Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts, Ms2009-038 - Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Acquisition Information

The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts were purchased by Special Collections in 2009. The documents had been part of a larger group of railroad-related materials compiled by a collector, then sold to a dealer (see "separated material" section).

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts commenced and was completed in March 2009.

Historical Information

Founded in 1833 as one of the first railroads in the United States, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad served eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, transporting coal over a line that initially spanned 94 miles. The company soon expanded into subsidiary interests, including coal mining, iron making, water transportation and shipbuilding. By the 1870s, the conglomerate had become the largest corporation in the world. Anti-trust laws, however, eventually forced the various entities to separate, and the railroad's operating name became the Reading Company. The company entered bankruptcy in 1971, and its lines became part of the Conrail system in 1976.

Scope and Content

This collection contains two receipts issued to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. The first receipt, issued by the Catawissa, Williamsport & Erie Railroad and dated 1855, is for freight charges; the second is for springs and draws purchased of N. & A. Middleton of Philadelphia in 1865.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Related Material

The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts were acquired as part of a larger collection of railway-related material that had been compiled by a collector, then sold to a dealer. In the course of processing, the receipts were removed to a separate collection. The acquisition of which these receipts were a part also included:

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Separated Material

The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Receipts were acquired as part of a larger collection of railway-related material that had been compiled by a collector, then sold to a dealer. In the course of processing, the receipts were removed to a separate collection. The acquisition of which these receipts were a part also included: