Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen Memorabilia, 1868-1978
Collection Number: 5148 MB

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen Memorabilia, 1868-1978
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5148 MB
Abstract:
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen Memorabilia including badges, buttons, push-pins, cuff links, constitution and by-laws, postcards, certificates, calendars and other miscellaneous items
Creator:
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen (ORC&B)
Quanitities:
3.36 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English
Biographical / Historical

The Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen (ORC & B) was founded in 1868 as an order of railroad conductors and later expanded to include brakemen.
The Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen was founded by T.J. "Tommie" Wright in 1868 in Amboy, Ill. as the Conductors Union. The name was changed to Order of Railway Conductors of America (ORC) in 1878. In 1942, the Order of Sleeping Car Conductors merged with ORC. The union's name was changed in 1954 to the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen. In 1969, the Order merged with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and Switchmen's Union of North America to form the United Transportation Union.
The ORC & B International Headquarters, Grand Division, was located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with subordinate divisions in the United States, Canada, and the Panama Canal Zone. The principal officers included the president, senior vice-president, general secretary-treasurer, executive vice-president, vice-president/Washington legislative representative, vice-president/National Railroad Adjustment Board, four regional vice-presidents, Board of Trustees (3 members), and the ORC & B Board of Directors (comprised of the above 13 officers.) General Adjustment Committees on each property (Class 1 railroads) were responsible for execution of the contract, with each chairman, as principal officer, exercising a high degree of autonomy. Legislative matters on the state level were the responsibility of the State Legislative Committee and its chairman.
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Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.
INFORMATION FOR USERS
Preferred Citation

Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen Memorabilia #5148 MB. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related Materials

Related Collections: 5148: Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen Records 5148 P: Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen Photographs 6289: Order of Railway Conductors Division 642 Records
SUBJECTS

