National Archives Reference Information Paper 91 -- Railroad-related Records

Part III(B)

Federal Regulation and Oversight of Railroads (Section B)

Record Group 134 Records of the Interstate Commerce Commission

III.48 The ICC was created by an act of Congress, approved February 4, 1887. Subsequent legislation strengthened the authority of the ICC and broadened the scope of its jurisdiction until its abolition on December 31, 1995. The general purpose of creating the Commission was to provide for a body empowered to regulate, in the public interest, common carriers engaged in transportation in interstate commerce and in foreign commerce to the extent that it takes place within the United States. It was responsible for promoting safe, adequate, economical, and efficient service on all modes of transportation subject to the act; for encouraging establishment and maintenance of reasonable charges for transportation services, without unjust discriminations or unfair competitive practices; and for developing, coordinating, and preserving a national transportation system by water, highways, rail, or other means, adequate for the needs of the Postal Service, the national defense, and the commerce of the United States. There are voluminous records available concerning the supervision and regulation of railroads since 1887. Some of the more significant bodies of records that are useful to railroad researchers are the various series of railroad company annual reports and records relating to railroad accident investigations, and the finance dockets which contain information concerning the organization, functions, and operations of the railroad companies. Additionally, the records of the Bureau of Valuation provide extensive documentation concerning the property and other assets of railroad companies in the continental United States, beginning in 1915. A few series are described in the Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Interstate Commerce Commission, NC 59, as noted. There is a draft inventory available that updates the preliminary inventory. Some of the series titles and descriptions in this record group are different from those listed in the Master Location Register.

III.49 The official minutes of the ICC, 1887-1977 (27 ft.)(MLR Entry 20, UD), are arranged chronologically by year and thereunder by the organizational unit that created the minutes. They consist of minutes of decisions by the General Session and by specific boards, bureaus, divisions, or other organizational units of the ICC. Most decisions are responses to petitions from private firms for changes in rates or operating procedures, but some decisions concern internal ICC policies and procedures. Some of the motor carrier volumes are missing. This series is indexed by index of official commission minutes, 1887-1978 (3 ft.)(MLR Entry 3, UD), which is arranged alphabetically by subject. Each card includes a subject heading, the name(s) of related case(s), and the volume and page where the minutes may be located. The index does not cover the last four years of the minutes. The index includes a document listing for the first 12 volumes of the minutes, subject indexes for railroads, motor carriers, and a general administrative index. Also included are numerical indexes to the minutes for motor carrier, finance, investigation and suspense, water carrier, freight forwarder, and ex parte cases.

III.50 Correspondence from the general public to President Roosevelt and his aide, Louis Howe, principally regarding railroads, March-April 1933 (0.8 ft.)(MLR Entry 4, UD), is arranged chronologically by the dates of the Secretary's replies. It consists of incoming correspondence, along with copies of replies, principally about matters pertaining to the Nation's railroads. Howe referred the correspondence to the Secretary of the Interstate Commerce Commission for acknowledgment, which usually took the form of a stereotype letter. In these letters, the writers (many of whom were railroad employees or former employees) expressed their feelings about the operation and financial plight of the nation's railroads and offered suggestions and plans to help rescue the railroads from their difficulties.

III.51 Clippings from ICC annual reports, 1887-1930 (7 ft.)(MLR Entry 6, UD), are arranged alphabetically by subject. They consist of albums containing excerpts from ICC annual reports that were of significant interest to the Commission.

III.52 The decisions and reports of the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1887-88 (1 vol., 0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 11, UD), are arranged chronologically. The handwritten record copies of the earliest decisions and opinions of the Commission usually give date and place of the session; name of the case; vote of the Commission; and text of the opinion, decision, or report.

III.53 Records relating to proceedings for reorganization under Chapter Ten of the Bankruptcy Act, ca. 1939-46 (0.4 ft.)(MLR Entry 13, UD), include reorganization plans, financial statements, correspondence, applications, notices, court orders, affidavits, and other documents submitted to Division 4 of the ICC. Plans for reorganization in Chapter 10 proceedings involving common carriers (including railroads) subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC generally require approval for various actions, such as the issuance of securities or the transfer of property, before they can be completed. Railroads named include the Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee, the Oklahoma, the Northern Railroad of New Jersey, and the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin.

III.54 The records of minutes of hearings in the coal, oil, grain, and car shortage investigations, 1906-09 (0.2 ft)(MLR Entry 21, UD), are arranged by type of investigation and thereunder chronologically. By joint resolution of March 7, 1906, Congress directed the ICC to make an examination of railroad discrimination and monopolies in coal and oil. A Senate resolution of June 25, 1906, directed the Commission to conduct hearings into the relations of common carriers to ownership and operation of elevators and the buying, selling, and forwarding of grain. For each type of hearing, the volume gives date and place of session and lists the names or identification of witnesses appearing.

III.55 The series minutes of proceedings of commissioners held outside Washington, DC, August 6, 1897-June 1, 1900 (0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 22, UD), is arranged chronologically. The minutes show the date and place of the meeting, commissioners in attendance, the names of the cases, the names of participating attorneys, and the names and identification of witnesses. Most of these proceedings involve railroads.

