Maryland Rail Heritage Library

The Maryland Rail Heritage Library is operated by the Baltimore Chapter, National Railway Historical Society and the Baltimore Streetcar Museum (BSM), which are both all-volunteer not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. The MRHL is located at 1901 Falls Road on the second floor of the Baltimore Streetcar Museum Visitor Center,

Our mission is to preserve and promote railroad and streetcar history. Materials focus on Baltimore and Maryland’s railroad and streetcar history and operations. We also concentrate on the mid-Atlantic region’s railroad and transit history. However, our books and other materials cover rail and transit-related information for North America and Great Britain.

The library’s extensive collection contains more than 4,500 books covering all aspect of railroad history, operations, photographs, videos, magazines, articles, Official Railway Guides, railroad timetables, maps, and ephemera. Some of our materials date back to the 1840s.

The library’s streetcar collection contains information on predecessor companies of the United Railway & Electric Company, the corporate records of the UR&E, Baltimore Transit Company (BTC) materials, photographs, mechanical drawings, maps, transfers, schedules, memorabilia, and streetcar, electric traction, and transit books.

Our reference library is in operation for the members of the Baltimore Chapter, NRHS and the Baltimore Streetcar Museum.

Hours of operation are Wednesday, 10:00 am.- 3:30 pm. The library’s phone (410-547-0264) is staffed during these hours.

The MRHL is a non-circulating library. Materials are not loaned. Our collection may be viewed at the library location. However, under certain circumstances materials may be loaned to Chapter or Museum members upon approval of the library committee chairman.

Public access for transportation research and inspection is by appointment only.  Access to the library on other days may be possible if staff is available.

Please contact the Chapter to schedule an appointment or more information.

Downtown Baltimore Rail Scene

DONATIONS

The MRHL welcomes any donation that will support its collection. While gifts are usually books and/or photographs, other railroad and streetcar related material is also welcome.

Financial gifts to benefit the library are also appreciated. If materials are duplicative, the library will sell the items to members, at public railroad events, or on the internet. Money gained will be used to serve the library’s mission.

Please inquire before making a trip or sending a package.

What to Know Before You Visit

  • No food or drink is permitted in the facility.
  • Restrooms are on the first floor of the streetcar museum.
  • To ensure the integrity of the collection, a driver’s license or other form of identification may be required to gain access to the collection.
  • Computers, wifi, high-resolution photo and slide scanners, video players, slide viewers and a self-service photocopier are on site.
  • Researchers may bring laptop or tablet computers, scanners or cameras.
  • As a rule, MRHL material is not circulated or loaned out from the building. Under certain circumstances materials may be loaned to Chapter or Museum members upon approval of the library committee chairman.
  • Public access for transportation research and inspection is by appointment only. Access to the library on other days may be possible if staff is available.
  • Publication rights to photographic or other holdings may be available on a case-by-case basis, with applicable fees for for-profit use.  Fees may be waived for appropriate non-profit use.
  • As a general rule, the Library has virtually no railroad or transit company employee records. If an employee was mentioned in a company newsletter or periodical, we may have said publication available.
  • The museum is within walking distance of Pennsylvania Station area which is one the busiest rail locations in Baltimore area with MARC and Amtrak NE corridor operations, CSX freight trains, and light rail activities throughout the day.
See Available Titles

Periodicals Available at the Maryland Railway Heritage Library

The following is a selective, incomplete list of rail-related periodicals archived by the Maryland Rail Heritage Library.

Magazines for which only a few issues were published are not necessarily included. Listings followed by an asterisk are believed to be complete sets as published, or very close thereof, with the likely exception of the most immediately recent issues in the case of currently published magazines:

Baldwin Locomotives* 1922-1947 (company public relations magazine)

Baltimore & Ohio Magazine 1913-1962 (company magazine)

Blue Mountain Express* (by the Western Md. Ry. Historical Society)

B&O Railroader (1970s fan/hobby magazine)

B&ORR Historical Society The Sentinel* (history/fan/model, by the Society)

Book of the Royal Blue* (B&O onboard reading for passengers)

Brill Magazine 1907-1927* (car builder company magazine)

The Bull Sheet* (independent CSX employee/railfan newsletter)

Classic Trains* (rail enthusiast magazine)

Chessie System/CSX employee newsmagazine (various names over the years)

