The collection contains personal and business papers, photographs, technical documents, publications, film and maps accumulated by the engineer Kenneth Cantlie. He designed locomotives, coaches, railway lines and bridges in various countries, predominantly China, India and Argentina between the 1920s and 1950s. He was instrumental in redeveloping Chinese railways in the 1930s and is credited as the designer of KF class 4-8-4 Chinese locomotives.

The collection also contains material relating to the later stages of his career when Cantlie was acting as a representative for British industries and other companies, such as the Locomotive Manufacturers Association (LMA) and Giesl and travelling extensively in China, Africa, South America, Middle East and Europe.

Kenneth Cantlie was in correspondence with various notable Chinese and British politicians of the 1950s and 1960s and provided information regarding his trips in the form of reports and photographs to governmental bodies and trade associations. Most notable personalities include president Sun Yat-Sen's son Sun Fo and third wife Soong Ching-ling. The collection also includes official documents relating to political relations between Britain and China, most notably correspondence and notes on messages relayed between Premier Zhou Enlai and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in the 1950s.

Cantlie was an avid writer authoring numerous articles, opinion pieces, speeches and publications which is evident from the material presented in the collection. The collection is also visually rich with photography and film spanning from the 1920s to 1980s by Cantlie and other creators.