III.56 Press copies of letters sent by ICC Auditor C.C. McCain, August 1887-March 1888 (0.3 ft.)(MLR Entry 2, UD), are arranged chronologically. In the front of the volume there is an alphabetical name index to recipients of letters sent.

III.57 The minutes of hearings of the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1887-1910(0.4 ft.)(MLR Entry 14, UD), are arranged chronologically. This typewritten register gives the dates of hearings, the names of persons present at the hearings, and the names of cases heard.

III.58 Order books, April 6, 1887-April 24, 1905 (5 vols., 1 ft.)(MLR Entry 31, UD), are arranged chronologically. The handwritten official record of orders of the Commission, these entries give the dates and places of sessions, the names of commissioners present, and the texts of the orders. These volumes are used in conjunction with the official minute books which contain cross-references to the appropriate volume and page of the order books.

III.59 Records relating to the registration of rate conferences, 1943 (2 ft.)(MLR Entry 26, UD), are arranged alphabetically by the names of common carriers (including railroads) or rate conferences. Rate conference regulations promulgated in connection with the War Production Board Certificate #44 of March 20, 1943, issued by the Chairman of the WPA to the Attorney General, required rate conferences to register with the ICC. These volumes consist of various documents submitted by associations, committees, and groups to fulfill their registration requirements. Included are charters or certificates of incorporation, rules and by-laws, lists of officers, and related records.

III.60 Press releases relating to transportation regulation, 1951-79 (3 ft.)(MLR Entry 7, UD), are an official set of commission press releases on subjects relating to transportation regulation, ICC organization, appointments, and other subjects.

III.61 The series annual, quarterly, and monthly commission publications, 1897-1960 (15 ft.), is arranged by publication subject. The publications consist of record copies of published annual, quarterly, and monthly statistical reports, and bulletins and abstracts compiled by the Commission. Annual reports include reports of express companies from 1909 to 1920; statistics of oil pipeline companies from 1928 to 1947; freight commodity statistics, from 1924 to 1960; comparative statements of operating averages from 1921 to 1951; statistics of Class I motor carriers from 1938 to 1948; and rail accident reports from 1901 to 1939. The series also includes major publications from the Federal Coordinator of Transportation on labor issues and the annual Commission publication, Statistics of Railways, from 1897 to 1953.

III.62 Formal dockets, 1887-1924 (4991 ft.)(MLR Entry 3A-B, NC 59), are arranged by assigned docket number (1-16,000). They relate to rates charged for services and to matters involving complaint and answer proceedings, ex parte proceedings of the commission, and proceedings based upon carrier applications for relief under provision of the various ICC acts. A typical case file includes a complaint containing the names of the parties at dispute and the nature of the controversy, a motion of the Commission for investigation or a petition of a carrier for relief, a statement of facts, exhibits, official transcripts of testimony, reports, correspondence, telegrams, other legal documents and papers, and the order or decision of the Commission. Most of the dockets involve railroads. The oversized exhibits of formal dockets, 1887-1924 (70 ft.)(MLR Entry 3C, NC 59), are arranged by assigned docket number. The exhibits include oversized maps, charts, and diagrams used as exhibits in the formal dockets.

III.63 Investigation and suspense (dockets) cases, 1910-34 (1170 ft.)(MLR Entry 4A, NC 59), are arranged by assigned docket number (1-4,000). These cases resulted in the disposition of individual or joint rates, fares, charges, or classifications to the extent they were or were not found to be just and reasonable. Frequently they concerned suspension of proposed changes in carrier's tariffs and the institution of an investigation of the proposed change. A typical file includes petitions for suspension of new rates, exhibits, transcripts of hearings, reports, briefs, telegrams, correspondence, and the order of the Commission. Most of the case files involve railroads. The oversized exhibits of investigation and suspense cases, 1910-34 (0.5 ft.)(MLR Entry 4B, NC 59), are arranged by assigned number.

III.64 The finance (dockets) cases, 1920-95 (5823 ft.)(MLR Entry 5, NC 59 and various ww entries), are arranged by assigned docket number. These records relate to Commission action on requests by carriers for permission to issue securities, propose reorganization plans, make loans, effect consolidations, extend or abandon lines and services, change or discontinue trains, or undertake other basic financial operations. These dockets contain information on the organization, functions, and operations of common carriers, including railroads. A typical file includes the application of the carrier, transcripts of testimony, reports, exhibits, correspondence, telegrams, and the order of the Commission. Most of the cases involve railroads. Dockets #1-44,667, with gaps, are currently in the custody of NARA. The finance dockets and the abandonment dockets are indexed by two series. Finance docket, numerical cards, 1920-1995, are arranged numerically by assigned docket number. The records consist of cards for Finance Dockets #1-32, 816. The cards give a brief synopsis of the case, the name of the railroads involved, and the finance docket number. Finance docket, alphabetical cards, 1920-1995, are arranged alphabetically by name of individuals, railroad companies, or organizations. The cards give a brief synopsis of the case, the name of the railroads involved, and the finance docket number. The finance dockets contain detailed information concerning the organization, functions, and operations of railroad companies. The authority issued, where applicable, in the form of certificates, licenses, or permits, describes the extent of routes, stops, and jurisdictions, and the types of property to be transported. These dockets extensively detail the financial history of individual railroads from 1920 to 1995, particularly information concerning the railroad company itself.

