A practical field handbook for railroad property valuation, showing how to inventory and assess equipment for accurate, compliant appraisals.
This guide describes how the Mechanical and Electrical sections of the Interstate Commerce Commission organize field work. It outlines who does the work, what data to collect, and how to verify carrier records. The instructions cover the scope of property to inventory, the forms used, and the steps for inspecting and recording condition, age, wear, and expected service life. It focuses on maintaining clear, auditable data to support valuations under established orders.
- Roles and duties of senior engineers and field parties across motive power, car equipment, and machinery.
- What to inventory, including locomotives, freight- and passenger-train cars, shop machinery, and power systems.
- Methods for verifying carrier schedules, preparing registers, and inspecting property in the field.
- Guidelines for recording condition data, age, wear, maintenance, and probable remaining service life.
Ideal for readers involved in field valuation of rail property, inventory work, or historical documentation of early 20th‑century valuation procedures.