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!
N&WHS is a non-profit, international organization of
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.
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.
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
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
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:
- REGULAR: Provides all regular N&WHS benefits for one year.
- SUSTAINING: Includes all regular N&WHS benefits for one year AND provides additional support for the work of the Society. Any amount over regular membership is tax-deductible (see current tax laws) in the USA.
- FOREIGN: Includes all regular N&WHS benefits for one year and Arrow magazine via PDF download.
- FOREIGN SUSTAINING: This option gives our foreign members the opportunity to provide additional support and Arrow magazine via PDF download.
- FOREIGN: For our overseas members who desire a printed copy of the Arrow, we offer that opportunity at actual postage cost. Please email or write membership@nwhs.org for current rates.
Join us Today:
ONLINE: with VISA/Mastercard via Online Commissary
MEMBERSHIP FLYER: Download PDF Membership flyer
MEMBER REFERRAL: Download PDF Referral form