The Pennsylvania State Archives has extensive holdings on the anthracite railroads of eastern Pennsylvania, but they reside in various distinct collections, as listed below. By definition, an anthracite railroad hauled anthracite coal as one of its primary sources of freight traffic, and/or owned an anthracite mine. The principal carriers included the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Reading Company, the Lehigh Valley, the Delaware & Hudson, the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Lehigh & New England, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, the Erie-Lackawanna, the New York, Ontario & Western, the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley, the New York, Susquehanna & Western, the Wilkes Barre & Eastern, and the Lehigh & Hudson River railroads.

Researchers will find the following holdings and related records:

Central Railroad of New Jersey

• MG-199 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Collections:
  • Charles B. Schlegel Collection (RR77.102) - (mostly track charts, rule books and miscellaneous CNJ information) - [Holdings]
  • Philips Collection (principally research materials on "camelback"-type anthracite-burning steam locomotives) - [Holdings]
  • A total of (23) boxes of records from the CNJ Office of the Superintendent, Allentown, and (4) cartons of track charts as part of MG-199 currently remains unprocessed. Additional CNJ records are also scattered throughout the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad (MG-311), Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company (MG-311) and Lehigh Valley Railroad holdings (MG-274). Archives staff is not able to do research for non-visiting patrons in this series. No comprehensive finding aid exists for these records.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • Most CNJ records were destroyed.
  • Hagley Museum and Library: Additional CNJ records, including New York & Long Branch and drawings of CNJ ferries, tug boats and other marine equipment.
  • The Anthracite Railroads Historical Society preserves the history of this railroad.
  • Some CNJ track maps may be found at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives in Strasburg, Pa

Delaware & Hudson Railroad

• MG-401 Delaware and Hudson Railway Company Records.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • D&H photographs may be found in MG-199 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pa.
  • Although many of the company's records were burned in a fire in 1991 shortly after takeover by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, some additional D&H records from their Albany, NY offices are at the New York State Library.
  • The Carbondale Historical Society has materials on the D&H Gravity Railway.
  • The Bridge Line Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the history of the D&H.
  • Microfilmed D&H board minutes are at the National Canal Museum in Easton, Pa.

Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad

• MG-300 Erie Lackawanna Railway Deposit - contains some EL track maps of DL&W routes.
  

• MG-199 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Collection (at the State Archives), Elwin Mumford Collection of photographs and postcards taken and collected by him of Lackawanna locomotives, rolling stock and support facilities in the eastern Pennsylvania area, 1890-1974. [Holdings]
  

• MG-199 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Collection (at the State Archives) - Walter A. Lucas Collection of stereographs relating to railroads and scenic views in America, ca. 1875-1927, includes views of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. [Holdings]

• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:

  • Extensive DL&W photographs and historical research material may be found in MG-199 the Thomas T. Taber Collection {RR75.30} at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives, Strasburg, Lancaster, County.
  • The bulk of the original DL&W business records are housed at the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University.
  • The University of Akron has some DL&W records.
  • Smithsonian Institution NMAH Archives has a collection of DL&W records.
  • Steamtown National Historic Site has some DL&W records (1849-1961), including an extensive file for the Chief Engineer, with nearly 100,000 drawings and maps and nearly 3,000 engineering field books.
  • There is also DL&W historical information at the Cortland Historical Society in Cortland , NY.
  • The Erie Lackawanna Historical Society also preserves the history of the DL&W and has deposited their archives at Cleveland State University, Special Collections Library in Cleveland, OH.
  • The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Historical Society also preserves the legacy of the Lackawanna.
  • Hagley Museum & Library has DL&W minute books to the EL merger in 1960 plus materials on the original construction of the DL&W in the Scranton Family papers collection.
  • The Lackawanna County Historical Society has records of the DL&W Coal Department and other anthracite carriers.
  • The Anthracite Railroads Historcial Society preserves the history of this railroad.

