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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Bureau of Archives and History
Pennsylvania State Archives


PULLMAN-STANDARD CAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA RECORDS
Series Descriptions

Administrative Records



Bureau of Plant Engineering Correspondence,
1925-1926.
(1 folder)


{series #393m.1} [Holdings]

Arranged randomly. 

Letters and memoranda concerning building maintenance. The Standard Steel Car Company’s Bureau of Plant Engineering was located at Butler, Pennsylvania and was responsible for decisions on alterations, additions, and maintenance of structures. This file concerns changes to buildings at the plants in Hammond, Indiana and Middletown, Pennsylvania.

Correspondence on Spring Slide Rule,
1925.
(1 folder)

{series #393m.2} [Holdings]

Arranged chronologically by date of correspondence.

A File containing a few letters on the development and distribution of a spring slide rule for calculating the strength of helical springs. No technical information is included.

List of Potential Past Service Pensions Purchased,
1940.
(1 folder)

{series #393m.3} [Holdings]

Arranged alphabetically by last name of employee. 

A spreadsheet of pensions purchased, dated January 1, 1940. Data includes certificate number, name, sex, social security number, date of birth, retirement age, retirement date, service data, and pension purchasing data. Information about 564 employees is provided.

Manager’s Cost and Manufacturing Analyses for Cars and Parts,
1925-1959.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.4} [Holdings]

Grouped by type of material and arranged variously thereunder.

An indexed three ring binder with dividers containing various papers used by a manager. The divider headings include car orders, operating costs of the car department and forge shop, organization, classification of overhead costs, various cost analyses, employment and production charts, shop layouts, utilities costs, and expenditures for tools and supplies. Some early production data dating back to 1925 is available; however, most data is from 1940 to 1954. The 1938-1954 summary of cars built breaks down production data by year, lot number, company, type, capacity, ordered, started, finished, and scheduled per day. Loose in the binder are plans of a building for Butler Bolt and Rivet Company and a folder on the issue of construction of the Pickle Gate Viaduct Crossing.

Manager’s Cost and Production Data Sheets,
1925-1954.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.5} [Holdings]

Grouped by type of material and arranged variously thereunder.

A three ring binder which appears to be the management data collected by R.M. Fox. This binder contains detailed cost analyses of production and the components of production. There is also a list of machines used in ordnance production with accompanying technical data, a summary of personnel in the shell department in 1945, piecework prices for ordnance, summaries of final costs for various cars from 1941-1946, statements of plant and department operating costs from 1941-1950, statements of costs for shells, cost analyses for many aspects of operations, and plant layout plans.

Newspaper Clippings,
1902.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.6} [Holdings

Arranged randomly.

A scrapbook of railroad-related newspaper clippings from all over the United States. Stories concern the startup of the Standard Steel Car Company, orders of rolling stock from railroad companies, production tie-ups, accident reports, expansion plans of railway and car manufacturing companies, strikes, coke and iron industry news, and other reports of interest to a railroad car manufacturing company.

Patents,
1902-1931.
(1 carton) 

{series #393m.7} [Holdings]

Grouped by issuing country and arranged thereunder by serial number.

Patents issued to the Standard Steel Car Company and several officers for improvements in the design and manufacture of railroad cars and components. A majority were issued from 1903 to 1907 to John M. Hanson, the first President of the company, and Andrew Christianson, an early Chief Engineer. Other recipients were Harry Temple Anderson, William Gunn Price, Arnold Stucki, Jackson Simonton, and Soren Hansson. Issuing countries were the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Germany. Also included is correspondence on patents and trademarks.

Personnel Policy Memoranda,
1944-1945.
(1 folder)

{series #393m.8} [Holdings]

Arranged randomly.

A few loose copies of memoranda concerning permission to employ young women in ordnance production, the difficulties being experienced by failure to file personnel forms properly, and the minutes of a managers’ meeting.


Personnel Records


Index to Employee Records not held by State Archives,
1909-1937.
(13 volumes)

{series #393m.9} [Holdings]

Grouped alphabetically by first three letters of last name and arranged chronologically by year within each group.

Alphabetical indexes of employees at the Standard Steel Car Company plant in Butler Pennsylvania. Information given includes check number, name, date hired, and date employee left service. The first ten volumes of this series generally cover the period from 1909 to 1929, and the last three volumes cover 1929 to 1937. There are many employees, however, who appear in the index that does not match their period of service so the indexes of both time periods should be checked.

Index to Short Term Employee Records not held by State Archives,
1909-1914.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.10} [Holdings]

Grouped alphabetically by first two letters of last name and arranged chronologically by year thereunder.

An index of short-term employees at the Standard Steel Car Company plant in Butler Pennsylvania. Almost all employees listed worked for a brief time, a few days to a few months. Information given includes check number, name, date hired, and date left service.

