This work was published in 1992. It was self-published. It represents an extensive effort by its author and 43 volunteer contributors to assemble in one place as much information as could be accumulated about where to research railroad history in North America.
Did it succeed in its mission? Depending on one's viewpoint, the final product is either a gold mine or an amateurish tour de force. It suffers from the lack of the hand of a professional editor, so typos abound and entries are not consistent in style. Nevertheliess, it can be highly useful to a researcher who wishes to intensively research a given railroad or railroad-industry-related company. The publication in hard copy spans four volumes. Its key feature is the final three volumes, which are a table of railroad and railroad-related company names, with multple lines for most names, one for each facility whose holdings pertain the the railroad, and a number of columns with check marks indicating the type of material pertaining to the company to be found in the holdings. For an intense concentration on a given company, it does not purport to include every possible source of information, but it is highly unlikely that such a researcher will not find a tip to some location about which he/she would have otherwise been unaware.
Mr. Taber sells the four-volume set for $170, and Volume 1 only, with the cover material and descriptions of the collections, for $50. But for a researcher focussing on a specific subject, it is not necessary to purchase the entire work. A service is offered of providing selective printouts to cover a specific area of interest.
Orders and inquiries are accepted only by postal mail. Write to Thomas T. Taber III, 504 S. Main St., Muncy, PA 17756