National Railroad Historical Society

National Railroad Historical Society
Name	National Railroad Historical Society
Founded	1935
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Region served	United States
Fields	Railroad preservation

National Railroad Historical Society is an American nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of heritage railroad equipment, documentation, and history. Founded in 1935 during the era of the Great Depression and the decline of steam locomotive operations, the society developed ties with major carriers such as the Pennsylvania Railroad, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Southern Pacific Railroad, and New York Central Railroad. It maintains relationships with museums like the National Railroad Museum, California State Railroad Museum, Illinois Railway Museum, and Trolley Museum of New York.

History

The organization emerged amid the interwar preservation movement alongside groups such as the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and entities like the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum. Early leaders included volunteers with backgrounds at the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, who organized exhibitions and lobbied for saved equipment from the Santa Fe and Union Pacific. During the post‑World War II period, interactions with the Federal Railroad Administration and the era of dieselization in the United States shaped strategies, while later decades saw collaborations with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and state historical societies. Notable preservation campaigns paralleled efforts for artifacts from the Erie Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and Northern Pacific Railway.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission emphasizes preservation of rolling stock, archival records, and oral histories associated with railroads such as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Reading Company, and Lehigh Valley Railroad. Activities include restoration projects aligned with standards promoted by the American Association of Museums and outreach to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress for archival partnerships. Educational programs reference timetables and documents from the Penn Central Transportation Company and technical manuals from the Wabash Railroad and Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.

Chapters and Organizational Structure

The society is organized into regional chapters including groups linked to locales served by the Southern Railway, Rock Island Line, Boston and Maine Railroad, Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and Norfolk and Western Railway. Chapters operate museum sites, manage shop facilities, and coordinate with agencies like state departments of transportation and municipal governments such as the City of Philadelphia and State of California cultural agencies. Governance involves a national board that engages with nonprofit law frameworks and partners such as the American Association of State and Local History.

Preservation Projects and Collections

Preservation work covers steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, passenger cars, freight equipment, and infrastructure items from companies like the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Illinois Central Railroad, Southern Pacific, and Western Pacific Railroad. Collections include corporate records, employee timetables, photographs, and mechanical drawings often loaned to museums like the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and the Colorado Railroad Museum. Restoration efforts have addressed examples of Baldwin Locomotive Works and ALCO construction and have supported static display pieces at sites such as Hersheypark and municipal parks.

Publications and Communications

The society issues newsletters and journals documenting topics from steam-era operations to modern preservation techniques, citing sources associated with the Railway Gazette International and referencing scholarship produced at universities with transportation programs like University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and University of Michigan. Communications channels include chapter newsletters, national magazines, and collaborations with publishers that have produced histories of the Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway, and Canadian National Railway.

Events and Excursions

Annual conventions and special events draw volunteers, historians, and enthusiasts, often hosted in cities served by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and Santa Fe Depot properties. Excursions have used leased trackage from Class I carriers such as CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern and have coordinated with tourist lines like the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Public festivals and photo charters often partner with regional museums and heritage railways.

Membership and Funding

Membership comprises railfans, former railroad employees, and historians with interests in companies including the Great Northern Railway, Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, Southern Pacific, and Missouri Pacific Railroad. Funding sources include membership dues, donations, grants from cultural agencies, and revenue from excursion ticket sales; the society has pursued grants similar to those distributed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and worked with corporate donors connected to modern carriers such as BNSF Railway and Amtrak.

Category:Rail transport preservation organizations in the United States