Delaware and Hudson Railroad Engineering Drawings
name: label: Donor
content: Brosterman, Norman
label: Creator
content: Delaware and Hudson Railway Company
label: Creator
content: Muhlfeld, John E.
label: Donor
content: Nahem, Edward T.
label: Donor
content: Sasson, Maurice
label: Donor
content: Smith, Sanford
label: Collector
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry
topic: label: Topic
content: Railroads -- 20th century -- United States
label: Topic
content: Railroad companies
label: Topic
content: Railroad equipment industry
label: Topic
content: Transportation
label: Topic
content: Locomotives
label: Topic
content: Locomotives -- 19th century
label: Topic
content: Locomotives -- Design and construction
label: Topic
content: Locomotives -- Drawings
label: Topic
content: Railroad passenger cars
label: Topic
content: Railroad equipment industry
label: Topic
content: Publications
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated to the Division of Transportation, National Museum of American History, by Norman Brosterman, Edward T. Nahem, Maurice Sasson, and Sanford L. Smith, in 1991.
creator: label: Donor
content: Brosterman, Norman
label: Creator
content: Delaware and Hudson Railway Company
label: Creator
content: Muhlfeld, John E.
label: Donor
content: Nahem, Edward T.
label: Donor
content: Sasson, Maurice
label: Donor
content: Smith, Sanford
setName: label: See more items in
content: Delaware and Hudson Railroad Engineering Drawings
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents the design, manufacture, and use of equipment and parts built by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) for its daily operations and consists primarily of 26,500 original ink drawings, blueprints, supporting documents, photographs, ledgers, and publications.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Early history of the Delaware and Hudson (D&H RR) Railway Company begins with the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company.  Chartered in Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1823, the company realizes the importance of replacing the canal with a railroad operating in the Northeastern part of the United States. The Delaware and Hudson (D&H RR) Railway Company's first rail line ran between Carbondale, Pennsylvania, and New York, beginning in 1872. After numerous mergers and purchases, it became the Delaware and Hudson Company and later Delaware and Hudson Railway. It was purchased by Guilford Rail System in 1984 and by 1988 it declared bankruptcy. Its lines were purchased in 1991 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It has been suggested by museum staff that during its most successful years, Delaware and Hudson was the inventor, manufacturer, and user of some of the most important innovations in steam locomotive design.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 240 Cubic feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1900-1955, undated
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in 2009.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1169
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Blueprints
label: Type
content: Design drawings
label: Type
content: Engineering drawings
label: Type
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Type
content: Periodicals
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Arrangement:

Series 1, Photographs, circa 1900-1955, undated

Series 2, Indexing System, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 2.1, Ledgers, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 2.2, Logs, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 2.3, File Cards, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 2.4, Indexes, circa 1900-1955, undated

Series 3, Publications, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 3.1, Periodicals, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 3.2, Books, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 3.3, Proceedings of the American Railway Association, circa 1906-1918

Series 4: Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.1, M Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.2, P Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated 

Subseries 4.3, R Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.4, S Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.5, T Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.6, V Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.7, W Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.8, X Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.9, Y Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Subseries 4.10, Z Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Series 5: Blueprints, 1880s-1955, undated

Series 6, Ozalid Prints, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection is unprocessed.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
label: Genre/Form
content: Design drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Engineering drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Genre/Form
content: Periodicals
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Series 1, Photographs, circa 1900-1955, undated

Consist of 8 x 10 black and white prints documenting railroad activities and equipment.  Materials will be arranged in alphabetical order by subject. 

Series 2, Indexing System, circa 1900-1955, undated

Comprises of ledgers, logs, file cards, and indexes. Materials will be arranged in four subseries: subseries 2.1, ledgers, subseries 2.2, logs, subseries 2.3, file cards, and subseries 2.4, indexes.

Subseries 2.1, Ledgers, circa 1900-1955, undated

Contain ten volumes measuring approximately 28x18x3.  Ledgers relating to passenger cars include information about the types, costs, sizes, specifications, brakes, interior woods, lighting, heating, window sizes, paints, general condition, and repairs.  Ledgers from the Motive Power Department consists of the drawing and pattern numbers for engine details. In addition, there are locomotive maintenance and inspection ledgers.  More importantly, the drawing ledgers correspond to the original drawings and file cards serving as an alphabetical cross-referencing system.

