Contents
of this Section
History
The
importance of the railroads to the growth and expansion of the
United States is a compelling story. We all share a genuine
interest in this all-encompassing industry which has woven an
iron and steel path across the face of the nation.
It was this interest in preserving
what had passed and what lay ahead that in 1935 inspired a
group of rail historians to form the National Railway Historical
Society. From fewer than 40 persons, the NRHS has grown to
include over 17,000 men and women of all ages and professions
in every state and many foreign countries, making it the nation's
largest rail historical society. The NRHS is a non-profit
section 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions are tax-deductible.
Benefits of Membership
Each NRHS member receives the NATIONAL
RAILWAY BULLETIN every other month. With articles, photos
and news of railroading past and present, the BULLETIN is recognized
as a leading rail historical publication. One issue each year
is devoted to documenting the many activities of the local chapters.
Most members belong to one of our more
than 170 chapters. Each one has its own activities - presenting
slide and movie programs, restoring rail equipment, managing
rail museums, running rail excursions, publishing newsletters
and books, or simply providing a way to enjoy the lore of
railroading.Chapter affiliation brings people together to
exchange ideas and information about their avocation and to
take part in group activities. For those who do not wish to
affiliate with a chapter, an 
Associate Membership brings the BULLETIN and other NRHS benefits
- and can be upgraded to Chapter membership at any time.
The Annual Convention is a highly visible
NRHS function. Each year several hundred members gather in
a place of railroading significance, and the results are publicized
nationwide. From prominent guest speakers to local area tours
to spectacular rail excursions, there's enjoyment for everyone
at an NRHS Convention.
Back in 1935 the founders of the NRHS
recognized the need to preserve and promote railroading nationwide.
This need still exists - and you can be a part of our efforts.
Photographing or preserving locomotives...
riding or running trains...reading or researching history...
there's something for you in the National Railway Historical
Society. We invite you to join us in this fascinating and
rewarding world of railroading. Fill out the Membership
Form and become a part of our dynamic and fun organization
today!
All the accomplishments of the
NRHS are achieved by volunteers from its ranks. The
NRHS is proud of its many family teams that provide leadership
and skills in chapter and national projects. A mixture of
the "fan" and the serious administrator have made
the NRHS the leader in rail preservation, history and operation.
NRHS: A Story of Growth
by Francis G. Tatnall
Reprinted from National Railway Bulletin No. 5 of 1985,
the 50th anniversary issue.
When the National Railway Historical Society
was founded in the Depression year of 1935, its creators had
some rose-colored visions about the growth potential of their
infant organization.
By christening it a "national" society,
the founders served notice that NRHS would expand far beyond
its original seedbed in the New York-New Jersey-Eastern Pennsylvania
area. Unfortunately, their inspiration appeared to be somewhat
ill-timed. In an era of economic stringency, working people
had few leisure hours at their disposal and those not working
had little money to spend on non-essential activities.
Moreover, there seemed to be little popular
interest in the railroads and traction companies of the day,
other than as a means of moving people and goods about the
nation -- and as targets for long-nurtured grievances. But,
at precisely the same time, Joshua Lionel Cowen and his fellow
toymakers were energetically merchandising a product which
based its appeal on the unabashed love of trains. Every time
the average citizen purchased a model railroad set for his
son, daughter (or himself), he received a subliminal message:
"The real thing is fascinating too!"
The word "railfan" was about to be coined.
It is now apparent that the founders of
our Society were on the right track at the right time. There's
an old adage about "an idea whose time has come," and in retrospect
it's clear that by the late Thirties the time of the organized
rail enthusiast had indeed arrived. NRHS and other groups
devoted to the history and technology of railroading were
successful, for the most part, because they filled a need.
As Americans gradually found more time and money for their
avocations, clubs such as NRHS grew in size and influence.
Even in those early years, there was a
recognition that the railfan groups were something of a phenomenon:
they represented perhaps the first recorded example of people
joining together to admire, study and chronicle a single industry,
purely for the enjoyment of it. Initially, at least, few club
members were employed by the railroads or realized any but
intangible benefits from their vicarious association with
the rail industry. They simply loved trains. To these enthusiasts,
railroading was a pageant of perpetual motion, a drama in
which machines and the people who operate them worked together
to mobilize a nation.
Among the earliest of railfan organizations
was the Lancaster (Pa.) Railway & Locomotive Historical Society,
born at a meeting of five individuals held on December 29,
1933 in a former Conestoga Transportation Company interurban
car. To the east was the Interstate Trolley Club of Trenton,
N.J., founded in 1934, with membership in the New York City
and Philadelphia areas as well. As its name implied, the ITC
focused on the traction side of the industry.
On Sunday, August 18, 1935, a number of
enthusiasts gathered in Baltimore for a "farewell" excursion
on the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railway.
Among them were officers of both the Lancaster and Interstate
clubs, who spent part of the day discussing a merger of the
two organizations. During the course of their meeting, which
was held onboard the chartered car, came the decision not
only to consolidate the clubs but to create a larger, more
influential organization to be known as the "National Railway
Historical Society." Other rail clubs would be invited to
join as local "chapters," together with an unlimited number
of members-at-large (associate members) not affiliated with
the chapters.
The official aims of the new society,
as stated by Lancaster President Leon R. Franks, were "to
preserve steam and electric railway historical material; to
encourage the building of model railways; to secure data on
the history of transportation; and to encourage rail transportation.
"
The last regular meeting of the LR&LHS
was held in Pennsylvania Station, Lancaster, on October 2,
1935, after which President Franks read a resolution dissolving
the club and establishing the Lancaster Chapter of NRHS. Eleven
days later, a joint meeting was convened at the home of Interstate
Member Charles A. Pittman, Jr., in Philadelphia, at which
time the new Society was formally constituted. A seven member
Executive Council was formed to govern the organization, with
Leon Franks elected its first Chairman and William P. Hamilton
III of Interstate as President. Following approval of the
By-Laws, the first two chapters - Lancaster and New York -
were admitted to NRHS.
National dues were set at $1.25 per year,
to be used mainly for a planned publication effort. Richard
H. Steinmetz of the Lancaster Chapter was appointed as Editor
and Vol. 1, No. I of the "Bulletin" appeared in January 1936.
The 16-page magazine was reproduced on a duplicating machine.
With a founding membership of fewer than
40 persons, NRHS began a steady growth which has continued
to the present day. In 1936 two more chapters were added --
Baltimore on January 21 and Philadelphia on March 9. By the
start of World War II there were 16 chapters spread from Boston
to Pittsburgh, and at the 25-year mark the roster had increased
to 41, with chapters as far away as Florida and the West Coast.
By the end of 1985, the Society's 50th year, a total of 146
chapters could be found from New England to Hawaii, and membership
exceeded 13,000 for the first time.
Webmaster's Note: As of January
2007, there are over 170 Chapters and about 17,000 members
worldwide.
