NWHS membership application

Your ticket to the exciting history of the Norfolk & Western and Virginian railroads is a membership in the N&W Historical Society!

We're enthusiasts like you, dedicated to appreciating, preserving, and promoting the history of the N&W and VGN. We teach and pass along knowledge to each other, discovering new information about the railroads almost every week. Everyone from beginner to expert is welcome, and we encourage you to join and get involved to help us advance one of your (and our) favorite subjects!

What is the N&WHS?

N&WHS is a non-profit, international organization of VGN EL-2B #125 N&W Steam resting over 1,400 history enthusiasts—individuals who worked for railroads, modelers, educators, writers, railfans— who enjoy learning about the N&W/Virginian. N&WHS is known and respected throughout the railroad history community.

N&WHS Members enjoy broadening their knowledge of the N&W/Virginian through oral history, searching the archives, and the discovery of what really happened in the development of the two railways. Our members write articles for our quarterly historical magazine, The Arrow, present clinics at our conventions, and contribute their knowledge to our many electronic mailing list discussions.

N&WHS Membership Benefits

One of the prime benefits of membership in the Norfolk & Western Historical Society is our quarterly magazine, The Arrow, which takes its name from N&W's famous passenger train, The Powhatan Arrow. Each issue is packed full of historical material, wonderful stories from the past, and modeling information, all complemented with lots of photos. Arrow 29-1

N&WHS Membership is your ticket to discounts at the N&WHS Commissary - a treasure trove of material produced exclusively by and for the N&WHS, as well as dozens of items from other sources. With each issue of The Arrow you'll find information about the newest products we offer and once a year a catalog of our items. Please note: not every item can be discounted, your discount will be calculated by our staff at the time the credit card is processed. Orders of Archival material support the operating costs of the Archives.

The Society is actively engaged in publishing original books about the N&W and Virginian.

Members have an opportunity to attend the annual N&WHS National Convention of education and collegiality Convention dinner at VMT in or near an N&W/Virginian on-line city. You can be part of this exciting tradition that has drawn friends together for more than 35 years! There are seminars on all aspects of the railroad-history, locomotives, rolling stock, structures, modeling-as well as modeling and photography contests. Meet fellow enthusiasts and, when opportunities permit, tour railroad-related sites and structures. This annual summer event brings experts and novices together to learn about what made these railroads great! Our convention is a time to make new friends and renew old acquaintances.

Members have access to the Archives Archives Drawing N&WHS Archives in Roanoke, Virginia, where we actively work to preserve the past for the next generation of railroad historians. Documents from the Archives played a critical role in the restoration of the Class J 611. With over 200,000 items indexed and online—about a third of our holdings—we are achieving our goal of preserving N&W and Virginian Railway historical records, data, drawings, and other materials that would otherwise be lost forever. Our publications are based on or supplemented with information from our Archives. Volunteers are welcome to join on Archives work-sessions. Your membership will help us continue our success!


There are four Membership Classes:

Join us Today:

ONLINE: with VISA/Mastercard via Online Commissary
MEMBERSHIP FLYER: Download PDF Membership flyer
MEMBERSHIP FORM: Paper membership application
MEMBER REFERRAL: Download PDF Referral form