This article is concerned with sources of information about railways, particularly locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, civil engineering features such as bridges and tunnels, and infrastructure (trackwork and signalling). It is not directly concerned with railway history, although many of the same sources may be relevant to that.
A general web search using relevant search terms is always recommended, in addition to following the links provided here.
The lists here are incomplete. Additional contributions are very welcome.
It is common these days to describe the periods in which railways existed in Eras. These are thought to be the periods and Eras relevant to our railways:
| Era | Description | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Era 1 | Pioneering | 1804-1875 |
| Era 2 | Pre-Grouping | 1875-1922 |
| Era 3 | The Big Four | 1923-1947 |
| Era 4 | BR (early emblem) | 1948-1956 |
| Era 5 | BR (Last Crest) | 1957-1966 |
| Era 6 | BR (Pre-TOPS) | 1967-1971 |
| Era 7 | BR (TOPS) | 1971-1982 |
| Era 8 | BR (Sectorisation) | 1982-1994 |
| Era 9 | Post Privatisation | 1995 onwards |
| Era 10 | Network Franchising | 2006-2017 |
| Era 11 | Current operations | 2014- |
This information is also available in a, Eras page of it's own.
The pre-grouping companies existed in the UK before 1923. This lists the larger companies for which societies or study groups exist that collect and organise information. The list is incomplete. There were hundreds of railway companies, large and small, and many of the smaller companies were absorbed into larger ones at some point. The specialist society for a company may also have information about the absorbed companies.
The following include links to wiki articles in addition to a link to the societies or study group.
The following links are to railway company societies or study groups for which there are no Wiki articles. Wiki articles will be added as they become available.
The major institutions that relate to railway modelling research are listed below. There are many institutions outside that list that are worth accessing, particularly local ones if researching a particular area. The information needed may not be indexed or sorted to make it easily accessible and anyone wanting to use these sources must expect to do a fair bit of work themselves. A personal visit will probably be necessary, although a preliminary enquiry can be made by email or telephone. Staff will advise whether they have material which is likely to be of use. For example, they would be able to say if they hold the technical drawings of a particular firm for the period of interest concerned. If the enquiry is very specific, e.g. for a photograph of a particular station, they may be able to say whether there is one and whether they can supply a copy by post. The more general the enquiry, the more necessary it will be to pay a visit.
Although an institution may have relevant material, they will also have lots of other things in totally unrelated fields. The staff cannot be expert in everything and the enquiry may well be dealt with by someone with little knowledge of railways. What he or she will know is what their institution has and where to find it. If they cannot help, they may well be able to advise where it can be found. For information on a particular area it is always worth trying the local library, record office and museum; even the smallest of these is likely to have something on local railways.
Specialist societies exist for many railway companies and railway modelling topics. They often contain collections of drawings, records and artefacts related to their particular interest. They are run by volunteers who cannot be expected to do any research or extensive searching for you. A personal visit may be welcome, depending on where and how the records are housed. They may be in a private house, for example. Membership of the society is usually required if they are to provide any extensive assistance.
The Guild has been collating published information relating to layouts, locomotives and rolling stock since 1975. This includes an extensive collection of drawings. Other available information can be found by searching the wiki.
The scope of currently published railway literature is vast, from detailed drawings and operational information to general magazines and periodical. A web search of the chosen topic will usually turn up potentially relevant material.
Any major railway modelling exhibition will have stands devoted to reference books and videos. A browse through these can easily be the quickest route for the sort of information required by the average modeller. Videos of the prototype can give a good overview of an area or lineside features before starting detailed research, and can give shots of locomotives and rolling stock not normally drawn or photographed. Combinations of stock typically running in the chosen area or line can be particularly useful.
In addition to this, at many exhibitions sources can be found for photographs of particular locomotives or rolling stock and may be just the one required. However, be prepared for this search and know exactly what to look for, otherwise it can be a long and inconclusive exercise.
Most published information, in whatever form, will be subject to ownership limitations that may restrict the right to copy it. The Gauge O Guild cannot offer advice in this area, and it is your responsibility to determine whether material that is of interest to you can be copied. That said, it is worth noting that:
The text was originally compiled by the Technical Committee for the Gauge O Guild manual. It was revised and adapted for the GOGWiki by Nick Baines. The links were compiled by Nick Baines, John Birch and Chris Free.