Primary contact
425 SW 153rd Street
Burien, Washington
US 98166
Identity area
Identifier
WaBuPNRA
Authorized form of name
Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive at Burien, Washington
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
- PNRA
Type
- Private
Contact area
Jonathan Fischer
Primary contact
Type
Address
Street address
425 SW 153rd Street
Locality
Burien
Region
Washington
Country name
United States
Postal code
98166
Telephone
206-402-6519
Fax
N/A
info@PNRArchive.org
URL
www.PNRArchive.org
Note
Description area
History
The Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive (PNRA) was formed in 2010 by a consortium of nonprofit Railroad Heritage Organizations (RHOs) to own and operate an archive facility in Burien, Washington. Through PNRA the RHOs use affordable space and preserve the histories of their railroads.
Geographical and cultural context
Railroads are a major part of the heritage of the Pacific Northwest. In fact, railroads established most of the early communities in the western United States. Towns developed around railroad stations and some grew into cities. Railroad records document aspects of these towns and provide a series of snapshots of the region's evolution from the 1880's to the present. This railroad heritage is linked with the heritage of communities and the culture of the western United States.
Mandates/Sources of authority
Administrative structure
PNRA is registered as a nonprofit corporation in the State of Washington and recognized as a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Records management and collecting policies
RHO collections are preserved physically in mobile shelving and digitally, allowing their posting on the interne for access by anyone interested in railroad history. PNRA is not a museum that provides public access to physical collections. Rather, it operates as an archive, providing internet access to the collections, although researchers may access materials in the physical collections by appointment.
Buildings
PNRA owns and operates a three-story, 7,500 square foot building in Burien, Washington with sufficient space for all anticipated Archive activities. This location is ten miles southwest of downtown Seattle, close to the SeaTac airport, and accessible by good bus service from most parts of the region, as well as from two freeways.
Holdings
Pacific Northwest Railroad archive focuses on the collection and preservation of documents and other materials related to railroad activity principally in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. As of 2018 it holds in excess of 400 collections of such material.
Finding aids, guides and publications
Access area
Opening times
Tuesday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM of each week. Contact for appointment at other dates and times. Proof of Covid vaccination required to enter the Archive.
Access conditions and requirements
Accessibility
Services area
Research services
Groups of Railroad Heritage Organization (RHO) volunteers meet regularly at PNRA to inventory, scan and catalog RHO collections using the Archive's digital equipment. PRNA maintains RHO research web sites to give world wide access to their collection materials. PNRA also assembles interpretive exhibits promoting railroad heritage for display at museums and community centers throughout the region.
Reproduction services
PNRA fulfills information requests similar to a stock photo agency when it markets and fulfills requests for photos and documents from the RHO collections.
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
WaBuPNRA
Rules and/or conventions used
Describing Archives - A Content Standard, 2nd Edition, 2013 (DACS)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
- Latin
Sources
PNRA website http://pnrarchive.org