Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Great Northern Railway- Blueprint-Authorization for Expenditure Collection
Date(s)
- 1881-1982 (Creation)
Extent
10,750 documents
Name of creator
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Society was founded by Charles F. Martin in 1973 under the name "The Fraternal Order of Empire Builders", and it was dedicated to the preservation of everything related to the Great Northern Railway. In 1982 the Society name became "The Great Northern Railway Historical Society". With this name change the Society also became chartered under the not-for-profit laws of the State of Illinois, and acquired tax exempt status from the Federal government under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under the original name of "The Fraternal Order of Empire Builders", journals containing facts, photographs, drawings and general information relating to the Great Northern Railway and its predecessor companies were published. With the revised name, The Great Northern Railway Historical Society (GNRHS) continues that tradition. Each quarterly issue of the GNRHS 'Goat' normally contains sixteen pages of general information and society affairs, new member lists, member sales and want items, and books/videos listings of subjects related to the GN and its pre/post merger corporate identities. Issues include 40 to 60 additional pages within separately stapled titles known as Reference Sheets. Each issue of the 'Goat' also contains a section of pages dedicated to GN modeling, the Modelers' Pages.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Great Northern Railway- Blueprint-Authorization for Expenditure Collection (GN_Blueprint_AFEs) was created by the Great Northern Railway Historical Society from materials at the Jackson Street Roundhouse. Blueprints and other documents stored with Great Northern Railway Authorization for Expenditure files were gathered and cataloged as a separate collection with reference to the Authorization for Expenditure number where available. In addition to Great Northern Railway blueprints, some supplier blueprints, catalogs, and other supplemental materials for individual projects are included. Blueprints are categorized as Engineering drawings when depicting buildings, track and other structures and as Mechanical drawings when applicable to rolling stock. Other (minor) categories of documents include maps and plats, photographs and printed ephemera.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Please see the Great Northern Railway Historical Society Collection Management Policy for further information.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Please see the Great Northern Railway Historical Society Reproduction Policy for further information.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Ownership of the Great Northern Railway- Blueprint-Authorization for Expenditure Collection resides in the Great Northern Railway Historical Society. It was created primarily from the Burlington Northern Railroad Company files transferred to the Great Northern Railway Historical Society in 1983. The collection is held in the Great Northern Railway Historical Society Archives at the Jackson Street Roundhouse in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
The bulk of the collection is stored in Rooms 9 and 10 in the Jackson Street Roundhouse in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Exceptions are noted on the individual item records.
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Describing Archives - A Content Standard (DACS) 2nd Edition 2013
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.) (Subject)
- Other Railroads (Subject)
- Northern Pacific Railroad Company (Subject)
- Burlington Northern Railroad Company (Subject)
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company (Subject)
- Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway (Subject)
- Union Pacific Railroad Company (Subject)