Tennessee State Railroad Library

A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library Adopted: May 10, 2004

National Model Railroad Association, Inc. (NMRA)
Photograph: National Model Railroad Association, Inc.

The A. C. Kalmbach Memorial Library in Chattanooga became the official railroad library of the State of Tennessee when Governor Phil Bredesen signed Senate Bill No. 2280 into law on May 10, 2004.

The research library is located in the building of the National Model Railroad Association in Chattanooga.

According to the National Model Railroad Association:

On May 10, 2004, Governor Phil Bredesen signed into law a bill which designates the A. C. Kalmbach Memorial Library as an "Official Railroad Library of the State of Tennessee." This honor distinguishes the library for having achieved preeminent stature in its field and for its many valuable contributions to the preservation of the nation's railroad and model history. The library is recognized as one of the finest facilities of its kind in the country, and certainly within the South. Through a variety of publications and programs, the library promotes awareness of the crucial role that railroads played in the development of American life and culture.

("NMRA - National Model Railroad Association | NMRA.org")

Filed for intro on 01/22/2004

SENATE BILL 2280
By Fowler

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3, to designate the A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library in Chattanooga as an official railroad library.

WHEREAS, since 1986, the A. C. Kalmbach Memorial Library in Chattanooga has housed the archives for the National Model Railroad Association and aided its members in answering research questions; however, the library is also open to the public and offers assistance to all who have an interest in prototype and model railroads; and

WHEREAS, the A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library is home to over 7,000 books and manuals, 50,000 magazines, 100,000 photographic images, thousands of prototype drawings, 350 videos, and numerous timetables, maps, and audio recordings detailing the panoramic history of trains, railways and railroads in the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, the A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library has achieved preeminent stature in its field, and it is most fitting that the library should be recognized by the state of Tennessee for its many valuable contributions to preserving the history of this nation's railroads and assisting interested parties in railroad-related research; now, therefore,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3, is amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated section:

§4-1-3__.

The A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library in Chattanooga is an official railroad library of the state of Tennessee.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.

Photograph: National Model Railroad Association, Inc.

Tennessee Law

The following information was excerpted from the Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3, Section 4-1-328.

Title 4 State Government
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Part 3 State Symbols
Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-1-328 (2011)

4-1-328. Railroad library.

The A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library in Chattanooga is an official railroad library of the state of Tennessee.

HISTORY: Acts 2004, ch. 628, § 1.

Sources...

The State of Tennessee. Tennessee Code Annotated. Nashville: The State of Tennessee, 2011. Web. 18 Aug 2011. .
Tennessee General Assembly. Senate Bill No. 2280. Nashville: The State of Tennessee, 2011. Web. 11 Sep 2011. .
"The A.C. Kalmbach Library." NMRA - National Model Railroad Association | NMRA.org. National Model Railroad Association, Inc., 07 Aug 2011. Web. 11 Sep 2011.

Additional Information

A.C. Kalmbach Library: Website of the A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library, piggybacking on the website of the National Model Railroad Assoc., Inc.