Subseries 2.2, Logs, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 2.3, File Cards, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 2.4, Indexes, circa 1900-1955, undated

Series 3, Publications, circa 1900-1955, undated

Consist of materials used by the company as references relating to engineering and railroads. 
Materials will be arranged in four subseries: subseries 3.1, trade literature; subseries 3.2, periodicals; subseries 3.3, books; and subseries 3.4, American Railway Association.

Subseries 3.1, Trade Literature, undated

Subseries 3.2, Periodicals, circa 1900-1955, undated

Subseries 3.3, Books, circa 1900-1955, undated

Comprise of technical publications relating primarily to steam engineering some with fold out diagrams of locomotives.

Subseries 3.4, American Railway Association, circa 1900-1955

Contain published records of the organization including proceedings from the annual conventions, manuals, and books documenting its meetings, activities, and important decisions regarding railway operations, safety standards, and regulations for the railroad industry in the United States.
Includes thirty issues of the proceedings of annual conferences.

Series 4: Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Materials comprise the largest portion of the collection and include approximately 26,500 ink drawings on vellum, cloth, or paper.  The drawings were created during the first half of the twentieth century by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H) for the operations of its business.  The company was self-sufficient and manufactured in-house, regardless of size or scale, everything needed for the entire railroad.  The drawings document innovations in design and function and include the title, number, date, dimensions, and initials of the draftsman, designer, and supervisor with revisions noted. 

The work of John Erhardt Muhlfeld, one of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company's most important designers, is found among these materials. Muhlfeld, during his time a well-known consulting engineer, designer, and authority on locomotive design was born on September 18,1872 in Peru, Indiana to John Muhlfeld (1847-June 18, 1885) and Kunigunda Erhardt (1851-December 15, 1925). He attended Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering. Muhlfeld entered the railroad business as an apprentice eventually working for various American and foreign companies including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Kansas City Southern Railway; Wabash Railroad; Erie Railroad; Toledo and Ohio Central Railway; Chicago Southern Railroad; Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railway (CC&O); Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway; Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A); Grand Trunk Railroad (Canada); and Itabira Railway (Brazil). In 1910, he entered in business for himself as a railroad consulting engineer maintaining offices in New York City at 25 Broad Street. During his career he surveyed railroad conditions and operations in England, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and other countries; collaborated with European engineers on the development and design of rolling stock and motive power; designed the first Mallet articulated type of locomotive in operation in the United States; developed powdered fuel burning for locomotives and stationary power plants; and created high-pressure freight locomotives for the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. Muhlfeld published numerous pamphlets, reports, studies, articles, and a book relating to the railroad industry. He was a member of several organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Railway Association, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the American Railway Master Mechanics Association. John Erhardt Muhlfeld died on June 19, 1941, of a heart attack in New York, New York at the age of sixty-nine.

The drawings were maintained in the groups created by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR):  subseries 4.1, m drawings; subseries 4.2, p drawings; subseries 4.3, r drawings; subseries 4.4, s drawings; subseries 4.5, t drawings; subseries 4.6, v drawings; subseries 4.7, w drawings; subseries 4.8, x drawings; subseries 4.9, y drawings; and subseries 4.10, z drawings.
Sources: Obituary for John Muhlfeld, Scarsdale Inquirer, Volume XXIII, Number 22, 27 June 1941


Subseries 4.1, M Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Include one hundred and eighty drawings documenting the painting and lettering on each type of railroad car.  These drawings show the names, numbers, and emblems carefully drawn to scale illustrating the development of the graphic styles used by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) throughout the decades.  The drawings also document the different types of cars on the railroad including box, hopper, covered hopper, snowplows, Condola, wrecking, stock, and flat.  In addition, the drawings were also used as stencils for the lettering on baggage, National Express, and American Railway Express.  Materials measure 18x72 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.
Subseries 4.2, P Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated
Consists of two hundred and seventy drawings on linen and vellum used to document the plans and elevations for entire locomotives, tenders, and cars. The illustrations show both proposed and preliminary designs for entire engines. Entire designs for these items are also included on the Z drawings.  In addition, detailed plans, and elevations of early private cars, passenger coaches, and specialized cars for the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) are also found among these materials. Of particular interest are the drawings of detailed designs for seats, beds, toilets, kitchens, lounge furniture, and other interior aspects.  The materials measure 12x48 and are arranged by the drawing number.

