The papers consist of a small selection of reports and memoranda written or collected by Jonathan H. Klein in his role as a manager in charge of rail passenger equipment procurement, performance and maintenance. The agencies represented are SEPTA, Chicago Transit Authority, BART, LAMTA and Amtrak.

SEPTA revenue reports (1990-1992) show the cash flow from tickets, tokens, passes, etc. The Amtrak reports include the second quarter FY2004 quarterly review, which shows the Mechanical Department's accomplishments as part of David Gunn's effort to cut costs, defend basic services from Congressional opposition, and puttlng programs in place to save the troubled Acela program.

Three files represent a personal selection of documents from controversial episodes in Klein's career, prefaced by Klein's explanatory notes. The first involves his tenure as Chief Mechanical Officer of SEPTA and includes accounts of dysfunctional management, death threats and crank letters, and items from the 108-day rail strike of 1983 that followed SEPTA's takeover of direct commuter rail operations and the change from legacy steam-railroad wage rates and work rules to the reduced wages and privileges of transit workers.

A file on the Chicago Transit Authority deals with the incompetence and management dysfunctionality caused by the intrusion of local machine politics into the running of the Authority, especially its negative effects on track and equipment maintenance and the harassment of outsiders. As Klein was spending most of his time in Chicago while his family remained in the New York suburbs, there are letters from his young son wondering when his father will be at home.

The last file is a transcript of testimony in a suit brought by the State of New York against Amtrak over the poor results of a program to offer high-speed service with rebuilt "Turboliner" trains. Klein gives his opinion that collusion between officers of the State and Amtrak produced a sub-par rebuilding job that resulted in increased operating costs.