Historical Societies and Museums

Below find some additional resources to learn more about the preservation of BNSF History: 

Burlington Route Historical Society
The Burlington Route Historical Society is comprised of historians, rail fans, collectors, modelers, photographers and prior employees who are interested in preserving the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad’s history.

P.O. Box 456
LaGrange, IL 60525
BRHS@BurlingtonRoute.com
BurlingtonRoute.org
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California State Railroad Museum Foundation
Santa Fe donated a boxcar filled with rolling stock (passenger and freight car) diagrams and related materials to the library, along with other assorted documents and materials. The library has Santa Fe employee timetables covering California operations from the turn of the century forward on microfilm. There is also a substantial volume of other Santa Fe material the library has acquired.

Big Four Building
111 "I" St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-323-8073
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DeGolyer Library
Everett Lee DeGolyer, Jr. railroad photographs encompass 15 filing cabinets of photographs and film negatives on U.S. and foreign railroads. The collection is arranged alphabetically by name of railroad and further subdivided by locomotive number or car type. The extent of the collection for each railroad line varies, from a single photograph to hundreds of images. The library also includes a number of historical records and documents representing BNSF predecessor railroads.

Southern Methodist University
P.O. Box 750396
Dallas, Texas 75275-0396
Information: 214-768-2012
Fax: 214-768-1565
After-hours: 214-768-2253
Contact

Friends of the Burlington Northern Railroad
The Friends of the Burlington Northern Railroad's primary mission is to preserve the history and chronicle the operation of the Burlington Northern Railroad and its successors, including the Montana Rail Link. The organization strives to maintain and disseminate information and records of historical relevance from the railroad's inception in 1970 and following the merger between Burlington Northern and Santa Fe from 1996 to the present.

P.O. Box 271
West Bend, WI 53095-0271
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St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railway Historical and Modeling Society
The St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Railway Historical and Modeling Society is dedicated to preserving the history and memories of the Frisco. Members include individuals who are interested in preserving the Frisco through model railroading.

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Great Northern Railway Historical Society
Collection of personal and business related material from James J. Hill, the legendary "Empire Builder." This collection contains letters, documents and photographs relating to the Great Northern Railway, and Hill's interest and involvement in the development of the Pacific Northwest. The library also contains the papers of Louis W. Hill, former president and chief executive officer, of the Great Northern and son of James J. Hill.

193 Pennsylvania Ave. East
St. Paul, MN 55130
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Kansas State Historical Society
Santa Fe donated thousands of photographs and hundreds of thousands of documents to this organization, including maps, station diagrams, printed materials and a collection of bound issues of Santa Fe Magazine.

6425 Southwest 6th St.
Topeka, KS 66615
785-272-8681
Contact (Research Center Reference Desk, documents; Darrell Garwood, photographs)
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Minnesota Historical Society
This collection of Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway includes records, photographs, maps, diagrams and drawings. The collection also includes records from Great Northern and Northern Pacific affiliates such as steamship lines, hotels and land companies. The bulk of this material was donated following the 1970 merger that created Burlington Northern from Great Northern, Northern Pacific, SP&S and CB&Q. A collection of papers from James J. Hill was also donated by the James J. Hill Reference Library.

345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, MN 55102-1906
651-259-3000
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Montana Historical Society
The Montana Historical Society has a large collection of material on the state's railroads. The material includes operating records of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads and their hotels and riverboat companies. The society also has the photographic work of F. J. Haynes, who was the Northern Pacific's official photographer. A catalog of available books is provided by the museum store by calling 800-243-9900.

225 North Roberts St.
Helena, MT 59620
406-444-2694
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Museum of the Rockies
The museum contains a collection of photographs by Ron Nixon, covering the Northern Pacific Railway between the 1930s and 1960s. This collection of motive power, trains, parks and scenery is considered to be one of the best.

Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-0040
406-994-2251
museum@montana.edu
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Nebraska State Historical Society
This collection is comprised of material from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and its predecessor companies operating in the state. The collection has material covering the early operation of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and the later operations of the CB&Q. Records and photographs of land settlement and early farming, taken by Colonization Agent Val Kuska, for CB&Q, are part of this collection.

15th and R Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-471-4761
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Newberry Library
In April 1943, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company deposited the bulk of its 19th century records (1850-1901) with the Newberry Library. More than 1 million letters, 1,500 bundles of miscellaneous materials and approximately 2,000 bound volumes of ledgers and operating books comprise the collection. The collection is named the Burlington Special Collections.

60 West Walton St.
Chicago, IL 60610
312-255-3511
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Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association
13044 87th Place Northeast
Kirkland, WA 98034
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Railroad & Heritage Museum
A Santa Fe depot houses the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum as well as a working Amtrak Station. The museum explores the history of the railroad and its collection includes railroad equipment such as locomotives, cars and cabooses

315 West Ave. B
Temple, Texas 76501
254-298-5172
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Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society, Inc.
The Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society is a non-profit corporation devoted to preserving, researching and sharing information about the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.

1205 South Air Depot #101
Midwest City, OK 73110-4807
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SP&S Historical Society
The Spokane Portland and Seattle Railway Historical Society was founded in 1981 to preserve the history of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway and disseminate information to its membership about the railway and its affiliate lines including the Oregon Trunk, the Oregon Electric, United Railways, Astoria & Columbia River and the Gales Creek & Wilson River.