The records cover the years from 1896 to 1963 and deal primarily with the technological development of the traction industry in the city. of Milwaukee. A large portion of the material, however, applies to the time between 1920 and 1940 when the railway companies undertook their most ambitious modernization and expansion programs as well as experienced their most severe hardships. Although the companies faced repeated difficulties from a labor force bent upon winning recognition and better working conditions, there is little information pertaining to this facet of their history. The records also thoroughly document the corporate histories of the various companies and are arranged under the following five headings: Corporate Histories, Rolling Stock Department, Blueprints, Albums, and Cartographic Records.
The CORPORATE HISTORIES constitute a large segment of the collection and include a series of volumes that document the development of each company as a financial and legal corporate entity. These histories amount to a compilation of copies of legal documents and important papers regarding deeds, leases, permits, patents, mortgages, bills of sale, agreements, easements, contracts, and so forth and trace the various companies through organization, expansion, and consolidation. The first volume of each corporate history usually contains a summary and descriptive index. For a full explanation of how to use the indexes see the preface to vol. 1 of T.M.E.R.&L.'s corporate history.
ROLLING STOCK DEPARTMENT relates chiefly to the technological evolution of the railway companies and is divided into seven subseries: Equipment, Construction Programs, Labor, Accidents, Meetings, Miscellany, and Additional Materials. The Additional Materials are items which underwent fumigation when the greater portion of the collection was being organized. For expediency, these materials were appended to the collection rather than integrated into the proper file locations.
An abundance of material deals with rolling stock equipment . Included are test reports and summary statistics detailing performance levels of new and operational equipment, instruction and maintenance manuals, specification booklets, parts data, and correspondence relating to many routine equipment concerns in the rolling stock department.
To modernize and expand operations, the railway companies pursued various annual Construction Programs . These programs involved the purchase of new equipment for installation in trolley cars and buses as well as the replacement of aging and obsolete trolley cars and buses with newer up-to-date models. An itemized list of construction programs is Appendix I of this finding aid.
Although the collection is large in size, there is a paucity of information documenting the abrasive relationship that existed between Labor and the companies. There are some company strike data, however, that deals with the debilitating strike of 1934. This material comprises summary statistics of riot damages and cost of repairs to company cars and buses as well as a strike report detailing the strike activities of employees in the rolling stock department in the period 16-30 June 1934. Other than this, most of the material pertains to employee benefits such as bonus, profit, and gain sharing plans, retirements and promotions, and employee training courses. There are journals of the rolling stock division with data on employee hourly rates in the various rolling stock shops and departments, transcripts of labor payrolls as well as some information relating to union-management negotiations (1935-1945) and union complaints and grievances.
Despite company efforts to safeguard the well-being of passengers on trolley cars and buses, Accidents invariably occurred. A passenger would sometimes injure a hand in the closing treadle doors, cut a finger or slip on a loose step upon entering or exiting the trolley car or bus. Sometimes the operator of the vehicle had difficulty using the stiff hand brake or was involved in a collision. Whatever the circumstances of the case, the companies conducted investigations and compiled reports to determine the actual cause of the incident, partially to protect themselves against any possible law suit as well as to improve upon past practices. Included is material on public claims and complaints waged against the railway companies for injuries and damages incurred, damages to company property, and safety and first aid. There are also inspection reports of company equipment after collisions, summary reports of accidents and injuries to the public, and comparative motor car failure statements made by the Central Transit Association.
Miscellany consists of T.M.E.R.&L. general correspondence and monthly and annual reports to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and the Railroad Commission of Wisconsin.
Numerous BLUEPRINTS are contained in the collection and are divided into three subseries: Streetcars, Railway Lines, and Additional Materials. Again the Additional Materials are items which underwent fumigation when the greater portion of the collection was being organized. For expediency, these materials were appended to the collection rather than integrated into the proper file locations.
In their efforts to keep pace with the new automobile age the railway companies constantly sought to update their Streetcars with new modern equipment. The companies purchased anything from base control pedal hinges to air piping windshield wipers to new trolley cars and buses from a number of manufacturing firms. The blueprints detail measurements and specifications of new equipment for installment in streetcars and are organized by manufacturing company and thereunder by drawing number. The list of streetcar blueprints which is Appendix II of this finding aid shows equipment name and number of each streetcar blueprint.
ALBUMS, ante 1924-1942, contain portrait photographs and biographical information on members of the Veterans' Association of The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company and Its Controlled and Associated Companies. Biographical information included in most entries is name, date of birth, occupation and department, year the individual entered the Association, and remarks which most often consist of date of first employment at the company, date of retirement, and date of death. The initial entries are in no apparent order but beginning in 1924, entries are chronological by year of entry into the Association. Indexes at the beginning of Volume 1 index most of the volumes, grouping entries by the initial letter of surnames only.
CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS consist of maps, plans, and charts pertinent to the company's operations, circa 1898-1963, arranged in two large groups that parallel the textual records: Construction Programs and Equipment. For those records in this series that do not fit under either rubric, two smaller segments, maps and statistical charts, have been identified. They include dispatcher's records for 1937 only; and traffic statistics, 1916.
