Railroad and Heritage Museum's photostream

The mission of the Railroad and Heritage Museum is to collect, preserve, and exhibit the history of railroading in the Southwest United States, in order to engage a diverse audience in appreciating their heritage as a part of the foundation for their future. The Museum accomplishes this through an archives collection, exhibitions, programs, and publications that enlighten, educate, and entertain all ages.

The items in our largest Flickr collection -- the Houston Public Library railroad engineering survey maps -- were donated to the RHM by George Werner, who obtained them from the Southern Pacific Railroad's Land Department. The maps were digitized and uploaded by Eric Ames, a graduate student at Baylor University, for his final project to fulfill requirements for a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies.

Explore these maps to learn more about how railroad surveys of the late 19th and early 20th century influence the maps we see today, and explore the development of several major railroads across the state of Texas, including the Galveston Harrisburg & San Antonio and the Texas & New Orleans.

Want to learn more about our vintage maps? Visit our online exhibit!