National Railway Historical Society facts for kids
The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a group that loves and protects railroad history. It started in 1935 in the United States. The NRHS helps people learn about how railroads grew over time. Its main office is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group has 16 larger areas called regions and 170 smaller local clubs. These clubs are in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The NRHS also runs a cool summer program called RailCamp. It works with Amtrak and the National Park Service. RailCamp lets high school students get real experience in the railroad world.
Contents
About the NRHS
How the NRHS Started
The NRHS began in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 18, 1935. Railfans, who are people who love trains, met there. They came from cities like Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Jersey, and New York City. They were there for a last train ride on the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. This railway was closing soon. Leaders from their local train clubs decided to join together. They formed one big national group. They named it the "National Railway Historical Society."
Leon Franks from the Lancaster club was chosen as the first chairman. William P. Hamilton III from Trenton became the first NRHS president.
What the NRHS Does Now
The NRHS is one of the biggest groups for train history in the U.S. It had about 10,000 members in October 2015. The NRHS is a non-profit group. This means it uses its money to help its cause, not to make a profit. Al Weber is the current national president.
The NRHS is a charity that saves history. Its main goals are to teach people and protect railroad history for the future.
Annual Convention and Magazine
The Society holds a big national meeting every year. At this meeting, they show off old trains. They also offer special train rides using historic locomotives and cars. The NRHS also publishes a magazine called the National Railway Bulletin. This magazine comes out every two months. It has articles, photos, and news about trains from the past and present. It also shares what local clubs are doing.
Helping to Preserve History
In 1991, the NRHS started a program called "Railway Heritage Grants." This program gives money to other groups. These groups teach, publish, and save railroad history. This helps future generations learn about trains. For example, these grants help fix up old train stations. They also help restore old steam locomotives so they can run or be shown in museums. The grants also help organize and store old railroad records.
The "RailCamp" Program
The NRHS runs two "RailCamps" each summer. These camps are for high school students. Each camp lasts one week. The program lets students experience train history and how trains work firsthand. It is done with the National Park Service, Amtrak, and other train companies.
In 2008, students at RailCamp visited a roundhouse and shops. A roundhouse is where trains are stored and repaired. They even got to use some of the shop machines. The students also visited Amtrak's large repair center in Wilmington, Delaware. There, they went inside locomotives. They also met Amtrak employees. They learned about different jobs in the railroad industry. One student later wrote that the experience made them respect the people who care for these huge machines even more.
Local Chapters
Local NRHS clubs usually focus on train history in their own area. For example, clubs in the Mid-Atlantic Region are very interested in lines like the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad. These railroads used to operate in that region.
Besides studying and saving old train items, local NRHS clubs do other things. They might have special train rides using old train equipment, like steam locomotives. Some clubs work to restore old train equipment and buildings. Others run train museums. Some even own locomotives, like the Central New York Chapter. They own two old Pennsylvania Railroad EMD E8 diesel locomotives. A few clubs even own and run entire short-line railroads, like the New Hope Valley Railway.
See also
- Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad
- Delaware Otsego Corporation
- Hull Street Station
- Rochester Subway
- Henry H. Rogers
- Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society
- Union County Industrial Railroad
- Hawaiian Railway Society
