Library and Archives
Welcome to the Research Library of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society!
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Materials from the railroads that operated in the Central Florida area are of particular focus in our Library.
Documents, photographs, and paper ephemera from the Tavares & Gulf, the Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Air Line illustrate the importance of railroads to the area and its economy through the years.
The Library and Archives is open to the public, researchers and historians by appointment only.
Items cannot be checked out or leave the building. Tables and chairs are available for use in the adjacent meeting room.
To schedule a visit, email archives@cfrhs.org
Library
A searchable list of the Library collection of over 6000 books and periodicals in PDF format.
Access and Use Policy
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Free PDF viewer can be downloaded from the Adobe website.
Archives
Finding Aids for some Archives collections are available to download in PDF format.
Archives
Finding Aids for some Archives collections are available to download in PDF format.
The Special Collections shelves, among other items, hold:
Official Guides beginning in 1868 through 1987, bulk from 1940s to 1987.
Handbooks and manuals covering the steam era and into recent diesels.
Materials on air brakes, locomotive appliances, and boilers.
Books in this section cover:
How to operate steam locomotives.
The construction of trackage, tunnels, and bridges.
Railroad car manufacturers such as Pullman passenger cars.
In our Archives, you will find:
Original documents from three of the early railroads that operated in Central Florida.
Materials from other railroads such as Amtrak and CSX.
Files of materials sorted by sections of the United States.
Blueprints and other drawings of locomotives, rolling stock, and other equipment associated with railroads.
A selection of local and nationwide maps.
Drawers of photographs, some of which are sorted by railroad line or location.
