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NRHS Library - General Information

    The NRHS library holdings are presently in retrievable storage in Massachusetts. The facility in Philadelphia which housed the library is under renovation for another use and the NRHS was forced to vacate the premises. The references in the library are available for access but the fees to access the holdings are significant. Contact us by using our e-mail form for further information.

    Contents of this section.

    About the Library

    The NRHS Library is in retrievable storage in a secure facility in Three Rivers, Massachusetts. The facility is specifically designed for storing library collections while organizations make changes to their library facilities. The facility has security alarms, security cameras, a climate control system and fire supression systems. To secure more information about the Library please contact the National Office.

    The primary focus of the NRHS Library is North American railways, with a small collection of selected publications on the railways of other countries. Collections of most items are not complete. Most items are in the process of being catalogued. The NRHS Library's overall collection includes, but is not limited, to the information listed in the next section.

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    Contents of the Library

  • Over 4,000 general and academic books on various railway subjects
  • A complete archival set of the National Railway Bulletin
  • NRHS chapters' newsletters, and other railway historical societies' newsletters/periodicals
  • Public timetables, and railway employee timetables and rule books
  • Employee magazines of railways, locomotive builders and car builders
  • Annual reports of railways
  • Postcards of rail-related subjects
  • Over thirty-five various railway-related periodicals, including a completeset of Trains, Railroad/Railroad & Railfan from 1937 to present,and Railway Age from 1930 to present
  • Official Guide of the Railways from the late 1800s to present
  • Poor's Manual of Railroads
  • Pocket List of Railroad Officials
  • Car Builders Cyclopedias and Locomotive Cyclopedias
  • ICC Valuation Dockets from the 1920s (not complete); these are not valuation maps but a narrative compilation of physical assets to define a value for ratemaking purposes. We also have various other reports/publications from this agency
  • Accident investigation reports
  • Publications from the Association of American Railroads
  • USGS topographical maps (limited areas) and other rail-related maps
  • Stock and bond certificates
  • Railway-issued data such as track charts, profiles and signaling diagrams
  • Various other technical and mechanical reports/publications about railways, locomotives, cars and suppliers

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    Library Hours, General Services, and Railway History Research Requests

    • While holdings are in storage, the library has limited hours and resources. Only basic research is possible unless the request commits the person to substantial fees. The library has limited holdings available in the national office to address simple requests.
    • The NRHS Library's collection does not circulate; materials must be used in the library. Photocopies may be made for most items.
    • Research may be conducted via mail, telephone or e-mail.
    • At this time the library is closed to visitors.
    • When submitting a railway history research request in writing, include your name, mailing address and daytime telephone number, as well as e-mail address if any.
    • To submit a research request electronically, use our e-mail form - make sure you choose a subject of Railway History Research Question. You must use this form for electronic research requests. No e-mail please!
    • There is no fee for our research services if NRHS does not have to retrieve sources from storage. If a request for research involves retrieving the sources in storage, the NRHS will only undertake such a research request when the person requesting the information makes a pre-approved advance payment. Research requests which the staff can fulfill from the limited resources in the national office will continue without a fee. NRHS respectfully requests consideration of a monetary donation for this service to the public.

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    Genealogical Research

    Genealogical research is not available while the library holdings are in storage. After the library resumes operations, the library will povide what assistance it can.

    If you are searching for specific information on an ancestor who was a railroad employee, we must disappoint you. We do not, nor did we ever, have ex-railroad employee records in the collection of our research library. Additionally, we are not aware of another research facility which might have such records in its collection.

    Following is how we may be able to assist you in your research, if you so wish:

      (a) If you know the name of the railroad(s) your ancestor worked for, we will probably be able to provide you with a capsule history of that railroad.

      (b) If you know only that your ancestor worked for a railroad in a specific state or city, we will attempt to find a listing of the railroad(s) which served that area. And then, upon your request, we will perform research on the corporate and/or operational history of the particular railroad(s), as in item (a) above.

      (c) If you know what job(s) your ancestor performed for the railroad(s), we will supply you with a general description of what that job entailed. Again, not specific to the particular person in question, but the job duties in very general terms.

    If your ancestor worked for a railroad after 1936, it is possible that the Railroad Retirement Board (the railroad workers' equivalent of the Social Security Administration) might have an entry for your ancestor in their database. You may contact that agency through their Office of Public Affairs at 844 N. Rush St., Chicago, Ill. 60611-2092. Be advised that there will be fees charged by this agency.

    If your ancestor happened to be injured or die in an accident while performing his or her railroad job duties, it is extremely doubtful that we will be able to provide detailed information on such accident. The accident investigation reports in our collection are summaries of state or federal agency investigations of major passenger or freight train accidents (head-on collisions, derailments, explosions, fires, etc.); additionally, we do not have a complete collection of these reports. Individual worker's accidents are not detailed in any report in our collection. Please be advised that railroad work was, and in some ways still is today, a very dangerous job. Such incidents for railroad workers (loss of limbs and other injuries, and deaths) were all too frequent occurrences in railroad history, and documentation of such incidents by the railroads do not survive in any collection we are aware of. Perhaps you might find a mention of such specific incidents in the local newspaper(s) for that time period; we suggest you also inquire with a local, county or state historical society.

    Another resource which came about in 2002 is the Railroad Genealogical Society.

    Also, the Northern Pacific/Great Northern Railway records held by the Minnesota Historical Society in Saint Paul, MN contain vast files on their employees as well as accident/settlement information specific to individuals both employee and passenger.

    Now, we have a request of you: if you had received a recommendation from an individual, magazine, library or other organization that the National Railway Historical Society would be able to assist you with specific information on your ancestor, would you please share the above with them for their future information?

    Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

    NRHS

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