Most Class 1 railroads issued diagram books illustrating, with dimensioned drawings, all of their locomotive, freight and passenger cars, maintenance, and work equipment. These were issued to officials at all levels and employees for information, and were distributed to mechanical department employees at most terminals and stations so that they would have a ready reference detailing major mechanical dimensions, devices, etc., so that if a particular car or locomotive had to be repaired en route or handled in some other way, there would be on hand a ready reference.

 

     The diagrams often listed the builder, date built, road numbers, brake type, capacity, light weight, type of trucks, weight of trucks, and much other data. The drawing was usually an elevation (side view). Sometimes an end view would be given. Major dimensions, wheel bases, etc. were shown in feet and inches. The amount of data given on a sheet varied from road to road.

 

     These diagram sheets were updated as needed to show changes, modifications, rebuilds, etc. and new ones issued when new equipment was acquired. Old ones were purged when the equipment was retired or when they were replaced by updated versions. Thus, a diagram book of a particular date gives a snap-shot view of all the equipment on a railroad in a particular year.

 

     The diagram books now supply a wonderful source of raw data about railroad motive power and rolling stock that can be used both by historians and modelers. It should be noted that some lines also issued books of drawings for Maintenance-of-Way personnel that contained drawings of tracks, switches, signals, structures, etc.

 

     The reprinted digaram books on sale here are Xerox reproductions taken directly from the original diagram sheets, and they are staple bound. This allows the modeler easily to take them apart and use the sheets individually, or keep it bound for general reference. 

 

     The reproduction quality is directly correlated to the quality of the original. Since most originals were blueporint (either blue line on white paper or white line on blue paper), and many have been well used, some are dirty, whereas others are bright and clean. All are readily usable, its just that some are better looking than others, depending on the quality of the original.  There is no narration or interpretation.

 

     The diagrams come in various sizes, which are stated in the description of each book, and a typical page is usually illustrated, in reduced format.

 

     Buying one of these reprints is essentially the same as buying an original document, but these are readily available at a small fraction of the cost of the rare and almost impossible-to-find originals today.  The following railroads are currently available:

 

                    Atlantic Coast Line                                                Norfolk & Western                                                  

                    Baltimore & Ohio                                                   Norfolk Southen                                                     

                    Chicago, Burlington & Quincy                              Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac

                    Clinchfield                                                              Seaboard Air Line

                    Erie Lackawanna                                                    Seaboard Coast Line

                    Louisville & Nashville                                            Union Pacific

                    New York Central                                                   Virginian

                    New York, New Haven & Hartford                          Western Maryland

                    Nickel Plate