Official Guide of the Railways
Encyclopedia
The Official Guide of the Railways, now known as the Official Railway Guide, was originally produced by National Railway Publication Company of New York City
, beginning in 1868. The modern Official Railway Guide provides routing and shipping information for freight on United States
railroads and is published by UBM Global Trade, a division of United Business Media
.
era of the late 1860s, as the transcontinental railroad
pushed westward across the prairies, the burgeoning growth of railroad passenger traffic created the need for accurate train schedule information. On October 2, 1866, the National Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents passed a resolution calling for a "railway guide" to be published, for use as a reference by all association members. The result was the monthly publication of the Travelers Official Railway Guide of the United States, Mexico and Canada, beginning with a 200-page first edition in June, 1868. Eventually the Official Guide would list all of the passenger train schedules of railroads in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. At the peak of rail passenger service in the 1920s, "The Guide", as it was commonly known in the industry, exceeded 1,500 pages and was widely used by railroad personnel, travel agents, and corporate travel departments. With the advent of passenger airlines the Official Guide included schedules for major US airlines. The Official Guide was the primary reference used by ticket agents for all railroads in the U.S. and Canada, and for international rail travel to Mexico
. The Guide was especially useful for constructing connections among the many railroads of the time.
The Official Guide also included some high priority freight schedules, system maps, listing of company officers, an index of all railroad stations, industry news briefs and personnel changes, rosters of key railroad officials, and new passenger train announcements, along with steamship schedules.
Other related publications produced by National Railway Publication Company and its affiliates included the Pocket List of Railroad Officials and freight equipment listings.
With the decline of long-distance passenger service in the U.S. during the 1950s–1960s and the eventual demise of passenger service by most individual railroads at the inception of Amtrak
on May 1, 1971, the need for a monthly rail passenger Official Guide diminished considerably. In the years after Amtrak was established the Official Guide was split into separate freight and passenger editions.
. United Business Media, a United Kingdom
-based firm, provides business information services principally to the technology, healthcare, media, automotive, and financial services industries. UBM Global Trade's sister company UBM Aviation now publishes the Official Airline Guide
(OAG). With the resurgence of rail freight in the U.S. since the 1990s, the bimonthly Official Railway Guide is used by transportation and logistics managers for routing and shipping information.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, beginning in 1868. The modern Official Railway Guide provides routing and shipping information for freight on United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroads and is published by UBM Global Trade, a division of United Business Media
United Business Media
UBM plc is a magazine publisher, news distributor and events organiser providing business information services principally to the technology, healthcare, media, automotive and financial services industries...
.
History
In the post-Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
era of the late 1860s, as the transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
pushed westward across the prairies, the burgeoning growth of railroad passenger traffic created the need for accurate train schedule information. On October 2, 1866, the National Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents passed a resolution calling for a "railway guide" to be published, for use as a reference by all association members. The result was the monthly publication of the Travelers Official Railway Guide of the United States, Mexico and Canada, beginning with a 200-page first edition in June, 1868. Eventually the Official Guide would list all of the passenger train schedules of railroads in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. At the peak of rail passenger service in the 1920s, "The Guide", as it was commonly known in the industry, exceeded 1,500 pages and was widely used by railroad personnel, travel agents, and corporate travel departments. With the advent of passenger airlines the Official Guide included schedules for major US airlines. The Official Guide was the primary reference used by ticket agents for all railroads in the U.S. and Canada, and for international rail travel to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The Guide was especially useful for constructing connections among the many railroads of the time.
The Official Guide also included some high priority freight schedules, system maps, listing of company officers, an index of all railroad stations, industry news briefs and personnel changes, rosters of key railroad officials, and new passenger train announcements, along with steamship schedules.
Other related publications produced by National Railway Publication Company and its affiliates included the Pocket List of Railroad Officials and freight equipment listings.
With the decline of long-distance passenger service in the U.S. during the 1950s–1960s and the eventual demise of passenger service by most individual railroads at the inception of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
on May 1, 1971, the need for a monthly rail passenger Official Guide diminished considerably. In the years after Amtrak was established the Official Guide was split into separate freight and passenger editions.
Currently
Some of the publications by the National Railway Publishing Company were eventually acquired by UBM Global Trade (then known as Commonwealth Business Media), which in turn became a division of United Business MediaUnited Business Media
UBM plc is a magazine publisher, news distributor and events organiser providing business information services principally to the technology, healthcare, media, automotive and financial services industries...
. United Business Media, a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based firm, provides business information services principally to the technology, healthcare, media, automotive, and financial services industries. UBM Global Trade's sister company UBM Aviation now publishes the Official Airline Guide
Official Airline Guide
OAG, formerly Official Airline Guide, is a United Kingdom based business providing aviation information and analytical services sourced from its proprietary airline schedules, flight status, fleet, MRO and cargo logistics databases....
(OAG). With the resurgence of rail freight in the U.S. since the 1990s, the bimonthly Official Railway Guide is used by transportation and logistics managers for routing and shipping information.