In 1996 the series was reconstructed to include material that had been separately catalogued. The resulting file is still incomplete, and large sections (all 300s and 400s and most correspondence with steam railroads) were apparently destroyed prior to transfer to the Historical Society. Nevertheless, the file documents a wide range of responsibilities and functions from the problem of electrolysis and stray voltage (particularly in the Milwaukee area) to inspections of local electric companies and to special investigations of problems such as overhead obstructions of railroads and the proposed use of the West Algoma Street Bridge (Oshkosh) by the Wisconsin Electric Railway Company. Among the subject files on steam railroads is information on construction and safety of bridges, crossings, and tracks; involvement with the Interstate Commerce Commission concerning valuation of railroad property; and the issuance of certificates of convenience and necessity for changes in rail lines. Among the valuation materials are detailed blueprints of locomotives and passenger and freight cars that were submitted for assessment purposes by railroads who did business in Wisconsin, 1910-1914. There are also files on the Madison Railway Co., the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co., the Menominee & Marinette Light and Traction Co., and other interurban street railroads. A major portion of the utility correspondence consists of exchanges, 1905-1925, with the Northern States Power Co., the Wisconsin Gas & Electric Co., the Wisconsin Power and Light Co, the Wisconsin Public Service Company, and numerous local companies about issues pertinent to engineering and service. Involvement with telephone companies constitutes only a small portion of the file, however.
Records included here that concern electrical installations in state-owned buildings probably relate to that period in the agency history when the railroad and utility engineering function was part of the State Engineering Department. Series 1290 includes the following series: Series 1292, Electrolysis survey reports (now #50); Series 1294, West Algoma Street Bridge (now #115); Series 1295, Routine correspondence (now #702-1936); Series 1296, Railroad locomotive and car descriptions (now #203 and 621-625); Series 1300, Changes in railroad lines (now #170); Series 1302, Steam railway subject correspondence; Series 1303, ICC valuations (now #229); portions of Series 1306 and 1977/136
