Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of over 400 brochures, timetables, and other railroad ephemera items assembled by University of Illinois alumnus Roger C. Clark. Dozens of rail lines are represented, including Amtrak, Chicago & Northwestern, Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, New York Central, Rock Island, Santa Fe, and Union Pacific. In addition to railroad ephemera, the collection includes some items from related organizations such as the Association of American Railroads as well as other mass transit organizations such as bus, ferry, and air lines.
The bulk of the material in the collection dates from the 1930s through the 1980s, although earlier and later items are also included. Timetables and maps provide logistical information about the rail service in different time periods, both for passengers and employees. Brochures, often richly illustrated, showcase features of the trains, scenic routes, and cities along the way for current and potential passengers. The collection also contains other examples of marketing ephemera such as matchbooks, patches, stationery, and postcards as well as service items such as menus and napkins.
Roger C. Clark donated his collection to the Library in 2014.
Collection contents listed in table form: In addition, a spreadsheet of the collection, created by Clark and edited by library staff, is also available at
http://www.library.illinois.edu/ihx/inventories/clarkr-inventory-tables.xls. The four tabs within the spreadsheet provide alternate sorted lists of the items in the collection.
Subjects (links to similar collections)
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