The Roadmaster’s association has a history of constructive effort and important accomplishments, a heritage that cannot be ignored. Rail joints, switches, frogs and ties were among the subjects studied from the Association’s inception, and the standardization of maintenance practices were a large part of every program in the early years. At the beginning of the Association, it was dedicated to work through committees and publish the results in the Proceedings, a practice that was continued through its 114-year history.

The organization of a Roadmaster's Association was a pioneer effort, and the men who organized it and fashioned its policies and methods of procedure, with few exceptions, had no experience with association work. It was organized in 1883 by 61 roadmasters representing 24 railroads, who recognized the need for an organization through which maintenance officers would have an opportunity to meet and discuss their mutual problems. The oldest of the predecessor groups is the Roadmaster's and Maintenance of Way Association. Roadmaster's and Maintenance of Way Association The rich history of the predecessor organizations, each having over 100 years of service to the rail industry, is the legacy The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) was formed on October 1, 1997, as the result of a merger of three engineering support associations, namely the American Railway Bridge and Building Association, the American Railway Engineering Association and the Roadmaster's and Maintenance of Way Association, along with functions of the Communications and Signals Division of the Association of American Railroads. The development and advancement of both technical and practical knowledge and recommended practices pertaining to the design, construction and maintenance of

Arema manual for railway engineering