About the Railroad History Archives, Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut

About the Archive

The Railroad History Collections of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut are comprised of several collections--some bearing the names of donors and others with descriptive titles. The premier collection is the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Archives which, at over 2,000 linear feet, comprises the largest single compilation of New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, better known as the New Haven Railroad, materials available at a single location. These corporate records are supplemented by several related collections, the largest of which is on deposit at the University by the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association. Through the years following the absorption of the New Haven by the Penn Central and that railroad's subsequent financial problems, New Haven archival materials were spread far and wide. As a result, the University's collections are hardly complete but other important New Haven materials, including some which once existed as part of the original corporate set, can also be found in many of the other collections which appear in the collections list. For more information about the New Haven Railroad, see this brief history at http://railroads.uconn.edu/locomotives/aboutnhrr.htm

Note to Genealogists

Genealogists frequently contact Archives & Special Collections for railroad personnel information. While such information is often found in corporate records, this is largely not the case for the Railroad History Collections. The best information we have indicates that Conrail "inherited" most of the personnel records of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and that the records are stored in a secured facility. It is not uncommon for businesses to seal such records for 50 to 75 years following an employee's departure as a measure to avoid litigation should personal/personnel information fall into the wrong hands. Our other collections have little information about personnel.

Site last updated on July 3, 2002