The archival collection consists of documentary, drawing, photographic, audio, film and video materials. The photographic collections focus principally on two subjects, railways and agriculture in Canada, and amount to over one million images. This material consist of prints, slides, negatives, and glass plates, and dates from the 1850's to the 1990's. The engineering drawings deal mainly with steam locomotive construction undertaken by the Canadian Pacific Railway and Porter Locomotive companies, and number in excess of 40 000. These drawings include blueprints and original line drawings. The documentary collections focus primarily of fire engine manufacture in Canada, consisting of the Thibault and Bickle-Seagrave company records. As well, the archives holds the deBondt collection on automobile advertising art in Canada, numbering some 10 000 and dating from the 1920s to the 1960s, plus curatorial research files on communications and domestic technology.
This photograph shows Mr. And Mrs. Herman Trello harvesting oats from their prairie farm in the early 1930's. Mrs. Trello is driving a Ford Co. Fordson tractor, while Herman Trello hand operates the grain binder.
Engineer's Name Plat Canadian Pacific Railway Company Mechanical Department drawing 53L 50 4 October 1919
In 1918 CPR management began a program to recognize locomotive engineers with clear records and long service by naming locomotives after them. This drawing was a pattern for the design applied to the locomotive cab. The programme did not last much more than a year as administrative problems arising over the selection of names soon brought the popular programme to a rapid end.
>
One of a large order of 2-8-0, or Consolidation, type engines purchased from the Baldwin Locomotive Co. in April 1907. The engine was eventually renumbered 3510 in 1913. The engine was scrapped in 1957.
