Trains, Trains and Railroads

Trainspotting can be something of an acquired taste, but for the true aficionado we present the Chase-Streeter collection. Formed mainly from gifts made by Judge William Martin Chase, Dartmouth 1858, and Thomas W. Streeter, Dartmouth 1904, the collection focuses primarily on the early history of New England railroads. It consists of over fifteen hundred items ranging from charters, annual reports of the various railroads to their stockholders, broadsides, and surveys of railroads, many with maps, to hearings before legislative bodies and pamphlets concerning legal disputes.

The collection also contains some more unique items such as a series of photographs documenting damage done to the Central Vermont Line during the 1938 hurricane. These images are eerily reminiscent of similar havoc caused by Hurricane Irene.

Other ephemeral items include a small set of timetables for various railroads, including several western lines, and a sampling of stock certificates for the New York Central Railroad and it's subsidiaries.

Search the Library catalog for all of the cataloged items in the collection. The items highlighted here are from Chase-Streeter New England C42 18 (hurricane damage), Chase-Streeter N45 1 (stock certificates) and Chase-Streeter U.S. General 10 (timetables).