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Charles Lietwiler transportation collection, C0324, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Donated by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission on September 20, 2018.
Processing completed by Christopher Babbitt in March 2020. EAD markup completed by Christopher Babbitt in March 2020. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in October 2022.
Charles J. Lietwiler was born in Gallipolis, Ohio on August 22, 1933. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington in 1955, and a Master of Arts degree in Business Administration in Transportation from the George Washington University in 1966. Lietwiler served as a regional transit planner throughout his professional career. Within the D.C. Metropolitan area, he held various positions with the federal government, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Metropolitan Planning Association. Lietwiler also worked with the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission where he served as the Senior Transportation Planner beginning in 1965. He took part in the Airlie conferences in 1967, where local officials and transit experts created the D.C. Metro system. Lietwiler performed research for the U.S. Army Reserve Transportation Railway Service, and was an amateur photographer and filmmaker.
The Charles Lietwiler transportation collection contains Lietwiler's work on the founding of Metro at the Airlie Conferences in 1967. An avid photographer, Lietwiler diligently photographed its construction and opening ceremonies. The collection also represents his work with a variety of other organizations, such as the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, where he held a senior position. Lietwiler was a well-traveled man, collecting a variety of souvenirs on his trips. A plurality of the collection relates to his work as an amateur photographer and filmmaker.
Series 1: Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (1960-1990s): This series contains Lietwiler's work on the founding of Metro, including his work at the Airlie Conferences of 1967. Materials include: Analytical reports by various organizations such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, Metrobus and rail schedules, and published materials such as Metro Memos. It also contains Metro-related photographs taken by Lietwiler.
Series 2: United States Mass Transit (1932-2000): This series contains Lietwiler's work with other American transit organizations, including planning materials and analysis reports, as well as published materials, such as the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission Newsletter.
Series 3: International Mass Transit (1903-1992): This series contains published journals and newspapers examining international transportation systems, analytical reports on Japanese rail systems, and maps/brochures collected on Lietwiler's many trips.
Series 4: Slides and Photographs (1950s-1990s): This series contains all non-WMATA related photographs taken by Lietwiler, both personal and transit-related. Transit-related photographs usually depict transit systems embedded in cities and towns, while personal photography showcases nature or family gatherings. This series contains three subseries. Subseries 4.1: United States mass transit photographs. Subseries 4.2: International mass transit photographs. Subseries 4.3: Personal photos.
Series 5: Audio and Video reels (1960s-1970s): This series contains Lietwiler's work as an amateur filmmaker, mostly from his personal travels.
Series 6: Maps and Blueprints (1950s-1960s): This series contains 56 maps of Washington, D.C., 26 blueprints, and 41 topographical maps of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Special Collections Research Center holds many other collections related to transportation and planning, such as the
This collection is arranged in into six series:
The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to watch reel-to-reel film and audio contained in Series 5. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.
This series contains Lietwiler's work regarding the foundation and planning of the Metro, as well as photographs taken of its construction and opening.
This series contains materials relating to United States Mass Transit and Lietwiler's work on domestic transit associations, such as the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.
This series contains documents and publications pertaining to international transit systems.
This series contains Lietwiler's many photographs. Images in this series are both transit-related and personal.
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Metro construction and opening slides (4) and Northern Virginia transit slides (2).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Manhattan, New York (1) and New York City (5).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: American Northeast Transit Slides (4), New York trip (1), and Lexington, Kentucky and Massachusetts transit(1).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Philadelphia (3) and Baltimore (2).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: California (2), San Diego (3), and Santa Fe to San Diego (1).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: San Francisco (4), Sacramento, California (1), Portland, Oregon (1).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Southern California and New Mexico (1), Long Beach, California (1), Los Angeles (3), Hollywood (1).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: San Francisco (3), Seattle, Washington (1), Canadian transit slides (1), 1988 Europe trip (1)
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Sacramento mass transit; Seattle, Washington transit; San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles mass transit, St. Louis, Denver, San Francisco, Baltimore mass transit, and West Coast mass transit.
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Virginia Railway Express stations (2) and Netherlands mass transit (1).
Slides and photographs of mass transit systems throughout the world, primarily Asia, the South Pacific region, and Europe.
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: 1988 Europe trip (2), Canada (2), and Unknown ceremony (2).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Brazil, Columbia, and Panama (2); England (1); Switzerland (1); Greece (1); Unidentifiable (1).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Australia and New Zealand (1), Japanese World Fair (2), India (1), and Hong Kong (2).
This series contains non-transit related photographs taken by Lietwiler as part of his passion for photography.
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: construction slides (1), personal slides (1), and other slides (1).
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Hawaii (2), Desk shots (1), Lietwiler family gathering (1), Nature (1), and the Reinhart collection (1)
Box includes slides pertaining to the following: Botanical Museum of Harvard (1), Home garden (1), Lietwiler family gathering (1), Hawaii (1), and personal photos (2).
This series contains film and audio taken by Lietwiler for hobby-related purposes.
The Special Collections Research Center does not have the equipment necessary to watch reel-to-reel film and audio contained in Series 5. Additional time and money may be required to digitize this material for access.
This series contains blueprints and topographical maps of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.