This page provides a directory of railroad historical societies, railway preservation groups, and websites offering a history of railroads in the USA and Canada.
Abandoned Rails - Photos and information about abandoned railroad right-of-ways
Abandoned Train Tunnels - Photos and information about dozens of abandoned railroad tunnels worldwide
ALCO Historical & Technical Society - Plans to create an Alco museum to preserve historic artifacts
ALCo World - Photos, locomotive specifications, and model numbers; by Rolf Stumpf
America's Freedom Trains - History, timeline, and memorabilia of the 1947 and 1976 American Freedom Trains
American Railroad Women - Research and traveling photo exhibit of railroad women's history
American Rails - Informational resource guide to American railroad history and operations
American Railway Caboose Historical Educational Society - Association for the study and preservation of cabeese
American Steam Railroad Preservation Association - Nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preserving, displaying, and operating historic railroad equipment, including Frisco steam locomotive # 1352
American Time Table and Train Order System, The - History of the telegraph's key role in a uniquely North American system of railway operation
Amtrak Historical Society - Preserving the history of Amtrak
Association of Railway Museums - Leads in the advancement of railway heritage through education and advocacy
Auctions on eBay - 100,000+ collectibles and railroadiana items including vintage ads, maps, timetables, tickets, stock certificates, watches, clocks, signs, lanterns, utensils, locks, apparel, and more
Birney Safety Car Museum - History, photos, and models of the Birney single-truck trolley developed in the 1910s
Bridgehunter.com - Database of historic bridges and tunnels throughout the United States
Bridges, Stations & Tunnels - Guide to the earliest, longest, highest, and largest railroad structures
Budd-RDC.org - Photos, history, and current operating information about Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs)
Canada By Rail - Organization of Canadian tourist railways, museums, historical societies, rail tour operators, historic rail stations, and heritage sites
Canadian Railroad Historical Association (CRHA) - Preservation and dissemination of information concerning railway heritage in Canada, with many divisions organizing their own meetings, projects, and activities
Canadian Railway Music - List of Canadian railway music including classical, folk, and country songs
Canadian Street Railways - History of street railways and interurban electric railways in Canada
Carknocker Railroad Stories - Stories and photos by railway carmen
Carolwood Pacific Historical Society - Dedicated to preserving the personal railroad legacy of Walt Disney
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum - History of the Transcontinental Railroad and the linking the Central and Union Pacific Railroads on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah
Chapel Cars of America - About thirteen churches-on-rails that followed the railroads west from 1890 to the 1940s and brought the gospel and sacraments to the people living along the tracks
Classic Streamliners - Articles and photos celebrating vintage passenger trains, private railcars, train travel, tourist railroads, and more
Conrail Cabins & Cabooses - Exchange information about Conrail's fleet of cabins and cabooses
Corporate History of Railroads in North America - Corporate (family) charts for researching a particular family or individual names of railroads
Dan's Wigwag Site - History, photos, and locations of surviving wigwag flagman grade crossing signals throughout the US
Danger Ahead: Historic Railway Disasters - An investigation of significant railway accidents from the earliest days of rail transportation to the present
Diesels From Schenectady - Devoted to Alcos both past and present with photos and information
Driving the Last Spike - History from the Museum of the City of San Francisco
Early Railroads - Records and firsts for railroad construction and operation in the U.S. and worldwide
F40PH Preservation Society - Preserves history and artifacts related to Amtrak's F40PH diesel locomotives
Fallen Flags and Other Railroad Photos - Extensive photo galleries from fallen flags throughout North America
FallnFlags - Pre Burlington Northern locomotive photos, especilly covering the Great Northern Railroad; includes Great Northern Sky Blue and Orange paint schemes, Northern Pacific, Spokane Portland and Seattle, and Burlington
Forgotten Railways - Ongoing project to research, trace, and map railroad abandonments
Friends of the Burlington Northern Railroad - Historical society focused on the BN and BNSF
