A Survey of Railway Cars and Locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally created November, 2000. Updated November 2006

The National Register of Historic Places was created in 1966 to recognize the historical and cultural foundations of our Nation. Listing in the National Register honors the property by recognizing its importance to its community, State, or the Nation, and also offers some Federal assistance benefits. There are currently more than 73,000 properties listed on the Register, ranging from historic houses to entire districts. Properties are listed in one of five categories: 

• Buildings

• Sites

• Structures (which includes railway cars and locomotives)

• Objects

• Districts

Listing on the National Register does not, in itself, protect a property from destruction, but it can be an important tool that can be used to help defend an endangered property. A National Register listing is also an excellent fundraising tool. In fact, evaluation for Register eligibility is mandatory if Federal funding or other involvement is being pursued for a project. Quoting from the National Register website:

“National Register properties are distinguished by having been documented and evaluated according to uniform standards. These criteria recognize the accomplishments of all peoples who have contributed to the history and heritage of the United States and are designed to help state and local governments, Federal agencies, and others identify important historic and archeological properties worthy of preservation and of consideration in planning and development decisions."

"Listing in the National Register contributes to preserving historic properties in a number

of ways: 

• Recognition that a property is of significance to the Nation, the State, or the Community.

• Consideration in the planning for Federal or federally assisted projects.

• Eligibility for Federal tax benefits.

• Qualification for Federal assistance for historic preservation, when funds are available."

Of the more than 73,000 properties that make up the National Register, about 1,800 are railway related. The majority of the railway properties are depots, but there are about 90 listings specifically for, or including, railway cars and locomotives. These listings are interesting not only for what is included, but also for what is not. For example, there are no individual listings for diesel-electric locomotives on the Register! I don't think anyone would suggest that the current listings are a representative cross section of  significant railway rolling stock preserved in this country. Rather, the current listings reflect a number of local initiatives to have significant pieces listed.  

This brief survey will not attempt to further analyze the data, but rather to present it for further study and discussion by the railway preservation community. Working through organizations like the Association of Railway Museums, can we work towards making a national survey of important railway properties, including equipment, and utilize the National Register process to help raise national awareness about railway preservation? Some excellent examples of how this is already being done with large industrial artifacts can be found in the maritime and aviation preservation fields. Working with the National Register, guidelines have been published for evaluating and documenting important properties in these fields. The National Park Service offers some excellent publications on these subjects:

Documenting Historic Aviation Properties

Nominating Historic Vessels and Shipwrecks to the National Register