How to do Research

[garethashenden]

How should one do research? If there is a particular place and time that I was interested in, what is the best way to research it? I'm more thinking of industries and typical freight trains than locomotives or track plans. I assume that the relevant historical society is the place to start, but once I get there what sort of things should I look at?

Thanks
Gareth

[Philip H]

You could start with an ORER for the year(s) in question.  Then look at the historical society of your chosen road and see if they have an industry list for that era.  Many societies do.  After that, its the usual suspects of google, and on line library collections.  If you live near a university with a decent library (especially one with a Special Collections section) their reference librarians can often help.