Thomas R. Lewis Railroad Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2005-0036

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The collection consists of materials associated with and about the South Manchester Railroad and other railroads that were gathered by Dr. Thomas R. Lewis while he was working on his book Silk Along Steel: the Story of the South Manchester Railroad. The materials in the collection include newspaper clippings, a draft of the book, traffic vouchers (1882-1906) for the Philadelphia, Reading & New England Railroad and the Central New England Railway, timetables for the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad (1877) and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (1948-1953), photographs and postcards of locomotives and scenes of the South Manchester Railroad, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (including a wreck in 1933 in Manchester, Connecticut), Penn Central, Manchester, Connecticut, and buildings of the Cheney Brothers Silk Manufacturing Company (1890s-1970s), and correspondence and writings of businessman A. Wells Case of South Manchester, Connecticut, about his invention of "A Perfect Car Coupler" (1884-1888). Of particular note is a 1855 annual report of the Clinton Line Railroad Company, possibly of Ohio, and a model of locomotive 4 of the South Manchester Railroad, done by Dr. Lewis in 1974.

Two maps were added to the collection in 2015, of the East Hartford, Connecticut, dike on the Connecticut River, and of the Manchester, Connecticut, railroad station.

Dates

undated, 1855-1974

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from both the University of Connecticut Libraries and the owner(s) of the copyright.

Biography

Thomas Reed Lewis, Jr. (March 4, 1940-January 26, 2017) was a Professor of Geography at the University of Connecticut and Manchester Community College. He was the author of Silk Along Steel: the Story of the South Manchester Railroad (Chester, Conn.: Published for Manchester Community College Press by Pequot Press, 1976). The South Manchester Railroad was a short railroad line -- just two miles long -- built in 1869 to serve the silk mills of the Cheney Brothers Silk Manufacturing Company in Manchester, Connecticut. The line carried freight for the company as well as passengers, from the start of service in 1869 until the line was sold by the Cheneys to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1933. Passenger service ended that year and freight service ended in 1981 on what was then known as the South Manchester branch. The Cheney Brothers Silk Manufacturing Company was in business from 1838 to 1955. At its peak in the 1920s it was one of the dominant silk manufacturers in the United States.

Extent

1.2 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Thomas Reed Lewis, Jr. (March 4, 1940-January 26, 2017), was the author of Silk Along Steel: the Story of the South Manchester Railroad (Pequot Press, 1976). He was a Professor of Geography at the University of Connecticut and Manchester Community College. The collection consists of maps, newclippings, timetables, correspondence, writings, photographs and postcards Dr. Lewis gathered for the writing of his book.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Archives & Special Collections by Thomas R. Lewis in 2005.

The maps were donated by Dr. Lewis in 2015.

Related Material

Archives & Special Collections has a substantial collection of materials pertaining to the railroads of southern New England, particularly the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. For detailed information on these collections please contact the curator or ask at the Reading Room desk.

Subjects

Connecticut (state) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Galley proofs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Manchester (Conn.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Manchester (inhabited place) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Newspapers Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Notes Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photocopies Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Publications (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Railroads Subject Source: Fast