Alberta Railway Museum

Archives

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The Alberta Railway Museum Archives are located at the Provincial Archives of Alberta at 8555 Roper Road, in Edmonton.

The Archives feature:

1. The John Rechner Memorial Library
This library has been collected over the years from donations made by members and supporters of the museum objectives. The books are of interest to both railfans and historians and feature a wide range of subjects and locations.

John Rechner was a locomotive engineeer on CN and VIA trains out of Edmonton for years before his retirement. He was very skilled and worked with Museum staff for several years maintaining locomotives and operating on long weekends. This library of over 700 books is available in the Public Reading Room at the Provincial Archives.

CN Lines Special Interest Group (SIG) is an independent not-for-profit group affiliated with the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). The SIG was "founded to provide a forum for people with a common interest in the Canadian National family of railways". CN Lines represents Canadian National, Grand Trunk Western, Central Vermont, Grand Trunk Railway and Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific.

The SIG publishes a quarterly magazine "CN LINES" that features articles, modelling tips and historical vignettes. A complete set of CN Lines SIG issues has now been included in the collection. As new volumes are produced, the SIG has volunteered to add them to the Library. As a result, this comprehensive resource is now available in the reading room at the Provincial Archives of Alberta. The Alberta Railway Museum is grateful for this generous donation. Please visit the CNLines website at www.cnlines.com.

2. The George Faulder Technical Library 
This library was donated by George Faulder and is his collection of technical manuals and reference books which are supplemented by manuals already in the museum's collection. George is a retired Professional Engineer and has been associated with the museum for many years. He has co-authored with Donald Bain, a British Railroad Modellers of North America (BRNMA) publication on CPR 8000. The book contains the history, engineering specifications and drawings of this one-of-a-kind locomotive

Also in the collection:
  • Drawings, maps and blueprints from the CN shops and yards in Edmonton
  • Nearly 10,000 items donated by the CN Archives in Montreal
  • A collection of photographs and memorabilia from CN and NAR Veterans in the Edmonton area
  • The Vince Coley Photograph Collection - black and white photographs taken in the middle of the last century and featuring many work, freight and passenger cars of that era.
  • The Steve Ondic Collection - over 14,000 slides and photographs of cars and locomotives.

Because the collection is not yet fully indexed, interested researchers should contact us to make an appointment so that a museum volunteer familiar with the collection can assist you in your search for materials.