Is the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society for you? 

• Are you interested in New England history and geography?

• Do you model the B&M or other New England railroads?

• Are you looking to add realism and prototype detail to your layout and operations?

• Are you interested in preserving locomotives, rolling stock, or old railroad buildings?

• Are you curious about railroads and the people who work for them?

• Do you enjoy studying historical photographs, maps, and documents?

• Do you attend railroad exhibits and shows?

• Are you from a railroad family?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then the B&MRRHS IS for you and you should join us. Our members come from all walks of life, but we all share a common interest in the Boston & Maine Railroad--the great railroad system of Northern New England. Some of our members like to create and work on their own miniature versions of the B&M, others like working on the real thing—steam locomotive No. 410 and our combine No. 1244.  Still others enjoy speakers and illustrated presentations on railroad subjects. All of us like meeting other people who enjoy talking about and learning more about railroads and trains. 

Membership Benefits

With their annual membership dues, our members receive the B&M Bulletin, our outstanding glossy magazine packed with useful and entertaining information and high quality photographs of the Boston & Maine Railroad.  They also receive our Newsletter, issued six times a year with articles about B&M subjects, modeling projects, and modern day railroading in New England featuring Pan Am Railways, MBTA, and Amtrak operations in B&M territory. 

Another way to get all the latest current events is to attend our meetings scheduled monthly (except in the summer). Members meet to exchange railroad information and there is always a presentation by railfans or railroad professionals, usually accompanied by a slides, Powerpoint, or video.  

If there’s question about the Boston & Maine that you’ve always wanted to answer, or if you enjoy working with railroad pictures and documents, our extensive Archives at the Center for Lowell History is the place you’ve been looking for. Our Archives Committee has assembled a matchless collection of photos, historical documents, and mechanical drawings. 

Boston & Maine 0-6-0 switcher No. 410 and combination passenger coach-baggage car (the “combine”) No. 1244 are the most often photographed subjects in the historic City of Lowell, Massachusetts. Our hard-working 410 Committee keeps these two pieces of rolling stock in shape and in the summer months they man an exhibit of New England railroad history in the combine. 

Generous donors have given the Society many artifacts that bring to life the daily activities of the 25,000 men and women who once ran the Boston & Maine. Our Hardware Committee photographs and catalogs our growing collection and interprets its significance. Station furniture, train appliances, dispatching equipment, and signal apparatus are just a few of the categories of items that we collect. Our collection is not yet open for public viewing, but our Hardware page links to pictures and descriptions of many of our holdings. 

New England is home to many railfans who enjoy attending railroad shows and exhibits with their families. Our Shows Committee brings the Boston and Maine Railroad and our Society to the attention of visitors to many of those shows and sells a variety of books, magazines, and other collectibles, as well as a full line of B&M gear.  Upcoming shows are listed on the Calendar page.

Canada and Overseas

We’re happy to ship items from our online store anywhere in the world! Please contact us at info@bmrrhs.org. We can take payment through PayPal from anywhere and can figure out shipping costs on a case by case basis.