Geared Steam Locomotive Works - Preserving and promoting information on North American built geared steam locomotives including Shay, Heisler, Climax, Byers, Gilbert, Dunkirk, Willamette, Davenport, Baldwin, Bell, and more
International Society for the Preservation of Women in Railroading - Traveling exhibit provides an educational look into the world of women railroaders
Iron & Steel Industry Special Interest Group - Group for those interested in the railways of steelworks and also the steelworks themselves; both prototype fans and modelers are welcome
John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library - Special library within the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri - St. Louis
Johnson Farebox Company - History and photos of Johnson and Cleveland fareboxes found in many trolleys, streetcars, and buses until the 1960s
Locomotive Records - Guide to the earliest, fastest, heaviest, largest, and most powerful steam locomotives
Logging Railroads of North America - List of all known logging railroad operations in North America
Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society - Devoted to the activities of the MNLPS, owners and operators of MN Class loco 35028 "Clan line"
Merci Train - Photos and history of the 49-car train filled with gifts, given by France to the USA in 1948
Mike's Railway History - Extensive history of world railways to the mid 1930's; by Michael Irlam
Multimodalways Railroad Archives - Collection of scanned maps, track charts, and various documents from past and present North American railroads
National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) - Official site of the US national historical organization
North American Railcar Operators Association - Dedicated to the preservation and safe, legal operation of railroad equipment, historically used in the maintenance of way
North American Railroad Family Trees - Chronology of North American Railroad predecessors
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association - Dedicated to preserving the history of America's first northern transcontinental railroad
Old Time Trains - Preserving Canadian railway heritage with articles, stories, photographs, and more
Pacific Railway Act, The - An 1862 act to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean
PCC Car - Not So Standard - History and photos of PCC cars
PCC Cars - Photos and information about PCC cars; by Gerard Scheltens
Pennsy Railcar Restorations LLC - Provides on-site and off-site consulting for railcar acquisition, transportation, and restoration
Preserved North American Electric Railway Cars Roster - Searchable database of preserved North American electric railway cars with car specifications, ownership history, and photos
Pullman Library - Over a million drawings, original specifications, correspondence, photos, and documentation pertaining to Pullman and Pullman-Standard passenger and freight cars; Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois
Railroad and Streetcar Historical Markers - List of railroad-related roadside and other permanent markers with text, photos, maps, detailed location information, and commentary
Railroad Car History - Publishes electronic books on railroad cars and related subjects
Railroad Evangelistic Association - Non-denominational, non-partisan Christian railroad fellowship
RailRoad Genealogical Society - Dedicated to locating, compiling, and preserving every record pertaining to the employees of America's historic railroads
Railroad Heritage Blog - Covers both modern and vintage railroading, with equipment walk-arounds, vintage photos, and preservation news
Railroad Maps Archive - Historic railroad maps from throughout the USA, available free from the University of Alabama
Railroad Maps Collection - Over 600 railroad maps from 1828-1900 from the Library of Congress archives
Railroad Nicknames - Guide to nicknames given to past and present North American railroads
Railroad Police - Promotes the history of railroad policing
Railroad Signal Site - Detailed photos and descriptions of searchlight, colorlight, wig wag, and gyralight railroad signals
Railroad Signaling and Communications - Photos and information about a variety of railroad signals and communications equipment
Railroad Station Historical Society, Inc - Compilations of extant railroad / railway structures in U.S. and Canada, historical research on depots, references on railroad structures, and more
Railroad Station Home Page, The - Devoted to the architecture and history of railroad stations around the world
Railroad Stories - Collection of railroad stories from the late 19th and early 20th centuries
Railroad.net - Dozens of railfan forums, postcards, prototype photo gallery, and more
RailroadRob.net - Old railroad postcards and documents, history of the streetcar service in Grand Rapids MI, and a guide to hotels and resorts of special interest to railfans and rail travelers
