Material Classification Recommended by the Railway Storekeepers' Association

This early‑twentieth‑century manual lays out a systematic approach to ordering, handling, and accounting for every piece of material that keeps America’s rail network running. Issued by the U.S. Railroad Administration in 1919, it was intended for immediate use across all federally controlled lines before the next inventory. The opening sections introduce four broad classes—maintenance of way and structures, maintenance of equipment, conducting transportation, and common supplies—setting a logical framework that still informs logistics today.

The detailed classification then enumerates dozens of subclasses, from track fastenings and ballast to locomotive boilers, air‑brake components, and even the tiny brass fittings that light a passenger car. Each entry reads like a snapshot of the massive scale and technical diversity of railway operations just after World War I, making the book a valuable reference for historians, model‑railway builders, and anyone curious about the industrial backbone of the era.