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Delaware & Hudson Railroad Straight Line Maps

 Collection
Identifier: SC MS 0459

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of three small booklets from the Office of the Chief Engineer of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Corporation which fold out into large maps. They depict the railroad properties of the Pennsylvania Division Main Line. This included the Wilkes Barre Connecting Railroad, Plymouth Branch, Buttonwood Branch, Branch No. 3 and No. 5; the Susquehanna Division including the Saratoga Branch and Cooperstown Branch; and Champlain Division including the Baldwin Branch, Ticonderoga Branch and Ausable Forks Branch, up to Montreal, Canada. The large railroad map blueprints were pieced together into straight line maps, and stitched and folded like an accordion into a booklet size small enough to fit a railroad inspector’s coat pocket. This would allow a railroad inspector for valuation of railroad property to determine transportation costs for freight shipments.

Please contact for a more extensive finding aid.

Dates

  • Creation: 1931 - 1959

Conditions Governing Access

Collection housed remotely. Users need to contact 24 hours in advance.

Conditions Governing Use

Collection is open for research.

Copyright notice

Please inquire about copyright information.

Biographical / Historical

The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a Class 1 railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. It was first incorporated in 1823 as the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company to transport anthracite coal from Pennsylvania mines to New York City. In 1864, D&H began acquiring and financing railroads as they became a more popular means of transportation than canals. By the late nineteenth century, D&H transitioned into a bridge line carrying large amounts of freight between other connecting lines. Despite the mid-20th-century decline of the coal industry and the subsequent restructuring of the Northeastern rail landscape, the D&H maintained its independence longer than many of its peers before being acquired by Canadian Pacific in 1991.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet ([3] oversize maps in a box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Delaware and Hudson Railway booklets of maps used by a railroad inspector for valuation of railroad property to determine transportation costs for freight shipments.

Arrangement

Arranged by format.

Status
Completed
Author
Eleanor Nothelfer
Date
April 9, 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2026-05-12: Finding aid revised by Lila Goldenberg

Repository Details

Part of the Lehigh University Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Lehigh University
Linderman Library
30 Library Drive
Bethlehem PA 18045 USA
610-758-4506
610-758-6091 (Fax)