У статті запропоновано власну класифікацію історичних джерел щодо професійної підготовки майбутніх фахівців залізничного профілю. Визначено провідні аспекти періодизації процесу підготовки залізничників: загальний хронологічний (періодизація за основними історичними подіями), галузево-хронологічний (періодизація за основними подіями у розвитку галузі), історико-педагогічний (періодизація за основними періодами у розвитку педагогічної науки), змістово-методичний (зміни у змісті, методів та засобів навчання).
In the article the conceptual approaches to the historical experience of the railway transport specialists' vocational training are substantiated. Conceptual aspect of division into periods of railway transport specialists training is based on the position that the individual problems of the railway branch vocational training modern system is very similar to those that occurred over a hundred years ago. That's why studying the history of formation and function of railway transport, future specialists' professional training is very relevant for the rethinking of the of vocational training organization system for the railway industry in Ukraine nowadays. The major aspects of division into periods of railwaymen training are determined: a general chronological (division into periods on the basic historical events), branch-chronological (division into periods on the basic events in the branch development), historical-pedagogical (division into periods on the fundamental stages in the pedagogical science development), content-methodical (changes in the content, subjects enumeration, studying duration, job specifications, the use of innovation technologies, methods and ways of the education). Essential meaning to historical-pedagogical research is the holistic study of formation and development process of the railway transport specialists' vocational training in the 20th century which is the base for its development. In the article our own classification of historical sources concerning the professional training of railway profile future specialists is proposed. Government documents, meetings and congresses minutes of railwaymen at different levels, decrees, agreements, exhibitions and competition materials and other documents give an idea of the problems that are in a specific historical period had to decide within railway transport as the industry.