III.65 The abandonment dockets, 1972-1995 (189 ft.)(various ww entries), are arranged by assigned docket number. These records are the official docket files of applications of public convenience and necessity authorizing the abandonment of a line or railroad or operation thereof filed according to the provision of the Interstate Commerce Act and decided by the ICC. Rail abandonment cases were included with the finance dockets until 1972 when an ICC ruling separated the rail abandonment cases and resulted in the filing of these formal proceedings under the AB prefix. These cases include significant documents such as the application or petition of the railroad company for abandonment, the protests against abandonment, briefs, the notice and order of the commission, testimony, and exhibits which include maps, charts, and photographs. These dockets are indexed by abandonment docket, numerical cards, 1972-95, arranged numerically by assigned docket number. The records consist of cards for abandonment dockets #1-447. The cards give a brief synopsis of the case, the name of the railroads involved, and the abandonment docket number.

III.66 The electric railway (trolley) dockets. 1934-52 (12 ft.)(MLR Entry 39, UD), are arranged by docket number. Cases related to the status of electric railways to determine if railroad is a common carrier under the section 1 proviso of the Railway Labor Act as amended, June 21, 1934, (48 Stat. 1185) and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 967). The dockets include financial and operating information concerning the railroad. The records are divided up into Railway Labor Act dockets and electric railway dockets. A list of dockets follows:

1. Railway Labor Act Dockets

Texas Electric Railway
Sacramento Northern Railway
Waterloo Cedar Falls and Northern Railway
Piedmont and Northern Railway
New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway
Hudson and Manhattan Railroad
Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee Railroad
Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad
Chicago, Warehouse, and Terminal Co.
Des Moines and Central Iowa Railroad
Fort Dodge, Des Moines, and Southern Railroad
Utah-Idaho Central Railroad
Salt Lake and Utah Railroad
Pacific Electric Railway
Oklahoma Railway

2. Electric Railway Dockets

Indiana Railroad
Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee Railroad
Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad
Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin Railroad
Interurban Electric Railway
Lorain Street Railroad
Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad
Hudson and Manhattan Railroad
Oklahoma Railway
Denver and Intermountain Railroad
San Francisco and Napa Valley Railroad
Portland Traction Co.
Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin Railroad
Municipal Belt Line Railway of Tacoma, Washington
Subway Division, Rochester Transit Corporation, Rochester, NY
Philadelphia and Western Railroad
International Railway
Gulfport and Mississippi Coast Traction Co.
Alabama Power Co.
South Brooklyn Railway
Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad
North Coast Transportation Co.

III.67 The series district railway dockets, 1912(0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 41, UD), consists of District Railway Docket #1, R.H. McNeill vs. Washington Railway & Electric Company, et al, dated 1912.

III.68 The subject index to ICC dockets, 1887-1955 (60 ft.)(MLR Entry 37, UD), is arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically. It indexes a wide variety of general subjects and commodities that traveled by common carrier.

III.69 The general counsel's numbered memorandums, 1914-62 (102 vols., 6 ft.)(MLR Entry 32, UD), are arranged by year and thereunder sequentially by memorandum number. They consist of memorandums to the Commission giving legal advice on rate cases and other matters concerning common carriers, including railroads. Some of the memorandums include documentation relating to Federal court decisions concerning cases involving the ICC. The subjects of the memorandums do not include valuation matters.

III.70 Miscellaneous historical materials, ca. 1887-1967 (4 ft.)(MLR Entry 34, UD), is an unarranged collection of 101 miscellaneous manuscripts, typescripts, printed documents, clippings, cartoons, photographs, and other records relating to the history of the ICC. These were assembled for exhibition during the Commission's 75th anniversary celebration. They were selected from many sources within the ICC. A detailed list of the documents is available.

III.71 Miscellaneous records, ca. 1920-1977 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 35, UD), are unarranged. They include transcripts of hearings and witness statements for Ex Parte Docket #293, Northeast Railroad Investigation, Rail Services Planning Office Review of Secretary of Transportation Rail Service Report, dating 1974; legal materials, dating 1942; a report entitled The Interstate Commerce Commission During the Administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson; Minutes of the Railroad Labor Board, 1920; and miscellaneous finance dockets.

