How to Find Railroad & Canal Reports For Under $5.00

(And how to get them for free, too…)

Most of us who are interested in the history of transportation have discovered the reports issued by the various railroad and canal agencies and found that they contain a wealth of information for our research. After making numerous trips to the library, many of us have decided that it is worthwhile to accumulate our own collections of these books, an endeavor recently made easier by internet auctions and online book dealers. While a collector can usually expect to pay from $20 to $100 for such reports, a search of current eBay auctions will turn up a number of railroad and canal reports for under $5.

A price this low almost seems too good to be true, and if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Most of these listings are not for complete reports, but rather sections, illustrations or maps that have been removed from books and sold individually. While it may seem like a great way to pick up an illustration of your hometown canal lock or a report on a particular railroad without buying the entire book, it is important to consider the consequences of such a purchase.

Most of the maps and illustrations in canal books accompany reports on particular projects. For most anyone interested in canals, it would be far more enjoyable to read the entire report as opposed to only having one or two of the illustrations. However, certain dealers seem to think that they can make more money by cutting up books and selling the pictures to people who are simply interested in having something to hang on the wall. Even collectors may be tempted to purchase them, as it may be some time before an entire report surfaces. By purchasing a page removed from one of these books, however, you have given the dealer an incentive to destroy more.

The same goes for railroad reports. A researcher of the Syracuse & Chenango Railroad may save money by purchasing only that section of the book. However, since part of the Syracuse, Binghamton & New York report is on the back of the first page of the S&C report, the remainder of the SB&NY report is now incomplete and likely to be discarded by the dealer. Although the availability of reports on DL&W predecessors may not concern a New York Central fan, the shoe can easily be on the other foot. The next time, it may be the Syracuse & Chenango report that ends up in the trash can, all at the whims of the dealer.

There are, of course, many examples of prints and maps that have been removed and framed by former owners over the years. Also, some reports and documents were originally issued in looseleaf format and later bound with similar reports for storage or reference. In those cases, it is not unreasonable to remove them from the binding (which is often in poor shape), if complete reports are kept intact. The sale of these types of items as they surface is harmless, but there is no excuse for the intentional destruction of antiques for the purpose of making money.

The only way to prevent hard to find books from being lost forever is to avoid purchasing individual pages or sections that have been removed from them. While it may seem harmless to buy one or two, keep in mind that the dealers’ source of these books is auctions, online sales and antique shops - the same places that collectors buy them. If a dealer isn’t certain he can get $60 reselling a book, he is not going to bid higher at an auction, allowing a collector a chance at a reasonable price. However, if the dealer thinks that he can make $100 by cutting a book up, then he is going run the price up beyond what is reasonable to someone who wants it for personal use. By making purchases from such dealers, we are putting money in the pockets of the people who will use it to outbid us at the next auction.

So how can we obtain information for our research while passing up the opportunity to get it at a bargain price? The answer is to share information with other collectors and historians. Most people who are in this hobby love to talk about it, and are more than willing to answer questions posed to an internet newsgroup. And instead of buying a canal map or picture torn out of a report, check out the websites of some of the excellent canal museums that we have around the region. Many of them offer reprints of photos and maps from their collections, and the proceeds of your purchase will help the museum’s preservation efforts. Also, many college libraries and historical associations have complete sets of local railroad and canal reports, which can be copied or scanned on site or downloaded from digital archives.

While we can’t prevent unscrupulous dealers from destroying books and other memorabilia, we can discourage the practice by refusing to do business with them. By sharing information and resources, we can keep the prices of collectibles reasonable and make the hobby more enjoyable for everyone.

To help put an end to the practice of book destruction, I am offering the following:

For any section or picture from a New York Railroad Commissioners or New York State Engineer & Surveyor report that is offered on eBay in disbound format and I have a copy in my collection, I will scan and email that section to anyone who is interested in it. Just send me your email address and the auction number and I will email a scan of that section to you FOR FREE, if I have it. I have most of the NY RR Commission reports, many of the NY State Engineer railroad reports and all of the NY State Engineer reports for the Barge Canal construction era. If you would like a printed version, I will mail you one for a price that covers copying & shipping (usually lower than the price charged by the book butchers). Limit of three sections per volume (if you want the whole book, as opposed to just one or two sections, they can usually be found for around $50 from online booksellers).