I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has sucessfully placed railroad structures or equipment on the National Register, as to procedures, type of submissions required, etc., before I try to recreate the wheel (or driver...).<br>



Kevinmccabe@avenew.com

The procedure may be a bit different in each state, but it will probably involve nothing more than requesting a form from the official who administers the nomination process in your state, probably in the office of the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). The form is relatively self-explanatory, with only a couple of quirks. Your state bureaucrats should be able to give you an example of a properly-filled-out form, although perhaps not for railroad rolling stock. One of the quirks is that a locomotive or car is a "structure" and not a historic "object," which definition is reserved for an art object or religious icon or such. Another task is deciding at what geographic level a piece is "significant:" local, state, or national, and on what grounds. The Russian Decapod is of national significance; an Illinois interurban is of state significance; a CTA car might be of local significance, and another GG-1 is of no significance (in Illinois).<p>The major roadblock is researching the true history of the structure up to the standards demanded by the state officials who act as gatekeepers to the National Register. But if there are good records on your piece, and some published history to provide the background and footnotes, you should be able to manage it without too much new research for most of the stuff in your collection.<p>You may also have to submit archivally-processed black-and-white prints of photos.<p>Aarne Frobom<br>Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc.<br>P. O. Box 665<br>Owosso, MI 48867-0665<br>



froboma@mdot.state.mi.us

Coincidentally, I have just completed a survey of all the railway equipment listed on the National Register, and was in the process of preparing a brief for posting on RYPN. The page is on the Railway Preservation Resources website, and you can access it via the link below.



National Register Survey
jsmatlak@earthlink.net