Subseries 4.3, R Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Contain two hundred and ten drawings documenting the painting and lettering on each type of car like the M drawings.  The drawings show the names, numbers, and emblems carefully drawn to scale illustrating the development of the graphic styles used by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) throughout the decades.  These drawings also document the different types of cars on the railroad including box, hopper, covered hopper, snowplows, Condola, wrecking, stock, and flat.  In addition, the drawings were also used for the actual stencils for the lettering on baggage, National Express, and American Railway Express.  Materials measure 18x48 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.

Subseries 4.4, S Drawings, circa 1880s-1955, undated

Comprises of the smallest drawings used primarily for machined parts for individual engines and cars. This group of 18,250 also includes over one thousand drawings of locomotives, cars, interiors, tools, flags, and lights used by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR).  In addition, there are diagram and data sheets dating before World War I used as an inventory of every locomotive and car owned by the railroad. The locomotives were either manufactured by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) or purchased from other companies. Materials measure 9x13 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.

Subseries 4.5, T Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Consist of five thousand and five hundred drawings generally used to illustrate technical information relating to the design and construction of mechanical systems. Many of the drawings document complex machine parts.  In addition, this format was extensively used for charts of numerical information on widely diverse subjects. Materials measure 12x18 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.

Subseries 4.6, V Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Include two hundred and fifty drawings documenting the technical and mechanical information used in the construction of various parts of the trains and their interiors. There are also drawings illustrating the floor plans and layouts of the various machine shops where the train parts were made, and the locomotives and cars were erected.  Materials measure 18x24 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.

Subseries 4.7, W Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Contain three hundred drawings on linen and vellum documenting entire plans and elevations for locomotives, tenders, and cars.  There are detailed plans and elevations for many of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) early private cars, passenger coaches, and specialized cars.  Like the P drawings these images illustrate detailed designs for seats, beds, toilets, kitchens, lounge furniture, and other interior aspects.  Materials measure 12x36 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.

Subseries 4.8, X Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Include eight hundred and eighty drawings documenting the construction of trucks for passenger cars, boiler sections, engine trucks, cylinder sections, locomotive front-end arrangements, driving and side rods, locomotive cab arrangements, locomotive smoke and steam deflectors, coal breaker clearances for loading coal cars, coal transferring machines, wood vestibule for passenger cars, buffet desk for private car, etc.  Materials measure 24x36 and are arranged by the drawing numbers.

Subseries 4.9, Y Drawings, circa 1900-1955, undated

Contain two hundred and ninety-five drawings used for large scale descriptions of cars and their parts including engine cabs and airbrake assemblies. Materials measure 36x48 and are arranged by the drawing number.

Subseries 4.10, Z Drawings and Erecting Cards, circa 1900-1955, undated

Consist of two hundred and sixty drawings used by the engineers of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) for the presentation of entire locomotives and cars.  In many cases the drawings include dimensions and numbers to other drawings required to build a particular engine. Included in this group are the locomotive erecting cards.  The erecting cards document the entire locomotive from the side showing both the machinery visible in elevation and the workings within. Materials measure 36x72, 36x90, and 36x120. Materials are arranged first by size and then by number. The largest size, 36x120, are stored in tubes.

Series 5: Blueprints, circa 1900-1955, undated

Include materials created from the drawings and serves as a duplicate of the original.  In some cases, it may be the only existing copy of a particular subject. Materials are arranged by number.

Series 6, Ozalid Prints, circa 1900-1955, undated

Contain cloth prints created by the American Locomotive Company (ALC) and supplied to the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company (D&H RR) for servicing equipment purchased from ALC. Materials are large and require assistance when handling.
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