later on June 21, 1970. This era was punctuated in 1971, when President Richard Nixon along with Congress created Amtrak, via the Rail Passenger Service Act.
Scope and Content Note
This collection is divided into five series. The first series contains publicity pamphlets distributed by various railroad companies marketing their freight and passenger train lines. The second series contains small time tables given to passengers from various railroad companies for their passenger trains. The third series contains miscellaneous information about the United States' railroad industry, and the fourth series contains two volumes of national timetables for all train travel in the United States and Canada. The fifth series contains photographs, cards and postcards, and printed material depicting locomotives and railcars used by railroad companies around the country. The contents of series five may have originally been mounted in an album.
Organization of the Collection
This collection is divided into 5 series:
- MC 374 Series 1. Passenger and Freight Train Pamphlets
- MC 374 Series 2. Small Timetables
- MC 374 Series 3. United States Railroad Industry Information
- MC 374 Series 4. Large Timetables
- MC 374 Series 5. Photographs, Postcards, and Printed Illustrations
Amtrak.
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company.
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad Company.
Boston and Maine Railroad.
Broadway Limited (Express train).
California Zephyr (Express train).
Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
Central of Georgia Railway.
Central Railroad of New Jersey.
Central Vermont Railway Co.
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company.
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company.
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company.
Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Company (1948- ).
Erie Railroad Company.
Florida East Coast Railway.
Georgia Railroad.
Great Northern Railway Company. (U.S.)
Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad Company.
Illinois Central Railroad Company.
Illinois Terminal Railroad Company.
Kansas City Southern Railway.
Leigh Valley Railroad Company.
Long Island Railroad Company.
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company.
Maine Central Railroad Company.
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company.
Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company.
Monon (Railroad).
Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway.
New York and New Haven Railroad Company.
New York Central Railroad Company.
New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad.
Norfolk and Western Railway Company.
North-Western Railroad Company.
Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
Pennsylvania Railroad.
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines.
Piedmont and Northern Railway Company.
Reading Company.
Rio Grande Railroad Company.
Rutland Railway Corporation.
Seaboard Air Line Railway Company.
Soo Line Corporation.
Southern Pacific Railroad Company.
Southern Railway (U.S.)
Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway.
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company.
Texas & Pacific Railway.
Union Pacific Railroad Company.
Virginian Railway.
Wabash Railroad.
Western Maryland Railroad Company.
Pamphlets
Photographs
Postcards
Railroads--Collectibles
Railroads--North America
Timetables
Passenger Train Pamphlets
0.25 Linear feet
28 folders
Scope and Contents note
Containing pamphlets for passenger and freight trains, this series covers named trains throughout the United States. Included in this series is information on the Broadway Limited, California Zephyr, and a pamphlet distributed by General Motors for its diesel freight line. This series also includes information about Santa Fe's Chiefs and Super Chiefs.
Alton Route
1
1
undated
Broadway Limited
1
2
undated
California Zephyr
1
3
undated
The Century
1
4
undated
The Challengers
1
5
undated
Cincinnati Limited
1
6
undated
City of Los Angeles
1
7
undated
City of Portland
1
8
undated
City of San Francisco
1
9
undated
The Crescent
1
10
undated
Denver Zephyr
1
11
undated
El Capitan
1
12
undated
Empire Builder
1
13
undated
GM Diesel Freight Power
1
14
undated
Liberty Limited
1
15
undated
Milwaukee Roads Super Dome Cars
1
16
undated
North Coast Limited
1
17
undated
Olympian Hiawatha
1
18
undated
The Pittsburgher
1
19
undated
Powhatan Arrow
1
20
undated
Powhatan Arrow and Pocahontas
1
21
undated
Rio Grande Main Line
1
22
undated
Rocky Mountain Rocket
1
23
undated
Santa Fe Super Chief and Chief
1
24
undated
Southern Belle
1
25
undated
Spirit of St. Louis
1
26
undated
Twin Zephyrs
1
27
undated
Wabash Blue Bird
1
28
undated
Small Timetables
0.5 Linear feet
1948 July 11 - 1981 Jan. 31
63 folders
Scope and Contents note
This series contains small timetables for the various railroad companies. These passenger timetables provide information concerning the many stops on a rail line. This series contains information from Amtrak, Union Pacific, Rock Island and many smaller rail companies.
