Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Memorabilia
Collection Number: 5149 MB
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library
Title:
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
Memorabilia, 1883-1969
Collection Number:
5149 MB
Creator:
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
(BRT)
Quantity:
4.5 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Memorabilia.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and
Archives, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Memorabilia including
plaques, badges, buttons, pendants, dues receipts, constitution booklets,
paperweights, railroad link, pin and spike, and many other miscellaneous
items
Language:
Collection material in English
The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen was founded in 1883 in Oneonta, N.Y. as a
protective and insurance organization. By the time of its merger with three other
railroad labor unions to form the United Transportation Union in 1969, it had the
greatest membership of any of the operating railroad brotherhoods.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) was established to represent members'
interests in obtaining a satisfactory contract with management. The first Canadian
lodge was established in Moncton, New Brunswick in 1885, and the first Ladies'
Auxiliary was organized in Fort Gratiot, Mich. in 1889. These records reflect the
union's political and fraternal activities as well as its actions in the areas of
collective bargaining, grievances, and railroad and labor legislation. As the
largest of the unions which merged to form the United Transportation Union in 1969,
the bulk of its then current files formed the basis for the files now held in the
merged union's headquarters.
The rail service members of the BRT included conductors and their assistants, dining
car stewards, ticket collectors, train baggagemen, brakemen, and train flagmen. The
yard service members of the BRT included yardmasters, yard conductors,
switchtenders, foremen, flagmen, brakemen, switchmen, car tenders, operators, hump
riders, and car operators. In 1933, the BRT organized interstate bus operators, and
included them under BRT contracts held with U.S. bus companies.
BRT officers were elected at the Grand Lodge Convention of the Brotherhood, held
every 4 years. The principal officers included a president, an assistant to the
president, a general secretary-treasurer, Canadian and national legislative
representatives, a senior vice-president, BRT representative, and National Railroad
Board of Adjustment representative. The BRT had four governing boards: the Board of
Directors, Board of Trustees and Insurance, Board of Appeals, and Executive
Board.
Names:
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen --Collectibles
Subjects:
Implements, utensils, etc.
Form and Genre Terms:
Memorabilia.
Access Restrictions:
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a
reference archivist for access to these materials.
Restrictions on Use:
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet
and Procedures for Document Use.
Cite As:
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Memorabilia #5149 MB. Kheel Center for
Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related Collections:
5021: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Additional Records
5102: Emergency Board No. 129, Long Island Railroad and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Locals 517 and 1090, Records
5149: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Records
5149 P: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Photographs
5348: W.P. Kennedy as President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen against the Long Island Railroad Company Court Documents
5446: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Ledger
5612: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Moosic Tunnel Lodge no.93 Meeting Minutes
5623: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Legislative Board of New York Files
5631: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad General Committee File
5647: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Joppa Lodge (Toledo, OH) Minute Books
5894: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Additional Railroad Booklets
6268 P: Joint Committee of Adjustment for the Rock Island System's Order of Railway Conductors and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Photograph
6312 P: Judith Sullivan Kowalczyk Collection of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Photographs
6312 PUBS: Judith Sullivan Kowalczyk Collection of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Publications
6312m: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Annual Report of the Legislative Board
6405 PUBS: William Sharp Collection of The Railroad Trainmen's Journal
6480 MB: Paul Berger Collection of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Memorabilia
5021: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Additional Records
5102: Emergency Board No. 129, Long Island Railroad and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Locals 517 and 1090, Records
5149: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Records
5149 P: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Photographs
5348: W.P. Kennedy as President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen against the Long Island Railroad Company Court Documents
5446: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Ledger
5612: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Moosic Tunnel Lodge no.93 Meeting Minutes
5623: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Legislative Board of New York Files
5631: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad General Committee File
5647: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Joppa Lodge (Toledo, OH) Minute Books
5894: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Additional Railroad Booklets
6268 P: Joint Committee of Adjustment for the Rock Island System's Order of Railway Conductors and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Photograph
6312 P: Judith Sullivan Kowalczyk Collection of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Photographs
6312 PUBS: Judith Sullivan Kowalczyk Collection of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Publications
6312m: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Annual Report of the Legislative Board
6405 PUBS: William Sharp Collection of The Railroad Trainmen's Journal
6480 MB: Paul Berger Collection of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Memorabilia
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Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | 1921 | |
|
Buttons - "Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen" ; "Dickerson Rund Lodge 632,
1921" ; "Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, BRT" ; "In Unity There Is
Strength. In Strength There Is Victory. In Victory There Is Peace And In
Peace There Is Security"A.F. Whitney,
|
|||
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | ||
|
Badges - All three are two sided, one side red, one black. All three are
"Bradley Lodge No. 719, L.A. to B.R.T., St. Cloud, Minn.". "Warden" has gold
crossed axes hanging from top. "Legislative Representative" has a law scroll
hanging on it. "Treasurer" h
|
|||
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | ||
|
Badges - All three are two sided, one side red, one black. All three are
"Bradley Lodge No. 719, L.A. to B.R.T., St. Cloud, Minn.". "President" ;
"Past President w/3 crossed gavels ; "Vice President" w/2 crossed gavels ;
"Secretary" w/2 crossed leaves.
|
|||
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | ||
|
Badges - All three are two sided, one side red, one black. All three are
"Bradley Lodge No. 719, L.A. to B.R.T., St. Cloud, Minn.". "Pianist"
w/scroll & pen ; "Conductress" w/crossed batons ; "Chaplin" w/Bible ;
"Outer Guard" & "Inner Guard" w/crossed swo
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 5 | ||
|
Badges - Two are double sided, one is red/green/white and other side is "In
Memoriam" side and is black. These are for "Member" , "R.E. Knowlton Lodge
No. 357, B. of R.T., Fond Du Lac, Wis." ; "Denver, Colorado, 1916", has a
pendant in shape of train stat
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 6 | 1935-1960 | |
|
Badges - "75th Diamond Jubilee, B.R.T., Oneonta, N.Y. Sept. 23, 1958"
w/pendant depicting a railway station ; "Cleveland, Ohio, Souvenir, Second
Quadrennial Convention, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.May 1939" ;
"Seventh Annual State Convention, Brothe
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 7 | 1961 | |
|
Badges - Three are double sided, green/white/red on one side, second side is
black "In Memoriam". "Foot Board Lodge No. 804, B. of R.T., St. Paul, Minn."
