Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Interstate Commerce Commission Locomotive Inspection Reports

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0241
Creators:
Interstate Commerce Commission
Yungmeyer, Martha
Dates:
1931-1964
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
8 Cubic feet
24 boxes
Repository:
Records compiled by the Bureau of Rail Safety of the Federal Railroad Administration. Data include names of locomotive builders and railroads operating them.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection is arranged into four series: Series 1: STEAM LOCOMOTIVES BOILER RECORDS, Series 2: ELECTRICS, DIESELS, RAIL CAR RECORDS, Series 3: RECORD BOOKS, & Series 4: PHOTOPRINTS and consists of records and photographs of the ICC for the years 1931-1964. Most of the photographs are of accidents or failures of equipment. The photographs are dated and railroads identified. Accident times and circumstances are noted. The records were compiled by the Bureau of Rail Safety of the Federal Railroad Administration. Data include names of locomotive builders as well as of railroads operating them.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Divided into 4 series
Series 1: Steam Locomotive Boiler Records
Series 2: Electrics, Diesels, Rail Car Records
Series 3: Record Books
Series 4: Photoprints

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), a former independent agency of the U.S. Government, was established in 1887 and charged with regulating the economics and services of specified carriers engaged in transportation between states. Surface transportation under the ICC's jurisdiction included railroads, trucking companies, bus lines, freight forwarders, water carriers, oil pipelines, transportation brokers and express agencies.
The first regulatory commission in US history, the ICC was established as a result of mounting public indignation against railroad malpractices and abuses. The ICC's effectiveness was at first limited by the failure of Congress to give it enforcement power, by the Supreme Court's interpretation of its powers and by the vague language of its enabling act. However, beginning with the Hepburn Act (1906), the ICC's jurisdiction was gradually extended beyond railroads to all common carriers except aircraft by 1940. Its enforcement powers to set rates were also progressively extended, through statute and broadened Supreme Court interpretations of the commerce clause of the Constitution, as were its investigative authority for determining fair rates of return on which to base rates. In addition, the ICC was given the task of consolidating railroad systems and managing labor disputes in interstate transport. In the 1950s and 1960s the ICC enforced Supreme Court rulings that required the desegregation of passenger terminal facilities.
Beginning in the 1960s the ICC's functions were progressively reduced as government control of surface transportation was deregulated. The agency was terminated at the end of 1995 and many of its remaining functions were transferred to the new National Surface Transportation Board.
Source
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001.

Administration

Author
Robert S Harding and Don Darroch
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Smithsonian in [1971?] by Martha Yungmeyer, the daughter of D.W. Yungmeyer, who had been an inspector for the ICC.
Custodial History
Collection transferred to the Archives Center on October 20, 1986 by John H. White, curator of land transportation (Division of Work and Industry).
Processing Information
Collection processed by Don Darroch and Robert Harding, 1986

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Interstate Commerce Commission Locomotive Inspection Reports, 1931-1964, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Martha Yungmeyer.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Transportation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Railroads Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Locomotives Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Accidents Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Transportation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu