Name: Roaring Camp Railroads
Brand: Ben Kifle
SKU: 9781467129961
Price: 18.74 USD
Availability: InStock

Roaring Camp Railroads

9781467129961

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1963, Norman Clark officially opened Roaring Camp to the public. Since then, it has become a popular and well-known destination for tourists and rail buffs from around the world who wish to visit and ride on its 100-year-old steam trains. Isaac Graham, who constructed the first powered sawmill and the first whiskey distillery in the American West, settled the area in the 1840s. Graham was notorious for his boisterous antics, and his settlement became known as a wild and roaring camp. Clark arrived in the area in the mid-1950s with $25 in his pocket and the dream of preserving a piece of early California. Clark's dream included a plan to construct an 1880s railroad town, complete with an authentic narrow-gauge logging railway. Over the last 50 years, Clark's dream has been continued and expanded, now incorporating two railroads, one of which dates to 1875.

Cover image for Roaring Camp Railroads, isbn: 9781467129961

Rockford & Interurban Railway

9781467112390

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

With today's America dominated by the automobile, it is difficult to believe that until the 1920s nearly 100 percent of the US population traveled via rail. Conventional passenger-train service spread rapidly by the 1850s, but another form of rail transportation did not emerge until the turn of the 20th century: the interurban. Almost always electric, interurbans linked cities with burghs. Rockford, one of Illinois's three largest urban centers during the 20th century, enjoyed a system appropriately named the Rockford & Interurban, dating from the city's horse-drawn streetcars of the 1880s. By World War I, the Rockford & Interurban ran from downtown Rockford to Cherry Valley and Belvidere; Winnebago, Pecatonica, and Freeport; Roscoe and Rockton; and Beloit and Janesville, Wisconsin. The Rockford & Interurban enjoyed a supernova of success, rising quickly in popularity before slowly dying when the automobile became widespread in the 1920s; the Great Depression finished the job in 1936.

Cover image for Rockford & Interurban Railway, isbn: 9781467112390

Rockford Area Railroads

9780738583907

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Railroads were key to Rockford's rise as a thriving manufacturing and commercial center. With an area population of over 200,000 residents and a reputation for manufactured goods, Rockford had a critical need for railroads into the bust years of the 1970s. Eventually four railroads rose to prominence in Rockford, all of them Class 1 carriers: the Chicago and North Western; Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy; the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Pau,l and Pacific (the Milwaukee Road); and Illinois Central. For nearly a century, these four roads—all of them esteemed Midwestern railroads—carried the bulk of freight and passengers arriving and departing Rockford, Davis Junction, and Loves Park by rail. Two other smaller railways, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Gary and the Rockford and Interurban, also played a part in Rockford's railroad history and are spotlighted in this volume.

Cover image for Rockford Area Railroads, isbn: 9780738583907

Sacramento Northern Railway

9780738530529

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Sacramento Northern Railway was once a critical interurban link between California's northern Central Valley communities, the state capital, and the Bay Area. Running through orchards, farmland, swamps, and cities, this electric railway began its life in 1905. Service eventually ran from Chico to Oakland, but after the Bay Bridge opened in 1939, the 186-mile route started in San Francisco's Financial District, crossed the bridge on the lower deck, ran through Contra Costa County towns like Moraga, Lafayette, and Pittsburg, across the Suisun straits on the massive rail ferry Ramon (which could hold an entire train), and into Sacramento, the halfway point. From there, the train continued through rolling hills and farms on to Marysville, and finally to Chico before making its return journey. The Sacramento Northern soldiered on until World War II, but eventually the growing car culture, along with competing diesel railroads, undid this splendid line. Interurban passenger service ended in 1941, and the various lines were gradually abandoned or dieselized. Today a 22-mile segment of the route remains in operation at the Bay Area Electric Railway Museum in Solano County.

Sacramento Southern Railroad

9780738569864

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Sacramento Southern Railroad was born into a famous railroad family and a busy railroad town in July 1903. The mighty Southern Pacific, which controlled the new line from the outset, built south from Sacramento along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River into the delta's rich farmland area. At its zenith, the line was about 31 miles long, serving the communities of Freeport, Hood, Locke, Walnut Grove, and Isleton. Trains on what became known as the Walnut Grove Branch hauled pears, sugar beets, asparagus and other products from the agricultural region's packing sheds and canneries. Competition from trucking and damage from flooding took a severe toll on the railroad, and the Southern Pacific largely abandoned it by 1978, but a portion lives on as a labor of love.

Cover image for Sacramento Southern Railroad, isbn: 9780738569864

Sacramento's Southern Pacific Shops

9780738580524

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1862, the Central Pacific Railroad was founded and began building eastward from Sacramento as part of the transcontinental railroad. This required a shop capable of keeping the railroad's equipment in running order. So in 1867, in the swamps just north of town, the Sacramento shops were born. For well more than a century, this massive complex kept the Central Pacific and its corporate successor, the Southern Pacific, operating smoothly. For many decades, the shops were the largest employer in the Sacramento area, employing carpenters, painters, draftsmen, boilermakers, electricians, clerks, upholsterers, and others. The shops' forces designed, built, and maintained locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and other railroading equipment. The complex closed in 1999. Most of the area, popularly known as the Railyards, is set for redevelopment. The California State Railroad Museum handles maintenance and restoration of its collection in two of the shops buildings and plans to develop a Railroad Technology Museum on the site.