III.72 From 1887 to 1906, the Operating Division was the administrative arm of the Commission. The Secretary headed the Division. The series files of the Operating Division, 1887-1906 (71 ft.)(MLR Entry 1, NC 59), is arranged by assigned number. The files consist of the incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Chairman of the Commission, the individual commissioners, the Secretary of the Commission, and the Operating Division. The correspondence, with members and committees of Congress, other Federal agencies, state regulatory agencies, rail carriers, shippers, and the public relates to administrative problems including Interstate Commerce Act enforcement, courts tests of its provisions, amendments to the act, Commission policies and regulations, carrier obligations under the act, shippers' inquiries and complaints regarding carrier valuations, rates and practices, and general administrative matters. This series acts as the central correspondence file for the ICC for this period and documents the evolution of railroad regulation, among other subjects. This series is indexed by the briefing slip index to general correspondence files of the Operating Division, 1887-1906 (14 ft.)(MLR Entry 2, NC 59), which is arranged alphabetically by name of carrier, subject or correspondent. The multiple briefing slips for each file number contain identical information regarding the correspondence covered: date of incoming letter, name of correspondent, name of carrier involved, subject, file number, date of filing, and cross-reference data.

III.73 The Operating Division's general letters, 1887-1942 (115 ft.)(MLR Entry 1, UD), are arranged chronologically. The series consists of press copies of letters sent and addressed to members of Congress, agency heads, state governors, and business leaders. Much of the correspondence involves railroads. Each volume contains an index to the names and titles of addressees.

III.74 The records of the Bureau of Traffic include the following series:

1. director's files, 1920-68 (195 ft.)(MLR Entry 16, UD), arranged chronologically. They consist of correspondence, memorandums, telegrams, charts, maps, and other records relating to the Bureau's activities, which include regulation of rates for common carriers. These files are indexed by the following entry.

2. alphabetical subject index to the director's files, 1921-51 (6 ft.)(MLR Entry 17, UD), arranged alphabetically by subject. The index includes references to various docketed case files filed under "Dockets," a name index to incoming letters and memorandums, and miscellaneous name and subject indexes for documentation relating to water carriers.

3. miscellaneous letters relating to traffic tariff rulings, 1908-20 (0.3 ft.)(MLR Entry 10, UD), arranged by letter number. These incoming and outgoing letters generally regard railroad passenger tariff rulings.

4. ledgers relating to tariff statistical summaries, 1896-1952 (0.4 ft.)(MLR Entry 5, UD), containing statistical date on tariffs received;

5. official transcripts of conferences, 22-23 June 1917 and 2-4 August 1921 (0.3 ft.)(MLR Entry 23, UD), arranged chronologically. The conferences concern the proposed revisions of Tariff Circulars 18A and 20.

6. memorandums sent by the Release Rate Board to Division #2, March 1917-March 1950 (3 ft.)(MLR Entry 24, UD), arranged numerically (1-1146). The series consists of released rate memorandums describing applications and claims filed by common carriers, including railroads, for approval of passenger and freight rates. It. also includes released rate orders issued by the ICC.

7. memorandums sent by the Board of Reference to Division #2, September 1916-November 1941 (0.7 ft.)(MLR Entry 25, UD), arranged sequentially by memorandum number. These are memorandums concerning the establishment of rules and regulations concerning and claims of common carriers, including railroads, regarding freight and passenger rates. The memorandums reference the special docket number.

8. Board of Reference briefs (Series a), 1916-48 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 27, UD), arranged sequentially by brief number. The briefs contain an abstract of the issues and facts of each case and the Board of Reference position or ruling in case. The briefs reference the Board of Reference memorandum number and file number.

9. minutes of meetings of the Board of Reference, September 1910-September 1951 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 28, UD), arranged chronologically. The series contains minutes of meetings of the Board of Reference, which consists of approval or other actions on special dockets and memorandums concerning freight and passenger rates of common carriers, including railroads.

10. memorandums received by the Board of Reference, February 1917-March 1953 (4 ft.)(MLR Entry 29, UD), arranged sequentially by memorandum number. These are memorandums sent by the Division of Correspondence and Claims, Correspondence Section, and later the Bureau of Informal Cases to the Board of Reference. The memorandums refer to information gathered from common carriers, mainly railroads, concerning their claims and applications for rate changes.

III.75 The Bureau of Traffic, Passenger Branch, Section of Tariffs produced the series canceled passenger tariffs, 1887-1935 (429 ft.)(MLR Entry 7, NC 59), arranged alphabetically by name of the common carrier, mainly railroads. The series consists of schedules of fares and charges for transportation of passengers in interstate and foreign commerce. The tariffs were filed by common carriers subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission. The records include most of the canceled tariffs of carriers from 1887 to 1916, but only those of abandoned lines after 1917. These records contain information concerning rate trends and operating facilities and conditions of carriers.

III.76 The records of the Bureau of Traffic, Fourth Section Board, contain the following two series:

1. Fourth Section order files, 1911-82 (17 ft.)(MLR Entry 43, A1), arranged numerically by fourth section order number. The records consist of one copy of each published order of the Fourth Section Board created since its inception that summarizes the contents of the carrier's application and shows the Commission's decision on each case. The orders relate to carrier's seeking authority pursuant to Section 4 of the Interstate Commerce Act to establish rates and fares without observing the long and short haul or aggregate-of-intermediate rates provisions of the act. Most of these case files involve railroads.