Names:
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen -- Archives
Chicago Railroad --Archives
Chicago Railroad Fair --Archives
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen --Archives
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen -- Collectibles--Archives
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen. Grand Division--Archives
Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen. St. John' Division--Archives
Pennsylvania Railroad --Archives
Southern Pacific Railroad Company --Archives
CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Box 1 Folder 1
ORC&B - badges, buttons, push-pins
Scope and Contents
Badges - Two sided - 1) - "Galesburg, Division, No. 83, O.R.C., Galesburg, Ill." - 2) "In Memoriam" ; "Order of Railway Conductors" ; buttons - "Conductors, Brakemen, O.R.C.B." ; push-pins - shaped like a railroad car with "ORCB" ; round with "ORC" ; rou
Box 1 Folder 2
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All have a railroad car at the top and white satin ribbon attached. On the bottom they differ. One has a key and feather crossed. One has a gavel hanging from it. The last has a circle with a scales in the middle.
Box 1 Folder 3
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All have green ribbon hanging from a gold/bronze pin, two have railroad cars on top. Two have nos. in the center of the ribbon [115] & [589]. The last has the initials "ORC"
Box 1 Folder 4
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - Brass with railroad car on top, red ribbon with lettering "Galesburg Division No. 83, O.R.C., Galesburg, Ill." with a feather and key hanging from bottom. Two are from "Galesburg Division No. 83" and are the double sided badges for "In Memoriam.
Box 1 Folder 5
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All three have gold railroad cars at the top of a white satin ribbon. Two have gold scales hanging from the bottom. One badge has a gold sword hanging on the bottom.
Box 1 Folder 6
ORC&B - Miscellaneous
Scope and Contents
Badge - Gold top "Welcome" with pendant hanging "To Oregon Division No. 31"ribbon has "11th Session of Grand Division L.A. to O.R.C.". Push-pin is shaped like a railroad car with "ORCB". Last piece is the pendant that goes on the bottom of a badge, shape
Box 1 Folder 7
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - First badge is 2 sided, one black, one colored. "Pacify Div., No. 267, O.R.C., Vancouver, B.C." . Second badge is only the ribbon portion, "Third Annual Salida, OW, 132, ORC, on Floor". Third is 2 sided on colored, one black for "In Memoriam". F
Box 1 Folder 8
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All three have gold railroad cars at the top of a white satin ribbon. Two have gold swords hanging from the bottom. One badge has a gold crossed gavels hanging on the bottom.
Box 1 Folder 9
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All three have gold railroad cars at the top of a white satin ribbon. First one has gold sword hanging from the bottom. Second badge has a tarnished circle with crossing gavels hanging from the bottom and "Galesburg Division No. 83, O.R.C., Gales
Box 1 Folder 10
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All four have gold railroad cars at the top of a satin ribbon. First two have "267" lettering. Third badge has a gold sword hanging from the bottom. The fourth badge has silver circle with crossed gavels hanging on the bottom.
Box 1 Folder 11
ORC&B - badges
Scope and Contents
Badges - All four have gold railroad cars at the top of a satin ribbon. First one has red ribbon with lettering "Laredo Division No. 399, O.R.C., Laredo, Texas" and crossed silver swords on the bottom. The rest have white ribbons with gold swords hanging
Box 1 Folder 12
Insurance analysis [contents from insurance booklet]
 1953
Scope and Contents
Insurance analysis prepared by Fidelity Phenix Fire Insurance Co., Farm Engineering Dept., July, On property of Bermuda Plantation.
Box 1 Folder 13
ORC&B - key chain & cuff links
Scope and Contents
Cuff links - shaped like railroad cars with lettering "ORCB". Key chain - gold with round pendant with raised railroad car and lettering "ORCB" on front, on back "ORC & B Centennial, June 1868-1968, 100 Years of Progress for Road Men"
Box 1 Folder 14
ORC&B - checks
Scope and Contents
Eight checks written for various amounts to people and organizations. Saved from ORC&B's Accounting Dept. files.
Box 1 Folder 15
ORC&B - certificate of membership
 1886
Scope and Contents
"Certificate of Membership" for Wm Rush, from May
Box 1 Folder 16
ORC&B - constitution & by-laws , adopted May 12
 1919
Scope and Contents
Book - "Constitution, Statutes, Rule of Order and Laws Governing the Mutual Benefit Department, the Accident Insurance Department, the Indemnity Association"
Box 1 Folder 17
ORC&B - emblem designs
Scope and Contents
Sheet with the examples of 11 different ORC&B emblems to be used for different things.
Box 1 Folder 18
Gavel
Scope and Contents
Gavel engraved for "Lookout Mt. Presented to ORC No. 402 by L.M. Cromer"
Box 2 Folder 1
Railroad passes, postcards and receipt books
 1949
Scope and Contents
Receipt books from Div. 575 & 608. Railway pass from Southern Pacific RR. Postcards - "The Smallest Locomotive, Built in 1881 and still in service between Omaha neb. And manila Ia." ; World's Fastest Locomotive, Pennsylvania RR's No. 7002 - Record 127.1 m
Box 2 Folder 2
Souvenirs - invitations
 1883-1956
Scope and Contents
Invitation from city of Cincinnati to Union to hold the Convention (1907) ; "Uniform Rank KOP Ball, Nickerson, Kansas" (Dec. 1892) ; Invitation to Union Masque Ball, Hutchinson, Kansas (January, 1883) ; Invitation to Ball, lists of committee members, Nick
Box 2 Folder 3
Souvenirs - booklets
 1868-1968
Scope and Contents
Booklets - "Fiftieth Annual Meeting, Centennial Celebration, Chicago" ; "Program, 45th Grand Division, May 1954, Columbus, Ohio" ; "History - Officers, Delegates, Program, 43rd Grand Division, Sept. 1946, Chicago" ; "Souvenir, 39th Grand Division, ORC, St
Box 2 Folder 4
Railroad time card booklet, supplies and regalia catalogue
Scope and Contents
"ORC Wahsatch Division No. 124, Time Card No. 15" ; "Catalogue No. 23, Prices for supplies and regalia"
Box 2 Folder 5
Membership "Division Card" for divisions no. 421, 604 and 138 of the Order of the Railway Conductors and Brakemen
Scope and Contents
"Order of Railway Conductors of America" and "Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen" membership cards
Box 2 Folder 6
Book of examples of 'Division Cards'
 1889-1969
Scope and Contents
"Order of Railway Conductors" sample of Division cards
Box 2 Folder 7
ORC&B ritual books
Scope and Contents
Ritual books - "for use of Subordinate Divisions of the ORC" ; "Burial Service"
Box 3 Folder 1
The Holy Bible - Conductor's Brotherhood, Elmira Division, No.9
 1876-1978
Scope and Contents
"Holman's Edition" "The Holy Bible", c1876 ; [from cover] - "Conductor's Brotherhood, Elmira Division, No. 9, 1878"
Box 4 Folder 1
Conductor's banner
Scope and Contents
Banner - White with yellow trim and tassels. ORC symbol in the center - circle with forearm and rope/forearm and lantern/hand and switch
Box 5
2 Rail road flags, one red, one blue, used for signalling repair
Box 5 Folder 1
Flags
Scope and Contents
Two flags - one teal - one maroon [no markings on either]
Box 6
Certificates, calendar, etc.
Box 6 Folder 1
Certificates, calendar, etc. (items found in mapcase 39 and badly in need of flattening)
Box 7 Folder 1
Original Copper Charter Plate - Order of Railway Conductors & Brakemen
 1955
Scope and Contents
made by Tru-Art Engravers, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April, 1955 / Design by Karl Rittmann - Warwick, R. Island ; 1st Printing (750) Lilly Printing, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, May, 1955 -- DO NOT DESTROY [this info/note written on the paper the plate was wrapped in]