NRHS, Railway Age, RT&S Announce Second Annual Outstanding Railroad Historic Preservation Award

The National Railway Historical Society has kicked off its second annual recognition of a railroad’s historic preservation efforts. NRHS is again partnering with Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures to present the Outstanding Railroad Historic Preservation Award in recognition of a working common-carrier railroad for its efforts to preserve railroad history in the United States, Canada or Mexico. 

Criteria for the Outstanding Railroad Historic Preservation Award:

• Projects may include locomotives or any type of rolling stock, buildings, stations, a rail line, or a significant rail line feature such as a bridge, viaduct, tunnel, etc.
• Projects that result in returning the asset to use as originally intended will be prioritized vs. a static display or non-operational asset.
• Projects accessible to the public will be prioritized for recognition (for example, periodic operation of historically significant railroad equipment, scheduled excursion train service, publicly accessible historically preserved railroad stations, or buildings and/or museums displaying historic railroad artifacts).
• Historic railroads, tourist lines and museums not operated by common-carrier railroads are ineligible for this award (instead, see NRHS Heritage Grants).

The award winner will be announced at the 2024 Railway Supply Institute Expo and Conference, October 9-11, 2024, in Chicago.

“Railway Age has been chronicling the rail industry since our founding in 1856,” said Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “It’s fitting that we and RT&S continue to partner with NRHS on a preservation award. We’ve seen several railroads celebrate their histories recently, in many different forms. We are eager to honor an outstanding example of this commitment to historic preservation.”

“NRHS solidified its interest in historic railroad preservation through the Heritage Grants program and by saving and sharing railroad-related media,” said NRHS President Tony White. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Railway Age and RT&S to recognize a significant North American railroad preservation project. As our mission is to preserve railroad history in all its forms, we developed this award to honor a railroad for its preservation efforts. I look forward to hearing from our members—and Railway Age and RT&S subscribers—about what they think best exemplifies the spirit of railroad preservation today.”

The nomination period is open through Aug. 30, 2024. For more information on the award, and to nominate a railroad preservation project, see the NRHS website.