2. selected Fourth Section dockets, ca. 1910-72 (59 ft.)(MLR Entry 19, UD; MLR Entry 44, A1), arranged numerically by docket/application number. The docket files include applications filed under section 4 of the Interstate Commerce Act by carriers seeking permission to maintain higher rates and

charges at intermediate points than at more distant points. Also included are related papers created in the process of making determinations on the case. With gaps, boxes 109A-C contain application numbers 1-3636.

III.77 The following five series descriptions, for records of the Bureau of Transport Economics and Statistics, are the result of a recent redescription of the former series, annual reports of carriers, 1915-61 (2330 ft.):

1. annual reports of railroads, water carriers, and pipeline companies submitted to the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1915-61 (1842 ft.)(MLR Entry 41A A1), arranged chronologically by year and thereunder sequentially by assigned report number. The date span of the records is 1915 to 1961 with gaps. Carriers subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission filed the reports. The reports contain data on the corporate structure and history of the carriers and their financial condition and operating activities. The types of carriers include steam railroads, electric railroads, railway express companies, sleeping car companies, water carriers, and private car owners. This series is an accretion to the National Archives Microfilm Publication T913, Annual Reports of Common Carriers to the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1888-1914. The reports are arranged by year and thereunder by assigned number according to the following scheme.

Reports # 1-9: Sleeping Car Companies (Pullman Company - Report #1)

Reports #10-99: Railway Express Companies (American Railway Express - Report #17)

Reports #100-1999: Large and Medium Steam Roads and Switching and Terminal Companies and Lessor Companies (mostly large steam)

Reports #2000-3999: Small Roads

Reports #4000-4999: Large and Medium Steam Roads and Switching and Terminal Companies (mostly switching and terminal companies)

Reports #5000-5999: Small Switching and Terminal Companies

Reports #6000-6299: Large and Medium Steam Roads and Switching and Terminal Companies (mostly medium roads)

Reports #6300-6999: Electric Railways

Reports #7000-9999: Carriers By Water

Reports #10,000-: Additional Large and Medium Steam Roads

Reports #21,000-: Pipeline Companies

There were minor changes to this filing scheme, usually just a change in wording. The only substantive change was made in the early 1950s to add "Persons Furnishing Cars or Protective Services--Owners of 1000 or More"--Reports #9500-9999.

2. index to common carrier (railroad) annual reports, 1887-1988 (MLR Entry 43 A1), arranged alphabetically by name of railroad. Entries give the name of the railroad, dates and numbers of extant annual reports, and dates and the existence of Circular 11's. This series indexes the railroad annual reports in the Annual Reports of Railroads, Water Carriers, and Pipeline Companies Submitted to the ICC and the Reports of Mileage and Other Information Pertaining to Railroads, ICC Circulars 11, 12, and 13.

3. annual reports of common carriers to stockholders, 1833-1971 (97 ft.)(MLR Entry 41C A1), arranged by date span and thereunder mostly alphabetically by name of common carrier. These copies of original annual reports prepared by railroad companies, water carriers, freight forwarders, pipeline companies, and motor carriers and submitted to stockholders were maintained by the ICC. Most of the reports are for railroad companies. Carriers were required to submit copies of these reports to the Commission. The earliest reports are for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and begin in 1833. The later reports contain many photographs, charts and graphs and are in color.

4. reports of mileage and other information pertaining to railroads, ICC Circulars 11, 12, and 13, 1891-1944 (19 ft.)(MLR Entry 41D A1), arranged alphabetically by name of railroad. These circulars were sent to railroads as part of the ICC Statistics Division tabulation of railway mileage in the United States. The circulars give general information pertaining to railroads including total single-track mileage and the name of the official in charge of statistics for the railroad. Circular 11 was sent to both public and private railroads, and Circular 12 was sent primarily to lines newly projected or constructed. Circulars exist for years that railroads that did not submit annual reports.

5. miscellaneous annual reports of common carriers submitted to the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1947-61 (10 ft.)(MLR Entry 41 E A1), arranged by type of form, thereunder by year, and thereunder mostly alphabetically by name of common carrier. The records consist of annual report forms submitted to the ICC by several sources including: Freight Forwarders, gross revenue of $100,000 or more (Form F-a); Freight Forwarders, gross revenue under $100,000 (Form F-b); Class C Water Carriers (Form K-C); Persons Furnishing Cars or Protective Services, Owners of 1,000 Cars or More (Form B-1); Persons Furnishing Cars or Protective Services, Owners of Between 100-1,000 Cars (Form B-2); and Rate Bureaus and Organizations (Form RBO). These reports include information such as the names of the largest stockholders, states in which operations were conducted, amounts of total assets, liabilities, surplus, investments, revenue and expenses, and number of employees. Most of these reports concern railroads or are railroad related. These reports are not included in the Annual Reports of Railroads, Water Carriers, and Pipelines Submitted to the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1915-61.