Index to Short Term Employee Records not held by State Archives,
1916-1918.
(1 file)

{series #393m.11} [Holdings]

Grouped alphabetically by first letter of last name and arranged chronologically by year thereunder.

A special twenty-seven page index of employees of the Standard Steel Car Company plant in Butler Pennsylvania which covers September, 1916 to March, 1918. Information provided includes name, check number, date hired, and date employee left service. The employees listed here generally worked only a few weeks, some even a few days. Except for a very few who are noted, they do not appear in the Index to Employee Records not held by State Archives,1909-1937 {series #393m.9}. The file is contained at the beginning of the first volume of this index.

Official Personnel Files of Employees Laid Off,
1948-1982 (bulk: 1950-1982).
(6 boxes)

{series #393m.12} [Holdings]

Arranged numerically by check number.

Personnel records of employees laid off from the Pullman-Standard Car Company plant at Butler, Pennsylvania. Check number appears to be a company-assigned serial number. Records are otherwise not indexed. Information on each employee may include name, date of birth, social security number, address, dependents, previous job experience, military service, education level, marital status, occupation, height, weight, and work history with the company. Information on dependents may be limited to number or may include name, age, relationship and date of birth. Some records include permission slips for time off for medical appointments, warnings for poor job performance, and suspension notices.

Official Personnel Files of Employees Terminated,
1948-1982 (bulk: 1950-1982).
(43 boxes)

{series #393m.13} [Holdings]

Arranged numerically by check number.

Personnel records of employees terminated at the Pullman-Standard Car Company plant at Butler, Pennsylvania. This file pertains to both retirements and severances. Check number appears to be a company-assigned serial number. Records are otherwise not indexed. Information on each employee may include name, date of birth, social security number, address, dependents, previous job experience, military service, education level, marital status, occupation, height, weight, and work history with the company. Information on dependents may be limited to number or may include name, age, relationship and date of birth. Some records include permission slips for time off for medical appointments, warnings for poor job performance, and suspension notices.

Special Ineligibles List,
undated.
(1 file)

{series #393m.14} [Holdings]

 Arranged alphabetically by last name of employee. 

A two page listing of “Special Ineligibles”, a title which is not explained. Data provided is names only. File is located in front of the first volume of the Index to Employee Records not held by State Archives,1909-1937 {series #393m.9}.

Time Sheets,
1944-1945.
(2 volumes)

{series #393m.15} [Holdings]

Arranged by clock number.

Two time books which list the employees whose clock numbers range from 9500 to 11,199. Columns in the books provide employee name, clock number, and a time record, which appears to be the number of days missed during each two week pay period. Clock numbers appear to be company-assigned serial numbers. The 1945 book contains copies of memoranda listing layoffs and absentee record of people being laid off.


Publicity Records


Pullman-Standard Postscript Newspaper,
1943-1946, 1948-1950.
(1 volume and 1 folder)

{series #393m.16} [Holdings]

Arranged chronologically by date of issue.

Biweekly, glossy newspapers for the employees of the Pullman-Standard plant in Butler, Pennsylvania. Issues from November 19, 1943 to January 25, 1946 when publication ceased, and from resumption on October 15, 1948 to March 3, 1950, are in a bound volume. Some loose duplicate issues from the second period are available in a folder. A majority of stories concern people who worked at the Butler plant.

Pullman-Standard Carbuilder Magazine,
1940-1949, 1951-1952, 1954-1956, 1958-1971, 1973-1976.
(1 carton)

{series #393m.17} [Holdings] 

Arranged chronologically by date of issue.

Loose issues of the monthly, and later bimonthly, magazine of the Pullman-Standard Company. Most articles in the magazines concern company production, new developments, and government business policies. 147 issues are held. Issues for 1950, 1953, 1957, 1972 and selected months from other years are missing.

Pullman-Standard Management Newsletter,
1960-1962.
(1 folder)

{series #393m.18} [Holdings]

Arranged chronologically by date of issue.

Biweekly four to six page newsletters for middle management of the Pullman-Standard  Car Company. Issues held date from January 5, 1960 to October 16, 1962. The newsletters were prepared by the Director of Public Relations to keep managers informed about company and industry issues.

Audio Tapes,undated,
(13 reels).
{series #393m.19}
[Holdings]

Arranged randomly.

Magnetic recording tapes of training programs; comments of visitors regarding the 1952 Open House; 1958 Butler management meeting; a 1967 advertisement; and a 1956 radio program. Twelve tapes are ¼” and 1800’ long. One is ¼” and 900’ long. Contents of some tapes are not known.

Motion Picture Film,
1948, 1952,
(3 reels).

{series #393m.20} [Holdings]

Arranged randomly.

