Anyone familiar with the Brill collection at the Historical Society of PA, or any collections elsewhere? Are there any construction drawings still around? I am looking for plans for WRECo 650, a 1912 Brill center-door car.

Wesley

National Capital Trolley Museum

> Anyone familiar with the Brill collection at
> the Historical Society of PA, or any
> collections elsewhere?

I copied the following about 6-months ago for my files, but I failed to note the source:

"The J.G. Brill Collection of 4,515 original photographs (no negatives) has been transferred to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (http://www.pa-trolley.org) in Arden, PA. This collection consists primarily of builder's images of Brill subsidiary companies including Kuhlman, Danville, Wason, and Canadian Brill; it does not include any Brill holdings from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The collection was acquired by the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania from the New York Chapter NRHS around 1992; previously it may have been culled from the Brill holdings at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and deaccessioned in the 1940s. It was reinventoried and rehoused in acid-free negative envelopes by RR Museum volunteers from 1998-2000. An item-level finding aid was created for the collection last year."

"The archive staff at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum plans to have this collection accessible for photo reproductions after June 30, 2002. Please direct questions to J.G. Brill Collection, Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Archives, One Museum Road, Washington, PA 15301-6133. Eventually, it is planned to have a special web page for this collection on the Museum's website. For further information call 724-228-9256 or toll free at 877-728-7655. Email at ptm@pa-trolley.org"

Cheers,
Keith Albrandt

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
kalbrandt@rypn.org

I posted this message; the Brill collection was housed at the RR Museum of PA (where I manage the Library/Archives collections), but was transferred to the PA Trolley Museum this past spring.

K.R. Bell

> I copied the following about 6-months ago
> for my files, but I failed to note the
> source:

> "The J.G. Brill Collection of 4,515
> original photographs (no negatives) has been
> transferred to the Pennsylvania Trolley
> Museum (http://www.pa-trolley.org) in Arden,
> PA. This collection consists primarily of
> builder's images of Brill subsidiary
> companies including Kuhlman, Danville,
> Wason, and Canadian Brill; it does not
> include any Brill holdings from the
> Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The
> collection was acquired by the Railroad
> Museum of Pennsylvania from the New York
> Chapter NRHS around 1992; previously it may
> have been culled from the Brill holdings at
> the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and
> deaccessioned in the 1940s. It was
> reinventoried and rehoused in acid-free
> negative envelopes by RR Museum volunteers
> from 1998-2000. An item-level finding aid
> was created for the collection last
> year."

> "The archive staff at the Pennsylvania
> Trolley Museum plans to have this collection
> accessible for photo reproductions after
> June 30, 2002. Please direct questions to
> J.G. Brill Collection, Pennsylvania Trolley
> Museum Archives, One Museum Road,
> Washington, PA 15301-6133. Eventually, it is
> planned to have a special web page for this
> collection on the Museum's website. For
> further information call 724-228-9256 or
> toll free at 877-728-7655. Email at
> ptm@pa-trolley.org"

> Cheers,
> Keith Albrandt


http://rrmuseumpa.org

I posted this message; the Brill collection was housed at the RR Museum of PA (where I manage the Library/Archives collections), but was transferred to the PA Trolley Museum this past spring.

K.R. Bell

> I copied the following about 6-months ago
> for my files, but I failed to note the
> source:

> "The J.G. Brill Collection of 4,515
> original photographs (no negatives) has been
> transferred to the Pennsylvania Trolley
> Museum (http://www.pa-trolley.org) in Arden,
> PA. This collection consists primarily of
> builder's images of Brill subsidiary
> companies including Kuhlman, Danville,
> Wason, and Canadian Brill; it does not
> include any Brill holdings from the
> Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The
> collection was acquired by the Railroad
> Museum of Pennsylvania from the New York
> Chapter NRHS around 1992; previously it may
> have been culled from the Brill holdings at
> the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and
> deaccessioned in the 1940s. It was
> reinventoried and rehoused in acid-free
> negative envelopes by RR Museum volunteers
> from 1998-2000. An item-level finding aid
> was created for the collection last
> year."

> "The archive staff at the Pennsylvania
> Trolley Museum plans to have this collection
> accessible for photo reproductions after
> June 30, 2002. Please direct questions to
> J.G. Brill Collection, Pennsylvania Trolley
> Museum Archives, One Museum Road,
> Washington, PA 15301-6133. Eventually, it is
> planned to have a special web page for this
> collection on the Museum's website. For
> further information call 724-228-9256 or
> toll free at 877-728-7655. Email at
> ptm@pa-trolley.org"

> Cheers,
> Keith Albrandt


http://rrmuseumpa.org

What is in the collections at Phildelphia? More photos? Any builders plans for car orders?

Wesley
> I posted this message; the Brill collection
> was housed at the RR Museum of PA (where I
> manage the Library/Archives collections),
> but was transferred to the PA Trolley Museum
> this past spring.

> K.R. Bell


National Capital Trolley Museum

> What is in the collections at Phildelphia?
> More photos? Any builders plans for car
> orders?

> Wesley

HSOP has several thousand builder's photographs and negatives (exteriors, interiors and trucks) and the company order books. They also have a selection of company photos depicting the plant itself, as well as parts and machinery used to make same. Quite a collection of photos, although unfortunately little or no written information to accompany same.

The HSOP has no blueprints or other drawings that I am aware of.

In addition to the photos at HSOP and PTM, there is a small collection of Brill builder's views (in negative form) in the Duke/Middleton Collection here in southern California.

Railway Preservation Resources
jsmatlak@earthlink.net

Just to clarify, the J.B. Brill Collection at Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, on loan from the PA Historical & Museum Commission, is of the Brill SUBSIDIARY Companies (Danville, Wason, American Car Company etc.). This is builder photographs only.

The Brill Collection of cars built by Brill in Philadelphia has for many years been in the Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Hope this helps.

Scott Becker
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
ptm@pa-trolley.org