Join the large and small, volunteer and professional museums in the United States and Canada that recognize the value of membership in the Association of Railway Museums. These member museums are dedicated to the preservation, restoration, operation and display of historic railroad and street railway equipment, related artifacts and archives.

The Association of Railway Museums was founded in 1961 to encourage railway museums to exchange ideas and information and to be of assistance to one another when necessary. Since the very beginning, membership in the Association has been open to all organizations engaged in the preservation of railway equipment.

ARM is a professional affiliate of the American Association of Museums and as such speaks to the larger museum community on behalf of the railway museum movement.

ARM's Railway Museum Quarterly is the one publication specifically devoted to railway museums. Since 1961 ARM's newsletters and publications have served to provide communication between railway museums and to provide information to railway museums.

The Association of Railway Museums acts to notify its member organizations of matters of interest. This is done through its conventions, its quarterly publication, and additional mailings as necessary.

As a professional affiliate of the American Association of Museums, the Association of Railway Museums is a member of the AAM council of affiliates. As such it acts in an advisory capacity representing its member organizations. Our representatives work to keep AAM aware of the presence of the railway museum movement and of its special concerns and needs within the larger museum community.

The Association is a member of the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee. As such it helps advise the FRA in safety matters.

The Association of Railway Museums is often asked to supply a list of member organizations. The requesters are people planning to visit museums, industry suppliers, and people wishing to find permanent home for their private collections. The Association provides this information and additional direction to specific organizations at no cost to the requester.

Our publication Railway Museum Quarterly (RMQ) is sent free of charge to members and affiliates. Each Museum member is eligible to name a specific number of additional recipients among its officers and staff. Individual Affiliate membership includes a yearly subscription to RMQ.

Every railway heritage organization has something to contribute to the railway preservation movement. And every organization can gain from the experiences of others. One way to contribute and to receive is to be part of the Association of Railway Museums.

The purposes of ARM are to facilitate the educational missions of railway Museums, to provide a forum for the interchange of information and ideals relating to preservation of railway history and technology, and to foster the preservation, documentation and restoration of railroad equipment and other artifacts. The association sponsors an annual convention with seminars and workshops, hosted by member museums. It publishes Railway Museum Quarterly, and offers for sale reprints of technical manuals relating to the railway preservation industry. It works to promote professionalism among its member museums. With the encouragement of the American Association of Museums ARM published Recommended Practices for Railway Museums.

Currently the more than 125 organizational members and affiliates of the Association of Railway Museums represent the diversity of railway museums in the U. S. and Canada. The members of the Association range from small to large preservation efforts. They range from all volunteer organizations, to those with some paid staff, and onto those with paid management and volunteer support. The membership varies from grassroots preservation efforts to professionally organized museums.

Membership applications and additional information are available upon request. Inquiries should be directed to the Executive Director at the Association's business address or by email at or . ARM may also be contacted by telephone at (770) 278-0088.