Found 4 collections related to Railroads -- Electrification

Papers document Sprague's career as an inventor and engineer in the field of rail transportation from his days as a U.S. Naval Academy cadet until his death in 1934. Papers consist chiefly of his correspondence and business records of his companies, the Sprague Electric Railway and Motor Company, Sprague Electric Company, Sprague Electric Elevator Company, Société Française Sprague, and Sprague Safety Control and Signal Corporation. Company records, 1884-1933, include correspondence, memoranda, technical reports, blueprints, diagrams, photographs, patent applications, patent interference case files, and laboratory and shop records. His work as a consulting engineer and his participation in several professional organizations are also documented, particularly his work for the Electric Traction Commission of the New York Central Railroad, 1902-1906, and for the U.S. Naval Consulting Board, 1915-1923. Papers also include copies of his speeches and writings, personal notebooks, numerous scrapbooks of clippings and printed material about his inventions and rail transportation in general, and a small series of personal papers, including personal and household correspondence, portraits, genealogical material on the Sprague family, ephemera, tributes, and awards. less

William John Wilgus (1865-1949) was a civil engineer who worked for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. By 1899 he was the chief engineer for construction and maintenance of way and in 1903 became vice-president in charge of construction. During those years he supervised the planning and construction of Buffalo Union Station, the Weehawken (N.J.) Terminal and the modern Grand Central Station. In 1907 Wilgus opened his own consulting practice and advised railroad companies on construction and improvement projects for states and municipalities including several concerned with the improvement of passenger and freight transportation in the New York Metropolitan area. During World War I he directed transportation for the Allied Expeditionary Forces in France. After his retirement from private practice in 1930, he devoted much of his time to writing and research on military and civilian transportation issues while working in the private sector. Collection consists of records that document Wilgus' professional activities as a civil engineer. New York Central and Hudson River Railroad papers, 1895-1931, include correspondence; research notes, articles and pictures, engineering reports, minutes, legal papers, photographs and other materials relating to the new Grand Central Station and electrification of the suburban lines leading into it, and the rehabilitation and expansion of the railroad's other lines. American Expeditionary Forces records, 1915-1933, contain correspondence, writings and translations by Wilgus, writings by others, and source materials concerning military transportation during World War I. Private consulting practice records, 1908-1930, of his consulting firm in New York City consist of materials about New York transportation and major railroad projects and of general client files. Public service activities series, 1933-1945, contains papers relating to various projects on which he worked. American Society of Civil Engineers records, 1914-1930, include Wilgus' papers as member and president of the New York chapter in 1920-1921, and records of the United Engineering Society. His writings, research notes and related correspondence, 1913-1947, contain essays, notes, correspondence, and printed materials on issues of military reorganization, transportation and war preparedness. Also, artifacts, such as medals, awards and certificates, and photographs and charts. less