16 mm motion picture film of the Open House celebrations at the Butler, Pennsylvania plant in 1948 and 1952. Films are 400’ in length. Content of third reel is not known.

Photographs,
undated.
(3 boxes and 7 folders)

{series #393m.21} [Holdings]

Arranged randomly.

Photographs of personnel, production, ceremonies, and facilities. Unprocessed.

Scrapbooks,
1942, 1948.
(2 volumes)

{series #393m.22} [Holdings]

Arranged randomly.

Scrapbooks of material demonstrating preparation for and conduct of the 1942 ceremony for receipt of an Army-Navy “E” Production Award, and also for the 1948 Open House. Materials contained in the books include photographs, newspaper clippings, and letters.

Slides,
1964, 1979-1981.
(7 volumes)

{series #393m.23} [Holdings]

Arranged randomly.

Three ring binders of plastic sheets with pockets for 35 mm slides. Some slides are from 1964. Majority are from 1979-1981. Most slides are pictures of production processes and finished rail cars.


Technical Records

 Drawings and Specifications


Box Car General Arrangement Drawings,
1902-1955.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.24} [Holdings]

Grouped by whether built or proposed, then arranged numerically by drawing number.

Loose binder pages of general arrangement drawings of various types of box cars. A few component drawings of underframes and side doors are included. The first grouping, “Box Cars – Built”, contains drawings from 1902 to 1955. The second portion, “Box Cars – Proposed”, contains drawings from 1902 to 1937. The majority of all drawings date from prior to 1930.

Brake and Truck Layout General Arrangement Drawings,
1943-1965.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.25} [Holdings]

Grouped by type of car, and thereunder arranged numerically by drawing number.

Loose binder pages separated by dividers. The first section contains general arrangement drawings of various flat cars. The second group is titled “Trailer Cars- General and Brake Arrangement” and contains underframe and brake arrangement drawings.  The following section is “PS-2 Brake Arrangement” which contains brake arrangement drawings for hopper cars and gondolas. In “PS-2 General Arrangement” can be found general arrangement drawings for cars in the previous section. The following three sections contain general arrangement drawings as follows: “PS-3 General Arrangement” for ballast cars and hoppers, “PS-4 General Arrangement” for welded flat cars, and “PS-5 General Arrangement” for gondola cars. The five succeeding sections are entitled “PS-1 Truck Layout” through “PS-5 Truck Layout”. These sections all contain truck layout and arrangement drawings.

Car and Truck Component Manufacturers’ Listings,
1953-1960.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.26} [Holdings]

Arranged numerically by lot number, and thereunder chronologically by date of car construction.

Listing sheets which itemize the major components of the bodies and trucks of hopper, gondola, and flat cars. Each sheet provides lot number, name of car, customer, and date. The components are divided between body and truck specialties and provide name, type, and manufacturer for each item. Body components documented include air brakes, brake regulators, brake rod jaws, couplers, coupler yokes, cotters, draft gears, hand brakes, hatch loading device, and retaining valve anchor among others. Truck components include brake beams, axles, brake shoes, truck bolsters, truck side frames, wheels, roller bearings, bottom connectors, and truck springs among others.

Center Construction and Underframe General Drawings,
1903-1928.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.27} [Holdings]

Grouped by manufacturer and thereunder arranged numerically by drawing number.

Loose binder pages of general drawings of center construction and underframes for various types of railroad cars. Drawings are grouped by either of two manufacturers:  Standard Steel Car Company and Middletown Car Company. Some United States Standard Designs are included.

Chinese Government Railway Specifications, Drawings, and Procedures,
1903.
(1 volume)

{series #393m.28} [Holdings]

 Arranged by topic such as tracks, bridges, cars, material specifications, and operating procedures.

Loose binder pages entitled “Chinese Government Railways, Peking-Mukden Line, Standard Construction of Track, Cars, and Locomotives, with Specifications, Diagrams, and Appendixes”. The binder was created by the Chief Engineer in Tientsin, China for the Imperial Railways of North China. It contains an index of diagrams and one of specifications and appendices. Types of diagrams include clearances, track and rail details, crossings, earthworks, bridge loads, girders, drains, arches, signals, locomotives, cars, components, and springs. There are separate specifications for railways, bridges, cars, wheels, and axles. The appendices have many paragraphs on the details of how to operate a railroad, on rules and conduct of personnel, and regulations for protection of the railway during flood season.

Die Drawings,
1902-1964.
(52 long boxes)

{series #393m.29} [Holdings]

Grouped by drawer number and generally by date.

Large die drawings of all types of railway car components. Die drawings were used in the  manufacture of the dies that would stamp the parts in question. Many drawings from 1942 to 1945 are of equipment used in the manufacture of ordnance. Item listing of the drawings is available for twenty-two boxes.


PA State Archives Hours, Directions, & Fees Research Topics Online Catalog Land Records