The Paul Williams Collections includes 23 books on railroad subjects, including the Great Northern Railway (U.S.), Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company and Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
The Pete Pederson Collection is comprised of a photograph of shop crewmen and managers posed behind a handmade model built for the Great Northern Railway.
The Peter N. Halgren collection includes periodical clippings and photographs Mr. Halgren used for research on railroads and railroad modeling. It is organized by railroad, topic, locomotive type, car type and other subjects selected by Mr. Halgren. Circus trains make up the contents of several binders. Much of the collection includes photocopies of commonly available periodicals as well as photographs collected by Mr. Halgren. Many North American railroads are covered, including the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The Peter Thompson Collection is comprised of 7 Great Northern location histories; 4 Saint Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba annual reports; a book - "Personal Accounts of Edwin Kachel"; a track laying record from 1862 to 1969, drawing 1368-1; 3 photos of the Hustle Muscle locomotive at Duluth, Minnesota and a listing of Great Northern Interlockings prepared by Mr. Thompson.
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.