III.78 The Bureau of Locomotive Inspection, Office of the Chief Inspector created the following two series:

1. locomotive inspection policy correspondence files, 1911-55 (29 ft.)(MLR Entry 8 UP), arranged in alphabetical order by name of rail carrier. These files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence between the Bureau and rail carriers involving policies or regulations concerning locomotive and tender inspections or the results of such inspections; permission to carriers to take actions affecting their locomotives; and noncompliance by carriers ordered to take locomotives out of service.

2. opinions and decisions regarding locomotive safety, 1912-63 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 9 UP), arranged in topical order (Counsel's Opinions, Court Decisions, Appeals Decisions). The records consist of legal materials involving locomotive or tender safety assembled by the Office of the Chief Inspector, apparently for the use of the latter. Included are a typewritten digest of locomotive safety laws and court decisions, summaries of Supreme Court and Appeals Court decisions, and the opinions of the Chief Counsel on court decisions affecting the Bureau's authority and operations.

III.79 The Bureau of Safety, Medal of Honor Committee produced the Medal of Honor case files, 1905-55 (3 ft.)(MLR Entry 5 UP), arranged in case number order, running from 1-105, that document application and candidacy procedures for Medals of Honor recipients. These awards were created in 1905 to honor persons endangering their lives by saving or trying to save others in a rail carrier wreck, disaster, or serious accident, or who endeavored to prevent such an accident. There are 105 case files in these records. A typical example is Case File #73 which details an award of the Medal of Honor to Will Gibson, a "colored" baggage and station porter on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. On February 9, 1940, in Dotham, Alabama, at about 11:40 a.m., Gibson saved a 4-year-old boy who ran in front of an oncoming train. Neither person was seriously injured. The file contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and drawings of the accident site.

III.80 The Bureau of Safety, Section of Railroad Safety created railroad accident investigation reports, 1911-63 (10 ft.)(MLR Entry 6 UP), arranged chronologically in report number order. The records consist of official file copies of carrier accident investigation reports. These reports are required by the Accident Reports Act of May 6, 1910.

III.81 The Bureau of Valuation, established in 1916 as the successor to the Division of Valuation, assumed primary responsibility for preparing inventories of the fixed physical property and assets of domestic railway carriers in support of the Commission's work of determining valuation rates authorized by acts of Congress and implemented and enforced by Commission regulations. The Accounting and Engineering sections of the Bureau, acting under the general direction of the Bureau's commissioner in Washington, supervised the field activities of accountants and engineers who compiled technical data for the commissioner. The Commissioner of the ICC, in consultation with other members at the ICC's general sessions, used this and other data in establishing property assessment rates, in preparing for public hearings or other proceedings attended by railroad company counsel, and in promulgating valuation orders. The Bureau was abolished in 1954 upon its merger with the former Bureau of Accounts and Cost Finding. The Bureau's inventorying and appraising functions passed to the Bureau of Accounts, Cost Finding, and Valuation.

III.82 The valuation records created by the ICC provide detailed documentation pertaining to the railroads of the United States from their beginning until the 1960s. Most of these valuation records were created during the period 1915 to 1920 by ICC and railroad employees who undertook a massive project to inventory almost every aspect of the existing railroad system in the United States. The records are divided into two general subdivisions: the basic valuation records and the period updates. The basic valuation records will allow a researcher to obtain for the period 1915 to 1920 information about the railroad facilities existing at a particular location, the land owned by a railroad and how it was acquired, the land adjacent to railroad property, and the financial history of the railroad from its earliest operations to the date of basic valuation. Periodic updating records allow a researcher to follow changes in facilities from the date of basic valuation and changes in the financial condition of the railroad corporation to the 1960s. In addition, the records will allow a researcher to determine the specific rolling stock held by a railroad for the period from basic valuation to the 1960s. Such information, however, is not contained in any single type of record. The general subject categories of the records are land, engineering, and accounting reports and supporting documentation. Valuation records include the following series:

1. valuation section maps, 1914-21 (2 vols., 0.4 ft.)(MLR Entry 8, A1), arranged alphabetically by name of railroad. These maps are railroad route maps prepared by the valuation engineers assigned to the district offices of the Bureau of Valuation. The manuscript maps, when submitted to Bureau headquarters in Washington, supplemented inventory reports on railway company property and furnished technical and pictorial data need for used in determining valuation rates on carriers subject to ICC jurisdiction. The maps show, for each section of track, the name of the railroad and the valuation section number, as well as the surrounding geographical and other physical features of land near railroad terminals. These maps are also in the front of the final land report and the final engineering report. More important, these maps are used as a finding aid to determine the valuation section number of pertinent trackage so that other valuation records can be consulted.

2. valuation orders and related land and engineering section records, 1914-34 (0.3 ft.)(MLR Entry 9, A1), arranged sequentially by valuation order number (1-25) or by name of operating unit and thereunder by type of record. In this series are electrostatic copies of a record set of ICC valuation orders or circulars approved by the Commission, as well as copies of memorandums and instructions issued by the Land and Engineering Section of the ICC's Bureau of Valuation. The records cover such subjects as the development of criteria on which to base determinations of property assessment rates on railroads, the establishment of technical terminology for defining and describing the inventory of railroad companies, the formulation of improved operating procedures in the Land and Engineering Sections, and the preparation and execution of instructions for field work conducted by the branches of the Land and Engineering Sections.

