Dorr, William Ripley

Dorr, a resident of Palos Verdes Estates, was a member of numerous railway clubs in California. He participated in some 28 railroad excursions during the period 1948 to 1968 for which he kept photos or records. Most were in California but some also included Alaska, Chicago, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona.

Biography

William Ripley Dorr, a resident of Palos Verdes Estates, California, was a confirmed rail fan. He was a member of the Railway Club of Southern California, the Railway Historical Society of San Diego, the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc., the California Nevada Railroad Historical Society, and the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association. Dorr participated in some 28 rail fan excursions. Most of these were in California but some took him as far away as Alaska, Chicago, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona, from 1948 to 1963, to visit and ride on restored and operating trains.

Dorr photographed each trip, and mounted the photographs in two albums, which comprise the collection. All photos are black and white; some are labeled. They are mainly examples of types of engines and types of cars, from both the era of steam and the more modern diesel era. He includes tickets for many of the trips, which allows ready identification of the trips on which the photographs were taken