Collection Summary
Ara Mesrobian Papers
1876-2011
1941-1994
1876-2011
1941-1994
MSS86360
Mesrobian, Ara, 1924-2019
2,800 items
8 containers plus 1 oversize
5 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Photographer and railroad enthusiast
(railfan). Correspondence, railroad and trolley tickets and ticket books, railroad
dining car menus, ephemera, and other material documenting mid-twentieth century
rail travel, the operations of railway historical societies, and railfan subculture
in the United States.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Ara Mesrobian were given to the Library of Congress in 2020 by
Mesrobian's niece, Caroline Hickman. They were transferred to the Manuscript
Division by the Prints and Photographs Division in 2020.
Processing History
The papers of Ara Mesrobian were arranged and described by Katherine Duvall in 2021.
Related Material
The Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress holds the Ara
Mesrobian Railroad Photography Collection (see [https://lccn.loc.gov/2020631257]).
Transfers
Theater programs have been transferred to the Music Division where they are
identified as part of the Ara Mesrobian Papers. Patrons are encouraged to contact
the Music Division in advance of a research visit.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of the Ara Mesrobian Papers is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Ara Mesrobian are open to research. Many collections are stored
off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to
visiting.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Ara Mesrobian Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Ara Mesrobian was born August 7, 1924, in Washington, D.C. He attended Catholic
University, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 1950 after serving
in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He worked for the National Bureau of
Standards for thirty years. In his free time, Mesrobian pursued his passion for
photography and rail transportation, traveling widely to ride, photograph, and film
trains. He was a member of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) for
seventy years and was a founding member of the Potomac Chapter of the NRHS. He also
participated in the Tractioneers, a Washington, D.C.-based organization devoted to
trolleys and light-rail transportation. Mesrobian died June 18, 2019, in Chevy
Chase, Md.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Ara Mesrobian (1924-2019) span the years 1876-2011, with the bulk of
the material dating from 1941 to 1994. The collection documents Mesrobian’s deep
interest in rail travel and provides insight into mid-twentieth century rail travel,
the operations of railway historical societies, and railfan subculture in the United
States.
The collection is primarily comprised of Mesrobian’s correspondence files from 1950
to 2011 and documents travel logistics, railway historical society events and
activities, descriptions of trains, railways, and other transportation, and personal
and business matters. The correspondence is filed in reverse chronological order
within the folders. There is no correspondence from 1962. Mesrobian’s collections of
railroad dining car menus, railroad, trolley, and streetcar tickets and ticket
books, and other related ephemera also make up a significant portion of the
collection. These materials are primarily from the United States and Canada, with a
limited amount from Mesrobian’s European and Asian travels. There is also a
significant amount of material related to railway historical society meetings and
fan trips, including memorabilia associated with the last streetcar to travel over
the original electric streetcar system in Washington, D.C. in 1962.
Arrangement of the Collection
This collection is arranged alphabetically by topic or material type.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or
location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Mesrobian, Ara, 1924-2019.
Subjects
Electric railroads--Washington (D.C.)
Electric railroads.
Railfans--United States.
Railfans.
Railroad cars.
Railroad tickets.
Railroad trains.
Railroads--Asia.
Railroads--Canada.
Railroads--Dining-car service.
Railroads--Europe.
Railroads--Societies, etc.
Railroads--United States--History--20th century.
Railroads--United States--Societies, etc.
Railroads--United States.
Railroads.
Street-railroads--Washington (D.C.)
Street-railroads.
Transportation--United States.
Places
Asia--Description and travel.
Canada--Description and travel.
Europe--Description and travel.
United States--Description and travel.
Occupations
Photographers.
Railfans.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Biographical material, circa 1952
circa
1952
1
Clippings about transportation,
1949-1956
1949-1956
1
Clippings about transportation,
1958-1960
1958-1960
1
Clippings, Sacramento Northern
Line, 1940-1941
1940-1941
1
Correspondence
1
1950-1952
1950-1952
1
1953
1953
1
1954
1954
1
1955
1955
1
1956
1956
1
1957
1957
(3 folders)
1
1958
1958
(2 folders)
1
1959
1959
(2 folders)
2
1960
1960
(2 folders)
2
1961
1961
(2 folders)
2
1963
1963
(2 folders)
2
1963-1964
1964
(2 folders)
2
1965
1965
(2 folders)
3
1966
1966
(2 folders)
3
1967
1967
3
1968
1968
3
1968-1969
1969
3
1970
1970
(2 folders)
3
1971
1971
3
1972
1972
3
1973
1973
4
1974
1974
(2 folders)
4
1975
1975
4
1976
1976
4
1977
1977
4
1978
1978
4
1979
1979
4
1980
1980
4
1981
1981
4
1982
1982
4
1983
1983
4
1984
1984
4
1985
1985
4
1986
1986
4
1987
1987
5
1988
1988
5
1989
1989
5
1990
1990
5
1991
1991
5
1992
1992
5
1993
1993
5
1994
1994
5
1995
1995
5
1996
1996
5
1997
1997
5
1998
1998
5
1999
1999
5
2000-2011
2000-2011
5
Correspondence, Christmas card
data (rosters, etc.), 1951-1994
1951-1994
(2 folders)
5
Correspondence, William C.
