The Phil Beach Collection materials focus primarily on the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and its successor, the Burlington Northern Railroad Company, with addition materials covering the railroad industry as a whole. Documents include annual reports, timetables, accident investigation reports, employee rule books, Official Guides and Railway Operating Equipment guides. Photographs are primarily of Northern Pacific and Burlington Northern subjects. Also included are books on railroad subjects and a variety of railroad and model railroad magazines.
The Ray W. Howard Library Deposit comprises microfilm copies of documents from the Great Northern (1862- 1922) and Nothern Pacific (1864-1922). Coverage includes the Board of Directors, corporate history, labor, and settlement and development of railroad land. Also included are James J. Hill personal and private papers 1874-1916.
The Reese Humphreys Collection is comprised primarily of Northern Pacific documents dated between 1910 and 1970. They include timetables, annual reports, maps, special instructions and calendars. Additional materials from the Burlington Northern and other railroads are also included.
The Reynolds Brightshue Collection includes Northern Pacific and Burlington Northern operations documents including train orders, reports of delays, work train conductor's reports, rule books and accident reports; personnel documents including time books, personnel actions and rosters; and newspapers, newsletters and instruction books between 1934 and 1975.
The Rick Leach Collection consists of maps, plats, mechanical drawings and other documents from the Northern Pacific Railroad, Great Northern Railway, Southern Pacific Railroad, Burlington Northern, and Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway over the period from 1915 to 1971.
