The Board of Railroad Commissioners was created by the legislature in 1878 and given general supervision of railroads operating in Iowa. In 1896, the Boards supervisory powers were expanded to include common carriers. Numerous changes followed: in July 1937, the Board of Railroad Commissioners was renamed the State Commerce Commission with additional regulatory functions. In July 1975, the regulation of railroads and motor carriers was transferred from Commerce to the newly created Department of Transportation.
All records pertaining to railroads and common carriers, regardless of creating agency, are included in this Record Group except for the Railroad Commissioners Daily Record and Railroad Commissioners Decision Record, from 1937-1976, which are included in RG 20 Commerce - Commission Daily Record and Decision Record.
Some or all of these records are available to search in the Iowa History Collections Catalog.
| Title | Date Span |
|---|---|
| "A" Dockets | 1956-1972 |
| "B" Dockets | 1925-1960 |
| Annual Reports of Railroad Companies | 1904-1907, 1911, 1917, 1921, 1952-1964 |
| Annual Reports of the Pullman Company to the ICC | 1952-1964 |
| Bus Studies | 1956-1958 |
| Correspondence and Exhibits, ICC Dockets | 1939-1954 |
| Correspondence, A Docket Files | 1959-1966 |
| Correspondence, H Docket Files | 1959-1966 |
| Index to Applications of Railroads to ICC to Abandon Tracks, Right to Tracks, orOperations | 1925-1944 |
| Interstate Commerce Commission Annual Reports of Transport Statistics in the United States | 1954-1961 |
| NARUC Passenger Train Deficit Study Committee File | 1957 |
| Railroad Accident and Inspections | 1938 |
| Railroad Commissioners Complaint Docket | 1900-1903 |
| Railroad Commissioners Daily Record | 1922-1937 |
| Railroad Commissioners Decision Record | 1901-1937 |
| Railroad Commissioners Letter Books | 1878-1910 |
| Railroad Commissioners Rate Record | 1890-1904 |
| Railroad Commissioners Supplements of Rate and Regulation Changes | 1908-1921 |
| Railroad Data (Publication of Eastern Railroad Presidents Conference) | 1940-1951 |
| Railroad Finance Dockets | 1930-1964, Undated |
| Railroad Safety Service Letter Books | 1962-1966, 1969-1972 |
| Rate Division Letter Books | 1970-1972 |
| Statistical Records - Railroad Transportation, A Statistical Record (Published) | 1911-1959 |
| Statistical Records - Statistics of Railways in the U.S., ICC | 1939-1940 |