3. minutes of meetings of the Division of Valuation, March 17, 1913-December 31, 1959 (2 ft.)(MLR Entry 18, UD), arranged chronologically.

4. valuation (dockets) case files, 1916-27 (1204 ft.)(MLR Entry 6A, A1), arranged by assigned docket number. These dockets record the formal administrative proceedings during which the ICC reached an initial valuation decision of railroad property under an act of March 1, 1913. A typical file includes the engineering, land, and accounting final reports which contain summary information based on the findings of the valuation-supporting documentation; the tentative valuation of the Commission; protests by the carriers; transcripts of testimony; exhibits; briefs; petitions; and the report and order of the Commission. Dockets are numbered 1-1250. The valuation dockets are indexed by the alphabetical index to valuation dockets, 1914-20 (2.5 ft.)(MLR Entry 6C A1), which is arranged alphabetically by name of railroad or common carrier, and the numerical index to valuation dockets, 1914-20 (1.5 ft.)(MLR Entry 6D A1), which is arranged numerically by docket or case file number. These indexes consist of index cards listing the name of the railroad or common carrier, the docket number, and cross-references to published valuation reports. The alphabetical index is particularly useful since it contains references to subsidiary railroads.

5. valuation case files, 1916-27 (oversized exhibits) (6 ft.)(MLR Entry 6B, A1), arranged by assigned docket number.

6. accounting schedules, related documentation, and narrative reports compiled by ICC employees that pertain to the financial histories of railroads, 1914-57 (918 ft.)(MLR Entry 10, A1), arranged sequentially in multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder by name of railroad company, thereunder by volume or book number, and thereunder by type of record (schedules, returns, corporate histories, or exhibits). The schedules provide extensive financial data covering subjects such as profit and loss, cost of construction, bonds issued and retired, and securities purchased and sold. Related records exist mostly for the smaller railroads and include material relating to the their financial histories.

III.83 The records of the Bureau of Valuation, Engineering Section, include the following series:

1. engineering field notes of ICC parties surveying the physical property of railroads, 1914-29 (2467 ft.)(MLR Entry 11 A1), arranged by name of railroad, thereunder by type of notes (roadway, structural, bridge, building, chaining, and computations), thereunder by valuation section number, and thereunder by book or volume number. Field notes contain information concerning grading, ballast, ties, track, and all railroad structures. The three main types of notes are the chaining notes, the bridge and building notes, and inventories of furnishings. The chaining notes detail every mile of railroad. These notes provide detailed descriptions of the railroad right-of-way, giving to the nearest foot the location of crossings, culverts, bridges, and the intersection of railroad track. The bridge and building notes, if they are of high quality, contain detailed descriptions of structures and are frequently supplemented by photographs and/or blueprints. An index to the engineering field notes, arranged alphabetically by name of railroad, is available. This index lists the box numbers and sometimes the nature (i.e. type of engineering field notes and the valuation section) of the notes that are available.

2. final engineering reports showing cost of reproduction of carrier property, 1910-35 (404 ft.)(MLR Entry 27, 32, 34, A1), arranged in sequentially numbered multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad company, and thereunder chronologically. These reports summarize the information in the engineering field notes concerning the fixed property of railroads and rolling stock. This series includes the first and second carbons of the report. There are missing binders from each set of carbons. The original report is included in the valuation case files. A bundle list is available.

3. equipment and machinery schedules, 1914-39 (79 ft.)(MLR Entry 26, A1), arranged sequentially in multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad company, and thereunder by volume number. Schedules were submitted by railroads as inventories of their holdings of various types of equipment, including steam locomotives and rolling stock. Schedules exist for some smaller railroads mostly in the Southeastern United States. A list of railroads for which schedules exist is available. This list gives the name of the railroad and the bundle number.

4. periodic forms updating final engineering reports, 1915-74 (4005 ft.)(MLR Entries 17, 25, 30, 31, 33, A1), arranged sequentially in four chronological blocks, thereunder sequentially by assigned docket number in multivolume bundles of binders, and thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad or other common carrier or industrial company. The first update forms cover over a decade, but the railroads were subsequently required to submit annual updates.

5. statements compiled by railroad employees relating to the history of the railroad, 1915-28 (23 ft.)(MLR Entry 29, A1), arranged chronologically, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad, and thereunder by volume number or numerically, and thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad. These statements usually consist of charts showing the corporate organization of railroads. In some cases, the statements include a narrative history of the railroad. The narrative histories are only available for some railroads. A list of railroads covered is available.

6. railroad inspection reports compiled by ICC representatives, 1930-58 (5 ft.)(MLR Entry 28, A1), arranged alphabetically by name of railroad. The ICC compiled these reports during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Many of them contain numerous photographs about the facet of the railroad's operation being inspected. They do not, however, cover many railroads. There is a list of railroads covered in this series.

