The C&OHS Collection

Photographs:

The C&OHS Archives currently houses over 100,000 black and white and color photographs related to the C&O Railway, its predecessors, and successors. The photographs in this collection span the period from the 1880s through the present day, and include photos by official C&O corporate photographers as well as numerous private individuals. Many of these photographs have been cataloged in a computer database allowing automated searches to be done using specific keywords of interest to the researcher.

Corporate Records:

The Archives also houses the corporate record books of the C&O and many of its predecessors, as well as a complete set of C&O annual reports and those of many C&O predecessors back to 1836. All of these records have been transferred to microfilm using funds from a National Historical Publication and Records Commission grant. For a complete listing consult the Guide to the Corporate Record Collection of the Chesepeake & Ohio Railway at the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society, Inc., available by mail for $5.00 shipping and handling.

Drawings:

The collection contains over 150,000 engineering and mechanical drawings including locomotives, rolling stock, depot, cabins, maintenance-of-way facilities, maps, and many other subjects. A number of these drawings have been reproduced for publication by the Society and are available for purchase. Portions of the collection are cataloged and accessible in a computer database.

Other Archival Material:

The C&OHS Archives also houses over 2,000 linear feet of timetables, brochures, correspondence, publications, and other miscellaneous materials, a portion of which is available for research. Please consult the archivist for more details regarding these items.

Library:

In addition to the archival collection, the C&OHS also maintains a library containing over 4,000 volumes and more than 50 linear feet of miscellaneous publications. The collection includes books and publications on the C&O, other individual railroads, general railroading, and many related subjects of interest to railfans and railroading history.