Moore, 1919-1921,
1935
1919-1921, 1935
5
Ephemera
OV1
Baltimore and Annapolis
Railroad Company notice, 1950
1950
5
Central Electric Railfans
Association, 20th Anniversary ribbon, 1958
1958
OV1
Interurban Trolley Service
notice, 1953
1953
5
Miscellaneous, 1951-1952,
undated
1951-1952, undated
5
Souvenir pins and tokens,
1948-1958,
undated
1948-1958, undated
5
Spanish railway stamps,
1958
1958
5
Virginia and Truckee
Railroad Company, 1876-1897
1876-1897
5
Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and
Northern Railroad, 1951
1951
5
Equipment notes and
specifications
5
Arden Short Line Electric
Railway, undated
undated
5
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway,
undated
undated
5
"Electric Railways of the
United States," Ohio Railway Museum, 1954
1954
5
"Guide to United States
Railways" by Walter Martin, 1949
1949
5
"Pacific Great Eastern
Railroad" by Fred D. Fellow, undated
undated
5
"Progress: A Record of the
Red Arrow Lines and the Area they Serve," circa 1943
circa 1943
5
Washington and Old Dominion
Railroad 100th anniversary, 1947
1947
5
Washington, Baltimore, and
Annapolis lines, 1952
1952
5
Fan trips
5
Capital Transit Company,
1948
1948
5
Capital Transit and
Tractioneers "Gay Nineties" transit ride, 1951
1951
5
Cariboo Country Special
trip, 1957
1957
5
D.C. Transit System
streetcar, 1958-1962
1958-1962
5
General Motors Aerotrain,
undated
undated
6
Rocky Mountain Railroad Club
narrow gauge excursions, 1954-1955
1954-1955
6
Tickets, 1941-1960
1941-1960
OV1
Map, Central Electric Traffic
Association Railway Service (1912-1923), 1941
1941
6
Membership rosters, railway
societies and clubs, 1955-2000
1955-2000
(3 folders)
6
Menus, banquets, 1955, 1960,
1978
1955, 1960, 1978
6
Menus, hotels, airlines, and
boats, 1955-1994
1955-1994
6
Menus, railroad dining
cars
6
possibly 1939
possibly 1939
6
1949
1949
6
1950-1951
1950-1951
6
circa 1950-1969
circa 1950-1969
6
1952-1953
1952-1953
6
1954-1955
1954-1955
6
1956-1957
1956-1957
7
1958
1958
7
1959
1959
7
1950s
1950s
7
1960-1964
1960-1964
7
1965-1969
1965-1969
7
1970
1970
7
1971-1972
1971-1972
7
1974-1979
1974-1979
7
1981-1984
1981-1984
7
1992
1992
7
Undated
undated
7
Miscellany, 1949, undated
1949,
undated
7
National Railway Historical
Society
7
Annual color slide contest
awards, 1955-1969
1955-1969
7
Annual convention, 1952
1952
7
Annual convention, 1954
1954
7
Annual convention programs,
1954-1955
1954-1955
7
Annual convention programs
and ephemera, 1950-1951
1950-1951
7
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
special train, 1955
1955
7
Banquet menus, 1955-1958
1955-1958
7
Constitution and bylaws,
1957
1957
7
Special trip to West
Jefferson, N.C., 1956
1956
7
Sticker, undated
undated
8
Tickets
8
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
trips, 1951
1951
8
California, 1954-1958,
undated
1954-1958, undated
8
Canada, 1954-1958,
undated
1954-1958, undated
8
Connecticut, 1943, undated
1943, undated
8
Europe, 1959, undated
1959, undated
8
Illinois, 1951, undated
1951, undated
8
Iowa, 1951-1952,
undated
1951-1952, undated
8
Japan and Hong Kong, undated
undated
8
Kansas, undated
undated
8
Louisiana, undated
undated
8
Maryland, 1943-1957,
undated
1943-1957, undated
(2 folders)
8
Massachusetts, undated
undated
8
Michigan, 1954-1955
1954-1955
8
Miscellaneous tickets, undated
undated
8
Missouri, possibly 1904,
1951
possibly 1904, 1951
8
New Jersey, undated
undated
8
New York, 1939-1956
1939-1956
8
New York to Montreal trip,
1951
August
1951
August
8
North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, undated
undated
8
Ohio, 1941,
1951
1941, 1951
8
Oregon, undated
undated
8
Pennsylvania, 1946-1957,
undated
1946-1957, undated
(2 folders)
8
Société des Tramways de
Constantinople, undated
undated
8
Texas, 1948, undated
1948, undated
8
Virginia, 1913-1951
1913-1951
(2 folders)
8
Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area, 1915-1956
1915-1956
(2 folders)
8
Wisconsin, 1946-1953,
undated
1946-1953, undated
8
Washington Electric Railway
Historical Society, bylaws and certificate of incorporation, 1949-1951
1949-1951