National Association of Railroad Timetable Collectors




Introduction Collecting TimetablesRailroad Catalog - Over 3,700 Public Timetables on display. Rail Employee Timetables - Updated March 2025Timetable Reprint GuideMembership InformationThe First EditionThe Timetable CollectorTrading Post - NOTE to Members: This page is outdated. Please send updated details and we will refresh the information. Thanks!LinksDownload over 200 Old Official Guides! 1874-1909Convention Details - Upcoming NAOTC convention detailsMembers - our private clubhouse (in development)

Latest News

In memoriam: Alan "Sky" Magary:
As reported in The First Edition, longtime member and webmaster Sky Magary passed away on September 28, 2024. We are grateful for all of his contributions to our organization and timetable collecting.

Website:
If you are here, you're viewing our updated website, now being actively edited again after a long hiatus. The workings behind the site have been upgraded to modern technology that will enable us to make updates easier and more frequently. Additionally, the platform allows us to add new features going forward, such as a members' area and online membership renewal. Stay tuned for future enhancements!

The Timetable Collector:
The next issue is in the mail! It includes articles on collecting origins and the B&O Toledo Subdivision. Submittals for future issues are always welcome; please contact the editor.


Introduction

As small railways grew into systems and long distance travel became more customary, the need for a timetable to display more information soon exhausted the limitations of a single sheet of paper. To facilitate this distribution and the presentation of timetables from various companies in an organized fashion, printers settled on a standard dimension of four inches wide by nine inches tall for most timetables intended for the public. First in the form of folded large sheets and later in the form of a double folded, stapled booklet, these timetables presented the offerings of the various railways to the public. Many were highly ornate and reflected the very latest in printing technology of their era. When the airlines began commercial operations in 1927, they followed along a similar path.
Left image: Classic Rail Timetables from 130 years ago!

Collecting Today

If you are fascinated by timetables - the paper that brings man into coordinated contact with the machines of transportation - then you will benefit from becoming a member of the National Association of Timetable Collectors. Serving as a forum for collectors all across North America and the world since 1962, the NAOTC promotes the enjoyable collecting of timetables. Whether collected as historical records of transport services in a particular area, of an individual company's activities, or simply as fine examples of the printer's art, you will find that timetables become more informative and enjoyable with membership in the NAOTC. Our members' interests range through a wide variety of bus, air, rail employee, rail public and marine timetables of all dates. Members gather at our annual convention, as well as at local shows held at various locations throughout North America. They keep advised of current activities through the FIRST EDITION, our monthly newsletter. They also receive our quarterly magazine, the TIMETABLE COLLECTOR, which features articles on timetables from the past and present.
Right image: Classic Air Timetables courtesy of AirTimes

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