CTC Board 1972-2014 (rail enthusiast magazine, see also Railroads Illustrated)

Diesel Era* 1990-present (rail enthusiast magazine on locomotives)

Electric Railway Journal/Street Railway Journal 1885-1928 (industry)

Electriclines* 1987-1992 (enthusiast traction/rail magazine)

Extra 2200 South 1968-2010* (Diesel locomotive info, rosters, history)

Flags, Diamonds & Statues 1978-present (Anthracite Rail Hist. Society)

Flimsies (rail enthusiast pamphlet-sized news magazine)

Electric Railroaders Assn. Headlights* 1940-2011 (rail enthusiast magazine)

Locomotive & Railway Preservation* 1986-1997 (rail enthusiast magazine)

Mainline Modeler 1980-99 and later (modeling magazine with prototype info)

Milepost* (Friends of the RR Museum of Pa., many history articles)

Model Railroader* 1934-present (modeling magazine with prototype info)

Model Railroading 1967-1999 (modeling magazine with prototype info)

Modern Railroads 1947-1990 (industry publication)

Modern Tramway* (U.K. traction periodical with worldwide coverage)

National Model Railroad Association Bulletin/Scale Rails* 1947-present

NRHS Bulletin* 1936-present (rail history and NRHS news)

Official Guide to the Railways 1868-1992 (holdings are mostly 1920s forward)

Pacific RailNews / RailNews 1972-1999 (orig. rail enthusiast mag for Western US/Canada, later nationwide 1997-1999; holdings mostly 1980s forward)

Passenger Train Journal* 1968-1996, 2006-present (rail enthusiast magazine)

PC [Penn Central] Railroader* (rail enthusiast magazine)

Penn Central Post* (employee magazine)

The Pennsy (employee magazine)

PRR Technical & Historical Society Keystone 1968-2010 (PRR enthusiast magazine)

Progressive Railroading 1975-1990s (industry magazine)

Rail Classics* (rail enthusiast magazine)

Rail Travel News 1972-1997 (travel promotion magazine)

Railfan/Railfan & Railroad* 1974-present (rail enthusiast magazine)

Rail News (See Pacific RailNews)

Railpace Newsmagazine* 1982-present (railfan magazine focused on Northeast US)

Railroad Modeler 1971-1980 (modeling magazine with prototype info)

Railroad Stories/Railroad Man’s Magazine/Railroad Magazine* 1906-07,1930-1978

Railroad Model Craftsman/Model Craftsman* 1933-present (modeling magazine with prototype info)

Railroading (see also Steam Locomotive & Railroad Tradition)*

Railroads Illustrated, 1980-1, 2008-present (two separate fan publications, the second a name change to CTC Board)

Rails Northeast* 1976-1987 (rail enthusuast publication, bimonthly)

Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin/Railroad History* 1930-present (rail history journal)

Railway Age 1911-present (Industry magazine)

Railway Quarterly* (rail enthusiast magazine)

Railway Review 1914-1926 (industry publication)

Railway Times 1839-1849, 1860-67, 1904-1910 (industry publication)

Short-Line Railroader* (rail enthusiast magazine)

The Railroad Photographer/Railroad Press* (rail enthusiast magazine)

The Short Line* 1976-2002 (rail enthusiast magazine with industry news)

Steam Locomotive & Railroad Tradition/Railroading*

Timber Transfer* (Friends of the East Broad Top)

Trains* 1940-present (the largest circulating rail enthusiast magazine)

Traction & Models* 1965-1985

Transit Journal 1928-1940s (industry magazine)

Trolley Topics/Transit Topics (United Rys/Balto. Transit employee newsletter)* 1917-1954

Trolley Talk* 1954-2010 (traction enthusiast magazine)

Vintage Rails* (rail enthusiast magazine)

Western Railroader (rail enthusiast magazine)

In addition, the Library carries extensive back issues of numerous newsletters and magazines, as noted above) of other NRHS Chapters, trolley/transit museums, and rail museums/societies, focused mostly (but not exclusively) on those of Maryland and immediately-surrounding states, including groups and museums whose focus is on the Baltimore & Ohio, Western Maryland, Pennsylvania RR, and the Maryland & Pennsylvania RR.

We also maintain a list of various rail magazines’ known publication dates, and of issues we know to be missing either from our files or from not being printed.