Mendes Cohen (1831-1915) worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, chiefly in the Motive Power Department, from 1851 to 1855, where he adaptated wood-burning locomotives to coal-burning and devised the method for handling traffic on the 10% temporary grade over the Kingwood Tunnel. The report covers a series of tests and improvements conducted in 1853 and 1854 with the aim of reducing flue wear and tear and fuel consumption in the large coal-burning engines

The majority of files within this series consist of court hearings before the Interstate Commerce Commission related to rates on various freight commodities, tax cases, and other issues such as passenger fares. The rate cases apply to lines ranging from the Southwest, New England, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic, and include, among others, cases involving the Lehigh Valley RR and the Baltimore & Ohio, Langdon’s employers for much of the 1930s. Along with the Lehigh Valley and B&O hearings, Langdon served as general counsel in most of the other cases within the series.

Subseries B contains numerous House, Senate, and ICC hearings focusing on competitive shipping rates throughout the transportation industry with a particular emphasis on trucking and water rates. There are also several reports and studies detailing the effects of fluctuating railroad freight rates on other industries. Moreover, the subseries includes analysis on the effects of ICC regulations and the impact of new technologies and energy sources on railroads. Subseries C includes numerous speeches given by Langdon and other railroad executives cover subjects such as their opposition to competitive rate rules, general railroad operations, and the need for less restrictive regulations on railroads and other freight carriers.

William Gouverneur Ramsay (1866-1916) was a civil engineer for railroads and explosives corporations, including Repauno Chemical Company, Great Northern, and DuPont Company. His wife, Caroline “Lena” Johnston Canby (1872-1958) was interested in cultural and educational institutions and traveled extensively. The Ramsay family papers primarily consist of William G. Ramsay's personal and business papers, as well as his family's personal papers which primarily consist of correspondence, much of it between William Ramsay and Lena Ramsay prior to and after their marriage. the letters describe social life in Wilmington, literature, courtship and marriage, household administration, family life, child rearing and health.

Chartered in 1871, Reading Company was the holding company for the system of railroads, canals and coal mines assembled by the predecessor Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company between 1833 and 1896. The collection consists of the corporate records of the Reading Company (1871-1976), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company (1833-1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company (1896-1923), and 159 predecessors and subsidiaries.

Chartered in 1869, the Wilmington & Western Rail Road Company formed to create a rail line connecting Wilmington, Delaware, with Landenberg, Pennsylvania. A non-profit organization, Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. (HRCV)., formed in 1960 and today operates the line as a heritage railroad. The collection includes eight maps of the line created by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1918 and two publications concerning the history of both the Wilmington & Western Railroad line and HRCV.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad in the nation began operating in 1827. It spanned as far north as New York and as far west as St. Louis and Chicago. This is a small collection of souvenir postcards that were published for the The Fair of the Iron Horse, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's centenary exhibition and pageant of 1927. It was held near Baltimore, Maryland.