University of Connecticut | New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Archives
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THE TRUSTEES RECORD GROUP documents the responsibilities and activities of the court-appointed Trustees, especially during the second reorganization period of the New Haven Railroad. After a period of financial difficulties in the late 1950's, the New Haven filed a petition for reorganization under Section 77 of the Bankruptcy Act. The petition was granted on 7 July 1961. The United States District Court, District of Connecticut, appointed three trustees: Richard Joyce Smith, William Johnson Kirk (appointed in July) and Harry William Dorrigan (appointed in August). Dorrigan served until his death in 1966. Smith and Kirk continued to serve as co-Trustees until 1969. In appointing the Trustees the court stated:
| "The case does not have as its sole or chief purpose the modification of the debt structure, but the actual survival of the New Haven Railroad as a system of transportation for passengers and freight. It will be the task of these men to develop and put into execution a formula designed to achieve this." (Memorandum of Decision on Appointment of Trustees. 26 July 1961.) |
The records in the TRUSTEES record group reflect the tasks assigned by the Court, that of overseeing financial matters, continuing daily operations, and dealing with state and federal agencies involved in reorganizing the Railroad. The records fall into four broad categories: information gathering, District Court proceedings, Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) hearings on reorganization, and the Pennsylvannia and New York Central Merger.
While some records from the first reorganization, 1935-48, do exist in this record group, it seems likely they were maintained as a reference source by the second reorganization's trustees. Records for the first reorganization are located in the SECRETARY and ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT record groups. Note that the container lists provided do not include every file heading found in a particular box; the lists provide only a selected sampling of topics.
| The TRUSTEES record group is divided into five series as follows:
I PUBLICATIONS and REPORTS |
Series I, PUBLICATIONS and REPORTS, 1920-80 [1935-68], contains records of both the first and second reorganizations. The series is divided into two subseries: Studies and Reports and Bound Volumes.
Studies and Reports contains financial and operational information, most of it from the period of the first reorganization. Bound Volumes consists of the printed reorganization proceedings before the U.S. District Court
for both periods of reorganization; ICC hearing minutes concerning the Penn Central merger; and the transcripts of hearings before the United States District Court.
Series II, TRUSTEES FILES, 1920-72 [1960-70], is further divided into three subseries: Numerical Files, General Reference Files, and Six Month Claims Files.
Numerical Files, 1920-72, contain correspondence, memos, studies and reports, arranged in numerical order, which cover a variety of subjects from abandonments to the ICC and reorganization. Included here is a numerical sequence identified as Richard Joyce Smith files (RJS-O). There is a card index available only for the first section of numerical files.
The General Reference Files 1953-70, were used as a basic source of information on technical matters, public opinion, government intervention in the reorganization, and the impact on local service and stations. Many of these files are identified with Trustee Harry W. Dorrigan.
Six Month Claims, 1953-68, deals with those claims presented for debts incurred within six months of reorganization. These files contain memos, correspondence and legal records (exhibits and affidavits).
Series III, PENN CENTRAL MERGER, 1962-75, contains correspondence, memoranda, court records, statistical reports, studies and newspaper clippings dealing with the merger of the New Haven Railroad with the Penn Central. This material covers proceedings before the U.S. District Court and the ICC. In March of 1962, the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads filed with the ICC for permission to merge. In June, the Trustees of the New Haven Railroad filed a petition with the ICC for inclusion in that merger. The final Pennsylvania and New York Central merger was granted only on the condition that it include the New Haven Railroad. The merger was approved in April 1966 and executed in 1968. Penn Central Merger material is also available in other series of the TRUSTEES record group.
Series IV, GENERAL COUNSEL, 1961-82, contains the office files of the General Counsel, who reported to the Trustees. This series is divided into three subseries: Subject Files, Merger Records, and J. W. Moore Records.
The Subject Files, 1961-77, are alphabetically arranged general reference files on a variety of topics.
The Merger Records, 1961-73, consist mainly of legal records, hearings and transcripts relating to the reorganization and merger.
The final subseries, J.W. Moore Records, 1962-82, contains records maintained by Professor Moore (Yale Law School), who served as Counsel to the Trustees. Some material deals with the Penn Central's bankruptcy and the subsequent formation of Conrail.
Series V, TREASURER'S FILES, 1960-75, like other series in the TRUSTEES record group, deals principally with the New Haven reorganization and merger with the Penn Central. Most of the series consists of court transcripts and ICC hearing reports. A significant amount of material deals with the incorporation of the Penn Central and other northeastern railroads into Conrail.