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society - Promotes research and encourages the preservation of documentation pertinent to business history, finance, labor history, biography, and technology
Railway Mail Service - History of mail delivery by rail, from the USPS
Railway Preservation News - Online journal of railway history and preservation, edited by Bob Yarger
Railways in Music - History of railways in music, by Philip Scowcroft
Railways of Canada Archives - Preserving Canadian railway history with dozens of articles and photos
RailwaySurgery.org - Preserves the history of railway surgeons and hospitals, and educates the public about their work and contributions to medicine
Rare Map Collection - Historic railroad maps available online from the University of Georgia
Record Railroad Routes - Guide to the highest, steepest, and longest railroad grades worldwide
Richard Leonard's Rail Archive - Photos and commentary about steam locomotives operating in the 1950s on North American railroads including the CB&Q, CPR, GTW, IC, NKP, NYC, and UP
Richard's Parlor Car - Devoted to the history of various North American Passenger cars, mostly Canadian, CNR, CPR, and some American
Richard's Planet Sleeping-Car - Historical information and data on various sleeping and parlor cars operated by Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Pullman in Canada, the US, and Mexico
RRSignal.com - Information and photos of signals, CTC equipment, relays, and more
Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society - News, information, merchandise, and more
Semaphores.com - Extensive list of living and museum semaphores, photos, semaphore history, and more
Significant Dates in Canadian Railway History - by Colin Churcher
Slim Rails - Photos and information about narrow gauge railroads including Carson & Colorado, Durango & Silverton, East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, and East Broad Top
St. Nicholas Mountain - One of six tall-window observation cars built by American Car & Foundry for the Mid-Century Empire Builder, now undergoing restoration for private railcar journeys
Steam in the Americas - Covers the prospects for working and near-working steam in the Americas, as well as highlighting some preserved steam locomotives and relics
SteamLocomotive.com - Extensive guide to surviving steam locomotives in North America, including engines presently operating and under restoration
Streamliner Memories - Railroad brochures, ads, timetables, menus, and tickets from the 1950s and 60s
Streamliner Schedules - Schedules of the streamliners from the mid-1930s to the late 1960s
Tap Lines - Offers scanned railroad books for historians and modelers including official guides, equipment registers, and locomotive builders lists on CD and DVD
Technical Society for Rail Operations Safety & Signaling - Focus on safety and signaling includes listing of railway names, wreck/incident info, and historic info on signaling and grade crossings
The Birney Car - Online book with rosters and history of streetcars by state
The Caboose Page - Photos of cabooses and information on their use
The Diesel Shop - Comprehensive source for motive power rosters and first generation locomotives
The Yard Limit: American Diesel Switchers - Spotter's guide, photo gallery, news, and more
Train Movies - Guide to more than 130 classic train movies, many now rare and out-of-print, including details about filming locations and featured railroads, stations, and equipment
Train Records - Guide to the fastest, longest, and heaviest trains in U.S. and world history
Train Wrecks - Guide to the earliest, deadliest, and strangest train wrecks, crashes, derailments, and accidents
Transcontinental Railroad, The - History of the leaders, founders, and workers on the Central Pacific Railroad
Transportation Planning and Train Dispatching - Historical and technical information about train dispatching, planning, and management
Trolley Cars Dot Com - Restoration projects, preservation, and more
True Story Of Casey Jones, The - Published in "Erie Railroad Magazine" (April 1928)
Union Pacific Historical Society - Preservation of the history of the Union Pacific Railroad from its beginning in 1862 to the operation as it is today
Union Pacific History & Photos - History of the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad, historic railroad equipment, and photos
Vagel Keller's Industrial Heritage Homepage - Historical and modeling info about America's coal, iron & steel, and railroad industries
Web Lurker's DOME.main - History of railroad "dome" cars including photos and information
Yellow Ribbon Express - Proposed 3-year, 150-city, steam-powered train tour to honor America's military
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