III.84 The Bureau of Valuation, Land Section, created the following series:

1. land acquisition forms, 1914-39 (771 ft.)(MLR Entries 12, 23, 24, A1), arranged sequentially in multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad company, and thereunder by volume number. The forms detail the acquisition of each parcel of land the railroad is using for common-carrier purposes that is part of the right-of-way covered by the valuation map as well as some parcels not being used for that purpose. Equipment and machinery schedules are sometimes included with these forms. An index to these records, arranged by name of railroad, is available.

2. grant schedules, 1914-28 (14 ft.)(MLR Entry 20, A1), arranged in multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad, and thereunder by volume number. The series consists of schedules recording grants to railroads by the Federal, state, or local governments; corporations; and individuals. Some grants were for common-carrier purposes and others were for financial considerations. An index, arranged by name of railroad, is available.

3. leasing schedules, 1914-23 (10 ft.)(MLR Entry 19, A1), arranged in multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad, and thereunder by volume number. The records consist of schedules recording leases of railroad-owned land to individuals, corporations, and municipalities. An index, arranged by name of railroad, is available.

4. land field notes of ICC appraisers relating to the current value of real estate adjacent to railroad rights-of-way, 1915-28 (298 ft.)(MLR Entry 18, A1), arranged alphabetically by name of railroad company and thereunder by volume number. These are notes compiled by the ICC to determine the current value of land adjacent to railroad rights-of-ways. Each note pertains to a land appraisal zone, which was established at each point where property adjacent to a railroad right-of-way changed in value. Each note describes the land in the zone and provides an estimate of its current value per acre or per square foot. An index to the records, arranged alphabetically by name of railroad, is available. The index lists the name of the railroad and the box and volume number.

5. final land reports showing value of land owned or used by common carriers, 1914-32 (107 ft.)(MLR Entry 22, A1), arranged in multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad, and thereunder by volume or part number. These reports summarize some information in the land acquisition forms and land field notes concerning the land owned or leased by railroads. They provide compilations of the value of land used by railroads for common-carrier purposes. Perhaps, most important, they serve as a finding aid to the valuation records. The final land report enables one to identify the relevant engineering field notes, the maps, the land acquisition schedules, the grant schedules, and the land appraisal field notes regarding a specific location. The final land reports are also maintained with the valuation case files.

6. periodic forms updating final land reports, 1915-60 (323 ft.)(MLR Entry 21, A1), arranged in sequentially numbered multivolume bundles of binders, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad, and thereunder by volume. The first update forms cover over a decade, but the railroads were subsequently required to submit annual updates. These forms covered the major acquisitions or sale of land used for common-carrier purposes.

III.85 Among the general records of the ICC, the cartographic records associated with the formal cases consist of manuscript, annotated, published, and photoprocessed maps of the United States and parts of the United States which were submitted as exhibits in the cases. Most of the maps pertain to the railroad industry. Many of the maps show railroad lines and systems, industrial sites and the railroads serving the industries, freight association districts, terminal points and railroad properties, corporate ownership of railroad lines, information concerning rates charged for shipment of freight, and operating and maintenance costs for railroad lines. The maps are arranged numerically by docket number.

III.86 The maps filed with the finance cases consist of manuscript, annotated, published, and photoprocessed maps and profiles of railroad lines, maps showing railroad rights-of-way, and maps showing proposed railroad routes. These maps are arranged numerically by docket number.

III.87 The records of the Bureau of Valuation include the railroad valuation maps, 1915-62. These maps are arranged alphabetically by name of railroad, thereunder by valuation section, and thereunder by map number. Almost all of the maps are 25 by 54 inches and cover 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles, or 4 miles of track. They contain many engineering details such as the layout of track and the locations of buildings and bridges. These maps contain detailed track plans for all the railroads in the continental United States, ca. 1918.

III.88 Still pictures among the ICC records include broadsides advertising special railroad excursions (134-EX). This series consists of four letterpress posters advertising special excursions or excursion-type fares on the Old Colony; Pittsburgh and Lake Erie; Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburgh; and the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroads.

III.89 Electronic records of the ICC include the waybill public use files, 1983-1995. The Commission has collected railroad waybill samples for nearly a century and, since 1946, a continuous sample of all railroad carload traffic has been taken on an annual basis. The waybill public use files are collected under contract by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) for the ICC and its successor agency, the Surface Transportation Board of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The electronic records represent an annual statistical sample of railroad traffic over the nation's rail system, beginning in 1983. For 1983 to 1995, there are between 235,000 and 400,000 records per year and one electronic records file per year. The purpose of each annual sample of railroad waybills is to measure railroad traffic flows and freight rate characteristics on a continuous, nationwide basis. These public use files are created from the ICC master data files by suppressing data to protect business confidentiality of the reporting entity. The number of data elements in the records varies over time but includes traffic information for each waybill movement such as the year, number of carloads, AAR car type, commodity code, billed weight in tons, freight revenue, transit code, all rail/intermodal code, actual miles, origin and termination states, number of interchanges, interchange states, and origin and termination freight rate territories.