Pair of c.1912 Blueprint Albums Belonging to Railroad Apprentice Engineer T.B. Wolcott

United States, 1912. Very good. Some wear, water stains, light dust soiling.. A fascinating look into the life of an apprentice railroad engineer c.1912, through the medium of two (2) albums containing pages of blueprints showing train engines made between the 1890s and 1910s. Blueprint was a popular process for reproducing technical and engineering drawings due to its accuracy and rapidity and ease with which it can be reproduced. The first volume measures approx. 8" by 4" and has approx. 28 leaves of blueprint plans for train engines (in original boards. backed in cloth). Each engine is drawn with a front and/or side view, and is labeled with a reference code (e.g. "A-41"), a maker (e.g. "Schenectady", as in "Schenectady Locomotive Works"), a year of manufacture, and (of course) precise measurements and labels for each of the engine's elements. The second volume (8.25" by 4.25", approx. 16 blueprint leaves in original boards. backed in cloth) is filled with a grid, and numbers/codes within each square of the grid. It is annotated with ink pen and crayon. In the rear appears to be some kind of key, with wheel classifications, codes for each engine builder (e.g. "R.I." for Rhode Island Loco. Works), and an "explanation of squares" that shows which numbers in the squares correspond to what information. Quite clever, it allows the user to include all the following information in a tiny square: builder, dimensions, date built, date new boiler and fire box., engine weight, water tank capacity, tractive force in hundred lbs, and more. Note that non-serif upright handwriting is used, necessary for such engineering and draftsmanship projects to avoid confusion and ensure absolute precision. An interesting look into the "language" used by engineers to convey precise measurements and information at a pivotal time in railroad history.