Erie Railroad

• MG-300 Erie Lackawanna Railway Deposit.
• MG-282 Pennsylvania Coal Company Records - This company, and related firms, were for many years the Erie Railroad's coal mining subsidiaries.
• MG-199 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Collection (at the State Archives):
  • Walter A. Lucas Collection of stereographs relating to railroads and scenic views in America, ca. 1875-1927, includes views of the Erie Railroad.
  • Philips Collection contains materials relative to the Erie Railroad.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • The Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University also holds the corporate records of the Erie Railway.
  • The Erie Lackawanna Historical Society also preserves the history of the Erie and has deposited their archives at Cleveland State University, Special Collections Library in Cleveland, OH.
  • Steamtown National Historic Site also preserves the records of the Erie Office of Disbursements (AFE's JE's contracts), Erie personnel files, division engineer and chief engineers files.
    
  • The Hagley Museum & Library's Bethlehem Steel collection includes drawings of Erie ferries.
  • A sizable unprocessed collection of Erie bridge drawings and structures are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Division of Work & Industry.

Erie-Lackawanna Railway

• MG-300 Erie Lackawanna Railway Deposit.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
• About 300 cubic feet of Erie Lackawanna corporate records reside at the University of Akron. It consists of materials used and produced throughout the Railroad's final reorganization and liquidation process which began in 1972 and ended in 1991.
• The Erie Lackawanna Historical Society also preserves the history of the Erie Lackawanna and has deposited their archives at Cleveland State University, Special Collections Library in Cleveland, OH.

Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway

• The State Archives does not have any records from this interurban trolley line.
• L&WV company records reside at the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY.

Lehigh & Hudson River Railway

• The State Archives does not have any records from this railroad.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • The bulk of the business records of the Lehigh & Hudson River Railroad {RR99.57} consisting of approximately 80 cubic feet, may be found in MG-199 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pa.
  • The Historical Society of the Town of Warwick, NY also has L&HR records.
  • The Anthracite Railroads Historical Society preserves the history of this railroad.

Lehigh & New England Railroad

• MG-311 Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company Records have extensive information on the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad and other LC&N properties leased to the CNJ (includes maps and structural drawings for the Lehigh & New England Railroad tracings).
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • Additional MG-311 records may be found at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives, Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pa.
  • The Anthracite Railroads Historical Society preserves the history of this railroad.

Lehigh Valley Railroad

• MG-274 Lehigh Valley Railroad Records
• MG-2 Business Records Collection: Transportation and Industry
  o Lehigh Valley Railroad
• MG-286 Penn Central Railroad Collection also contains records from numerous LVRR companies
• MG-199 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Collection (at the State Archives) - Walter A. Lucas Collection of stereographs relating to railroads and scenic views in America, ca. 1875-1927, includes views of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
• MG-199 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Collection (at the State Archives) - Philips Collection.
• MG-328 William C. Harleman Photographs
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton houses the Lehigh Valley Railroad President's files and monomial files of the LV Chief Engineer.
  • Other Lehigh Valley RR company records are held at the Smithsonian Institution NMAH Archives.
  • The National Canal Museum in Easton, Pa., has some LV records.
  • The Courtland Historical Society, Cortland, NY, has some LV records
  • The Sayre Historical Society, Sayre, Pa., has some LV records
  • The New Jersey State Archives in Trenton, NJ has LV records.
  • Hagley Museum & Library has duplicate LV board minutes, annual reports and corporate manuals.
  • The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives has LV corporate ephermera, annual reports and some photographs/negatives.
  • The Anthracite Railroads Historical Society helps preserve the history of this railroad.

New York, Ontario & Western Railway

• The State Archives does not have any records from this railroad. The only item in MG-199 is (1) ledger of an NYO&W Agent's Record of Milk, Cream and Potcheese forwarded from Hamilton to Weehauken, NJ, 1899. Currently this item is unprocessed.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
  • Original company records reside in Middletown, NY, in possession of the New York, Ontario & Western Railway Historical Society.
  • Some NYO&W glass negative collections also are deposited at the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway/Wilkes Barre & Eastern Railroad

• The State Archives does not have any records from either of these railroads.
• WB&E business records are not known to have survived.
• Additional Resources at Other Institutions:
• NYS&W/WB&E research notes are contained as part of the Walter A. Lucas Collection in the Curatorial and Reference series, as well as track diagrams of the WB&E in the Robert Mohowski Collection at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Library/Archives.
• The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad Technical & Historical Society helps preserve the history of this railroad.