This tour is designed for members who expect to visit this Archives in the future to conduct their own research.

Advance reservation is required. There is no fee for this tour.

The facility is one of the largest repositories of PRR records. Participants will visit the exhibit room, the scanner room for a demo, and the storage room where railroad records are kept.

To be admitted to the PRRT&HS Tour, you must have with you upon arrival at the State Archives:

• Your 2025 PRRT&HS Annual Meeting badge with your name on it
• A ticket to this event

(You will receive your badge and your ticket at the Annual Meeting registration table)

• A valid photo ID

Upon arrival, all participants must register at the front desk, show your ticket, and show your picture ID. While at the archives, your Annual Meeting badge must be worn at all times.

There are two tours and a short waiting list. Choose your preference for:

• 9:00 am to noon
• 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• Or either tour

The maximum capacity is 12 members per tour, 24 total, and a limit of 1 person per 2025 Annual Meeting registration.

Location and Transportation:

You are responsible for your own transportation from the hotel to the archives.

The Pennsylvania State Archives is located at: 

1681 North 6^th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102

There is free parking on the street and in the gated lot.

The archives are approximately 6.6 miles, 15 minutes, from the Sheraton Harrisburg | Hershey Hotel.

(Map courtesy of Google Maps)

Other Restrictions:

• Laptops are allowed and you may take pictures of the documents on display.
• Backpacks; etc. must be placed in a locker. You will be given a quarter to use at the lockers.
• No pens allowed, only pencils.
• No food or drink in the exhibit room. There are ample restrooms near the exhibit room.
• If any member of the morning group wants to stay longer, they may bring lunch and eat at the break room on the main floor. There are refrigerators to store your lunch.
• Food service outside the building is limited. The Broad Street Market (116 Broad Street) is a few blocks away and has many vendors. (https://www.broadstreetmarket.org)

Tour Particulars:

Besides the exhibit room there will be two rooms on the second floor that we will visit. The scanner room, for a demo, and the storage room where the railroad records are kept. The scanner can handle up to a 6-foot drawing. Anything longer than that will be scanned in sections and the software will stich it together so you end up with one image.

Exhibit Room PRR Items:

• Various tracings of cars and locomotives. Primarily lettering arrangements.
• Car and locomotive tracing lists. These documents contain all the tracings that were issued for a piece of equipment.
• Historical record cards. These cards show the history of the equipment from the time it was built until retired and all the changes that occurred over time.
• Tracing record cards. These cards list the tracings that were issued over time for a specific locomotive and tender. Includes tracings issued that replaced those that were considered obsolete.
• BV-588 books. The ICC required the railroads to provide on an annual bases the total value of their equipment. Specifics by account are included for new equipment that was built including road numbers assigned, trucks used by road number; etc. Great information for modelers.

Exhibit Room Baldwin Locomotive Works Items:

• Paint and lettering tracings covering PRR diesel engines built by Baldwin.
• Drawing list books that show all the tracings issued for a particular PRR diesel order.

Speakers:

• How information from the archives can aid your modeling efforts by…
• Matt Hurst – Modeling equipment without photos
• Ted Culotta – From Drawing Board to the Layout: How to use drawings, photos, and other resources to replicate two classes of PRR box cars.
• Joe Acri – Smoke lifting devices attached to K4s locomotive #1188. The tracings are there and you will discover where the bell was moved to.