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• Overview
• Arrangement
• Administrative History
• Scope and Contents
• Related Material
• Other Finding Aids
• Access Restrictions
• Access Terms

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Annual reports on railroads by the State Engineer and Surveyor and the Board of Railroad Commissioners

Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources

Overview of the Records

Arrangement

Chronological by year.

Administrative History

Railroad corporations filed their "annual returns" with the State Engineer and Surveyor's Office from 1850 through 1854.

In 1855, Chapter 526 created the Board of Railroad Commissioners. This body assumed all duties, powers, and functions of the State Engineer's Office pertaining to railroads until it was abolished two years later. Beginning in 1857 the railroad corporations resumed filing their reports with the State Engineer and did so until 1882 when Chapter 353 revived the Board of Railroad Commissioners. Reports were filed with this board and published in its annual reports until Chapter 429, Laws of 1907 abolished the board and transferred its duties and functions to the newly created Public Service Commission.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of eighty bound volumes of annual reports generated by the State Engineer and Surveyor and the New York State Board of Railroad Commissioners. These reports were first filed pursuant to Chapter 140 of the Laws of 1850 which required all railroad corporations operating in New York to file an "annual return" to the State Engineer and Surveyor's Office. The railroad corporations' annual reports prior to 1907 are contained in the reports submitted by the State Engineer and Surveyor and later by the Board of Railroad Commissioners to the Legislature.

Related Material

Series 10093, Annual Reports of Steam Railroad and Electric Railway Companies, contains annual reports starting in 1883.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Each report is indexed or has detailed table of contents.

Volume list.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.

Access Terms