; "Col. B.F. Haines Lodge, No. 406, B. of R.T., Port Morris, N.J." ;
"Northern Central Lodge, No. 413
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 8 | ||
|
Buttons - BRT service pins for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45 & 50 years.
Differ in shapes. Other buttons - ""Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen" ;
"Past President Trainmen" ; pendant - "Brotherhood", with the head of an
armor on top with working mouth piece,
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 9 | ||
|
Push-pins - "B of RT" ; "Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen" ; "-- Years
Membership B of RT" for 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 55, 60 [owned by James L.
Karney, Switchman-Eng., 4-Man AT & SF Ry., La Junta, Colorado; Buttons -
"Member, BLF & E, Organized 1873" ; "Memb
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 10 | ||
|
Push-pins - membership pins of various shapes/styles for the years of service
- 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 ; "Brotherhood.Bus Division" ; "C.R.R. of N.J.,
Veteran" ; "Jersey Central Lines, Safety Award, 10 years"
|
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| Box 1 | Folder 11 | ||
|
Badges - All three are two sided, one for "In Memoriam". Two are for "Ottawa
River Lodge No. 185, B.R.T. Ottawa, Ont." ; third one is for "F.H. Phillips
Lodge No. 37, B. of R.R.T., West Albany, N.Y.
|
|||
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | ||
|
Two comics - both about wages
|
|||
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | 1958 | |
|
Three badges are two sided, one side of each is black "In Memoriam". Two
badges are red/green/white on one side w/lettering - "City Point Lodge, No.
507" one is "Inner Guard", one is "Outer Guard", both "B.R.T. Boston, Mass."
Badge for "L.A., B. of R.R.T.
|
|||
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | ||
|
Pocket protectors, blue w/white flap and lettering "Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen, It Doesn't CostIt Pays to Belong to the Brotherhood" ; pen -
"BrotherhoodCleveland, Ohio" ; pencil clip - "Brotherhood of Railroad"
|
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| Box 2 | Folder 4 | ||
|
Stamps of the symbols used by BRT, made out of metal and attached to small
wooden blocks
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| Box 2 | Folder 5 | 1968 | |
|
"Grand Lodge, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Delegate's Credential" -
Lodge No. 961 [employers certificate allowing an employee to go to the
convention as a Delegate]
|
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| Box 2 | Folder 6 | ||
|
"Honor Roll, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen" - book full of names of union
members that died in World War II.
|
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| Box 2 | Folder 7 | 1921 | |
|
Discussion of issues vs. blank ballot, for or against strike in response to
wage reduction authorized by Decision No. 147 of the US Railroad Labor
Board, August 29, 1921.
|
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| Box 2 | Folder 8 | ||
|
Actual receipts for dues paid by members of the Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen.
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| Box 2 | Folder 9 | 1911-1958 | |
|
Dues paid receipt, convention name tags for "New York State Association
Brotherhood of Sept. 22-23-24, 1958, Albany, NY" ; copy of "Preamble of Our
Constitution" ; invitation to a union meeting ; union Propoganda ;
invitation to "First Annual Ball, Bitte
|
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| Box 2 | Folder 10 | ||
|
Comic books - "Cliff Merritt And the Very Candid Candidate" & "Cliff
Merritt Sets the Record Straight"
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| Box 2 | Folder 11 | 1883 | |
|
"Constitution and General Rules of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen"
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| Box 2 | Folder 12 | ||
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Decals - "Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Bus Division"
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| Box 2 | Folder 13 | 1922-1968 | |
|
"Roster of -- Convention, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen" for the following
(27th, 32nd, 31st, 22nd, 30th, 23rd, 29th, 26th,28th, 33rd, 25th)
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| Box 2 | Folder 14 | 1894 | |
|
Membership card incased in plastic - "Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen,
Traveling Card"
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| Box 3 | Folder 1 | ||
|
Railroad spike, pin and link painted gold.
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| Box 3 | Folder 2 | ||
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Wooden replica - Railroad pin and link painted gold.
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| Box 4 | Folder 1 | ||
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3 Railroad photos with Charles Pratt
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| Box 4 | Folder 2 | 1890-1969 | |
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2 Prayer cards from Charles Pratt's funeral; 2 copies of Charles Pratt's
birth certificate; Comic books - "Cliff Merritt And the Very Candid
Candidate" & "Cliff Merritt Sets the Record Straight;" Acknowledgement
letter of Charles Pratts resignation from t
|
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| Box 4 | Folder 3 | ||
|
Service pins for the years of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55; Membership
buttons/lapel pins from the BRT
|
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| Box 4 | Folder 4 | 1969 | |
|
Book of signatures from Charles Pratt's funeral
|
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| Box 5 | |||
| Box 5 | Folder 1 | ||
|
snapshot available
|
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| Box 6 | |||
| Box 7 | |||