Wendy, Pertaining to railroad pensions. The Source, a guidebook for genealogy states that Railroad workers of the twentieth century received special Social Security numbers (the first three, or area, numbers 700-729 until 1964) and their own pension plan. A ancestor who received a pension from certain railroad lines should be on record at the Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush St. Chicago, IL 60611-2092 The board is very helpful in answering requests for information if you can provide the employee's name, postion, the railroad worked for, and where and when employed. There is a fee for a search, whether successful or not. p. 346 under Business, Employment, and Institutional Records. ***p. 646 The Source Tracking Twentieth Century Ancestors Nine types of records maintained by the Railroad Retirement Board. 1. employee's death certificate 2. application for employee (age and service) annuity under the railroad retirement act. 3. Description and certification as to eligibility of evidence submitted. 4. Certification in support of employer service for which no records are available. 5. Application for employee annuity under the Railroad retirement Act. 6. employees statement of compensated service rendered 7. Record of employee's prior service 8. Employee registration 9. Employee's certificate of termination of service and relinquishment of rights. In the 1960's, the board initiated a policy approving destruction of individual files thirty years after the last payment is made to the claimant or any beneficiaries in accordance with federal record retention schedules. The destruction was put on hold after genealogists protested. A decision regarding future retention or destruction had not been made as of late 1995. (The Railroad Retirement Board does not maintain personnel or retirement files of former Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway employees who died prior to 1970. the accessibility and retention of railroad personnel records varies from company to company. Museums and historical societies often house records of local or regional railroads. p. 677 The Source -Tracking Urban Ancestors, states Rail transportation workers may be traced through corporate archives, union records, or government agencies. The Newberry Library in Chicago has manuscripts from the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy R.R. and some from the Pullman Standard Care company. It also states that the Railroad Retirement Board did not begin operations until the mid 1930's.. Hope this helps some Patricia L. Hall [email protected]