Amtrak
1
29
1971 July 12
Amtrak
1
30
1976 June 15
Amtrak
1
31
1980 Oct. 26 - 1981 Jan. 31
Atlantic Coast Railroad
1
32
1949 Dec. 16
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
1
33
1954 Jan. 10
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
1
34
1953 Apr. 27
Boston and Maine Railroad
1
35
1956 July 8
Burlington Route
1
36
1952 May - 1952 Sept.
California Zephyr
1
37
1962 June 1
Canadian Pacific
1
38
1949 Oct. 30
Central of Georgia
1
39
1953 Apr. 26
Central Vermont Railway
1
40
1955 Apr. 24
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
1
41
1954 Sept. 26
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad
1
42
1951 Aug. 26
The Clinchfield Route
1
43
1951 Mar. 4
Cotton Belt Route
1
44
1951 Feb. 1
Erie Railroad
1
45
1953 June 14
Florida Coast Railway
1
46
1952 Sept. 28
Frisco
1
47
1953 Dec.
Georgia Railroad
1
48
1952 May 15
Grand Trunk Railway System
1
49
1952 Nov. 30
Great Northern Railway
1
50
1966 Oct. 29
Gulf Mobile & Ohio
1
51
1950 - 1951
Illinois Central
1
52
1966 Apr. 24
Illinois Terminal Railroad Company
1
53
1950 Sept. 24
Jersey Central Lines
1
54
1951 Apr. 29
Kansas City Southern Lines
1
55
1951 July 1
Lackawanna Railroad
1
56
1960 July 5
Leigh Valley Railroad
1
57
1951 Sept. 30
Long Island Railroad
1
58
1951 Sept. 9
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
1
59
1951 Sept. 30
Maine Central Railroad
1
60
1954 Oct. 31
The Milwaukee Road
2
1
1954 Jan. 24
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Katy Railroad
2
2
1950 Oct. 1
Missouri Pacific Lines
2
3
1950 May 21
Monon
2
4
1951 Apr. 29
Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
2
5
1951 July 1
New Haven Railroad
2
6
1955 Apr. 24
New York Central
2
7
1956 July 15
Nickel Plate Railroad
2
8
1951 July 8
Norfolk and Western Railway
2
9
1948 July 11
Northern Pacific
2
10
1953
Northwestern
2
11
1952 Jan. 15
Pennsylvania Railroad
2
12
1956 Dec. 14
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
2
13
1953 June 28
Piedmont and Northern Railway Company
2
14
1949 Oct. 16
Reading Railroad
2
15
1953 Apr. 26
Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad
2
16
1955 Dec. 15
Rio Grande
2
17
1955 Apr. 24
Rock Island
2
18
1952 Oct.
Rutland Railway
2
19
1953 Apr. 26
Santa Fe
2
20
1954 Apr. 25
Santa Fe
2
21
1966
Seaboard Railroad
2
22
1956 Apr. 29
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
2
23
1970 Dec. 11
Soo Line
2
24
1962 June 29
Southern Pacific
2
25
1951 July 8
Southern Railway System
2
26
1956 Aug. 10
Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway
2
27
1950 Sept. 17
Texas and Pacific Railway
2
28
1951 Apr. 29
Union Pacific
2
29
1966 Apr. 24
Virginian Railway
2
30
1949 Aug. 14
Wabash
2
31
1951 Apr. 29
Western Maryland
2
32
1951 Jan. 8
United States Railroad Industry Information
0.25 Linear feet
6 folders
Scope and Contents note
This series contains periodicals about America's rail industry. It covers information about the history of the rail industry and named passenger cars. This series also contains two quizzes concerning America's Railroads.
American Railroads: Their Growth and Development
2
33
undated
Named Passenger Cars
2
34
undated
Quiz on Railroads and Railroading [1 of 2]
2
35
undated
Quiz on Railroads and Railroading [2 of 2]
2
36
undated
The Railroad Story
2
37
undated
Railroads at Work
2
38
undated
Large Timetables
1.0 Linear feet
1931 Aug. - 1950 Oct.
2 volumes
Scope and Contents note
This series contains two volumes that are timetables for rail travel throughout the United States and Canada. These volumes provide all the information from the smaller timetables, but from the many rail companies. Only covering one month each, these large timetables serve as the official standards for rail travel.
The Official Guide Standard Time of the Railways
3
1
1931 Aug.
The Official Guide Standard Time of the Railways
3
2
1950 Oct.
Photographs, Postcards, and Printed Illustrations
1949-1950, undated
13 folders
Scope and Contents note
The materials in series 5 may have been removed from a scrapbook or album. This series includes photographs, cards and postcards, and printed material depicting locomotives produced by General Motors, locomotives and railcars used by several railroad companies from around the country, and assorted railroad postcards and trading-card calendars.
General Motors Locomotives, Cards
4
1
undated
Baltimore & Ohio Locomotive, Reprint
4
2
undated
Boston and Maine Locomotives
4
3
undated
Jersey Central Lines Locomotive
4
4
undated
Long Island Rail Road Locomotive and Railcars
4
5
undated
Maine Central Railroad Locomotives
4
6
undated
Norfolk and Western Locomotives, Cards
4
7
undated
Portland Terminal Company Locomotives
4
8
undated
Reading Locomotive
4
9
undated
Virginian Locomotives
4
10
undated
Western Pacific Railroad Company Locomotives
4
11
undated
Postcards, assorted
4
12
1949-1950, undated
Trading Cards (Pocket Calendars)
4
13
1951, 1953, undated