Finding aid for the Nickel Plate Railroad Photographs


Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Nickel Plate Railroad
Title: Nickel Plate Railroad Photographs
Dates: 1880-1930
Extent: 1.10 linear feet (3 containers)
Abstract: The Nickel Plate Railroad was founded in 1881 to connect Buffalo and Chicago via Cleveland, Ohio. It was nicknamed the Nickel Plate Road. After it failed it was taken over by the newly organized New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad in 1887. It merged into the Norfolk and Western Railroad in 1964. The collection consists of two photograph albums and loose photographs pertaining to the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, including pictures of railroad bridges, locomotives, trains, track, depots, towns, wrecks, railroad officials, and work scenes. Also included are photographs of advertisements for railroads.
PG Number PG 096
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

History of New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad Company

The New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad Company, better known as the Nickel Plate Railroad, was founded in 1881. It connected Buffalo and Chicago by way of Cleveland, Ohio. When the line was completed, the company was christened the "Nickel Plated Road" by the editor of the Norwalk Chronicle. This nickname was formally adopted by the railroad for its trade name and subsequently utilized by each company that emerged from its consolidations with other railroads in 1887, 1916, and 1923.

The first consolidation occurred in 1885 when the original line failed and went into receivership. In 1887, the property of the Nickel Plate Railroad was purchased at foreclosure by a newly organized New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad. This line, also called the Nickel Plate, prospered and expanded.

In 1916, O. P. and M. J. Van Sweringen of Cleveland purchased the controlling shares of the Nickel Plate. Though the brothers had no experience in operating railroads, their investment paid off handsomely as the Nickel Plate continued to expand in size, worth, and prestige.

Following their first successful railroad investment, the Van Sweringen brothers augmented their holdings with the acquisition of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad and the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad (usually referred to as the Cloverleaf) in 1922. Initially, the three Van Sweringen lines were operated as distinct companies. Later, the Nickel Plate and the Cloverleaf operated jointly although they were still separate entities.

In 1922, the Van Sweringens began construction of the Cleveland Union Terminal, a facility designed to accommodate the trains of the Nickel Plate, the New York Central and its subsidiaries, and the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit.

In 1923, a plan to consolidate the Nickel Plate, the Cloverleaf, and the Lake Erie and Western was submitted to the respective stockholders and to the Interstate Commerce Commission. These parties agreed to the consolidation and the resulting company continued the name of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company and the Nickel Plate. A proposal, first made in 1924, to unify the new Nickel Plate with the Chesapeake and Ohio, the Hocking Valley, and Erie and the Pere Marquette railroads, however, was rejected by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1926.

The Nickel Plate prospered for many years. In terms of size, profit, and prospects, it ranked with the other great eastern railroads of the day, such as the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroads. While it was a strong and growing railroad, the Nickel Plate purchased stock in its competitors. By gaining control of the competition, the Nickel Plate hoped to insure cooperation among the various railroads. However, the Nickel Plate was not strong enough to carry out this plan and in 1938, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad gained control over a majority of Nickel Plate stock, and therefore received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to operate the Nickel Plate. Although controlled by the Chesapeake and Ohio, the Nickel Plate continued to operate as a solvent railroad until 1964 when it merged into the Norfolk and Western Railroad and assumed that company's name.


click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Nickel Plate Railroad

Scope and Content

The Nickel Plate Railroad Photographs, 1880-1930, consist of two photograph albums and loose photographs pertaining to the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, including pictures of railroad bridges, locomotives, trains, track, depots, towns, wrecks, railroad officials, and work scenes. Also included are photographs of advertisements for railroads. The collection includes approximately 400 black and white photographs measuring 11.5 x 14 inches and smaller and 5 black and white negatives measuring 5 x 7 inches.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of railroads and transportation in the United States in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.


Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged by subject.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material

The researcher should also consult MS 3114 Material on the Nickel Plate Road; and MS 3575 New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad Co. Records.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Advertising -- Railroads -- Photographs.
Locomotives -- Photographs.
New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad -- Photograph collections.
Nickel Plate Road -- Photograph collections.
Railroad accidents -- Photographs.
Railroad bridges -- United States -- Photographs.
Railroad construction workers -- Photographs.
Railroad stations -- Photographs.
Railroads -- Cars -- Photographs.
Railroads -- Design and construction -- Photographs.
Railroads -- Employees -- Photographs.
Railroads -- Track -- Photographs.
Railroads -- United States -- Photographs.
Railroads -- Yards -- Photographs.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 96 Nickel Plate Railroad Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Detailed Description of The Collection

Nickel Plate Railroad Photographs 1880-1930

Box Volume
1 1 One scrapbook style album measuring 13.5 x 10.25 inches, titled "Photographs," and containing 63 views of construction projects in Chicago, Cleveland, and Minneapolis. A detailed index is appended to the front of the album dates vary
1 2 One leather bound album titled "Mr. W. M. Canniff" measuring 14.5 x 11.5 inches and containing the following views: Hammond, Indiana depot; swing bridge, Hammond, Indiana (2 photographs); Bridge #203, Tippicanoe, Indiana; bridge, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Bridge #183, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Bridge #174, Goodwin, Indiana; Bridge #173, Melrose, Ohio; Bridge #172, Melrose, Ohio; Bridge #171, Oakwood, Ohio; Bridge #146, Wolf Creek; Bridge #145, Sandusky River; Bridge #132, Huron River; Bridge #117, Vermillion River; Bridge #92, Rocky River Viaduct; Bridge #91, Lakewood, Ohio; Bridge #90, Walworth Ron; Riveted Foot Truss Bridge, Cleveland, Ohio; Bridge #88, Wylie Street, Cleveland, Ohio; Bridge #87, Scranton Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio; Highway Bridge, Detroit Avenue, Cleveland; West end, Cuyahoga Valley Viaduct; East end, Cuyahogo Valley Viaduct; Forest Street Bridge; East Boulevard Bridge; Bridge #83, Cedar Avenue; Bridge #79, Willoughby, Ohio; Bridge #77, Painesville, Ohio; Bridge #69, Ashtabula Creek; Bridge #68, Conneaut, Ohio; Bridge #60, Erie, Pennsylvania; Bridge #63, Girard, Pennsylvania; Bridge #62, Saanville; Bridge #58, Erie, Pennsylvania; Bridge #46, State Line Bridge; Bridge #39, Westfield, New York; Bridge #22, Silver Creek, New York; Bridge #21, Silver Creek, New York; Bridge #20, Irving, New York; Bridge #19, Irving, New York; Bridge #18, Angola; Bridge #9, Lakeview; Bridge #14, Angola; Bridge #2, Smoke Creek; and Bridge #1, Buffalo River Bridge dates vary
1 1 One unidentified group photograph of men at a dinner, one photograph of a dining car exterior, two photographs of a dining car interior, and one photograph labeled "Nickel Plate RR - Summer Outings" dates vary
Box Folder
2 1-4 Photographs of various locomotives dates vary
2 5 Photographs of railroad tracks and right of ways. Included are numerous work scenes dates vary
2 6 Photographs of various railroad bridges dates vary
2 7 Photographs of various railroad yards dates vary
2 8 Photographs of various railroad depots dates vary
2 9 Two tintypes of various railroad yards dates vary
2 10 Photographs of various railroad cars and trains, exterior views dates vary
2 11 Photographs of various railroad cars, interior views dates vary
2 12 Photographs of various train wrecks dates vary
Box Folder
3 1-4 Photographs of various railroad workers, officials, and past presidents dates vary
3 5 Photograph of Green Springs, Ohio dates vary
3 6 Photographs of Findlay, Ohio dates vary
3 7 Photographs of Lima, Ohio dates vary
3 8 Photographs of Conneaut, Ohio dates vary
3 9 Photographs of Willoughby, Ohio dates vary
3 10 Photographs of Frankfort, Indiana dates vary
3 11 Photographs of LaFayette, Indiana dates vary
3 12 Photographs of Michigantown, Indiana dates vary
3 13 Photographs of Muncie, Indiana dates vary
3 14 Photographs of Westfield, New York dates vary
3 15 Photographs of North East, Pennsylvania dates vary