Cover image for Sacramento's Southern Pacific Shops, isbn: 9780738580524

Sacramento's Streetcars

9780738531472

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Until 1947, Sacramento's streetcars linked a bustling downtown district with residential neighborhoods, workplaces, and a growing series of suburbs. Starting with horse-drawn cars on Front Street, the streetcar system owned by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company expanded to include Midtown, Curtis Park, Land Park, Oak Park, and East Sacramento. But PG&E was not alone; two other companies ran streetcar routes downtown, along with suburban lines to West Sacramento, North Sacramento, Rio Linda, Elverta, Colonial Heights, and Colonial Acres. Sacramentans rode the cars to work, to school, to the state fair, and just about anywhere they wanted to go until the streetcars were replaced by buses owned by National City Lines.

Cover image for Sacramento's Streetcars, isbn: 9780738531472

San Diego and Arizona Railway

9780738581484

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Surveyors called the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) "The Impossible Railroad" because of its jagged, mountainous, and brutal desert route. The financier and driving force behind building this binational 148-mile rail connection to the east from San Diego, California, was businessman John D. Spreckels. Because of his perseverance, the jinxed 1907-1919 construction overcame a series of disasters, including the Mexican Revolution, a prolonged lawsuit, floods, World War I, labor shortages, a tunnel cave-in, and a lethal pandemic. Once up and running, the line was intermittently in and out of service and later sold and renamed the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway. While "The Impossible Railroad" still faces constant challenges and partial closures, freight and trolley service currently operate on its right-of-way, and tourist excursions are offered at its Campo, California, depot.

San Diego Trolleys

9781467126649

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Starting with the first horse-drawn trolleys introduced by the San Diego Streetcar Company in 1886, San Diego's history included the growth and decline of several trolley systems. After electricity arrived, San Diego was the site of early experimentation for electric trolleys on the West Coast and home to a short-lived cable car system. In the 1890s, sugar baron John D. Spreckels purchased these failed lines and consolidated them into the San Diego Electric Railway. This railway expanded rapidly, leading to the development of new trolley suburbs at the turn of the century, including North Park, Normal Heights, and Mission Beach. Ridership waned with the Depression and the introduction of autobuses, and though it temporarily rose during the war years, this decline led to the dismantling of the trolley system in April 1949.

San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars

9780738559636

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

San Francisco's internationally recognized cable cars are the symbol of the individual character of a great city. The California Street cable car line is one of only three remaining lines in the city. The California Street Railway, or Cal Cable, was developed and opened by Leland Stanford, one of the builders of the transcontinental railroad and later founder of Stanford University. Indeed, the iconic line, intimately connected with some of the West's pioneer businessmen, was sold, expanded, and reached its peak mileage just after 1890, only to be destroyed in the great earthquake and fire of 1906. As resilient as the city it served, Cal Cable was rebuilt and lasted as an independent business longer than any other private San Francisco transit operation. Cut down to its present form in 1954, that remnant and its double-ended cars survive as an integral part of today's cable car system.

San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars

San Francisco's Interurban to San Mateo

9780738530086

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

It's strange to think that an electric commuter rail line rivaling BART in efficiency, speed, and comfort ran over 100 years ago between San Francisco and San Mateo, but run it did. The 40 Line, or San Mateo Interurban, began in 1892 with an initial segment operating between Market and Steuart Streets out to the county limits on San Jose Avenue. Three years later, the line reached Baden in present-day South San Francisco, and by 1903 service was opened all the way to downtown San Mateo. During the line's heyday, there was talk of extending it down the peninsula from San Mateo to Palo Alto to connect with the Peninsular Railway to San Jose. The 1906 earthquake put this plan on hold. Following much the same route as today's Mission Street, El Camino Real, and Caltrain, the San Mateo Interurban carried over four million passengers a year along its main and spur lines until 1949, when the system was shut down amidst much fanfare.

San Francisco's Market Street Railway

9780738529677

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Market Street Railway Company thrived in an age when rails ruled San Francisco. Spanning the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and the boom times of World War II, it had a long and legendary lifetime that is deeply ingrained in the city's early identity. Gradually, however, it became challenged by the emergence of the automobile, cheaper motor coaches, and "nickel jitneys"--competing cars on the same routes. The MSRy painted the fronts of its cars white to show up well in San Francisco's misty weather, and for many years people called them "the White Front cars." Franchise competition and city regulations undid MSRy, and its assets were absorbed into MUNI in 1944. However, the name lives on as the nonprofit Market Street Railway organization, dedicated to preserving the history of this company and also to retrofitting early streetcars from across the globe, putting them back in service on Market Street.

Cover image for San Francisco's Market Street Railway, isbn: 9780738529677

San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

9780738530475

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

San Francisco's cable cars are an internationally recognized symbol of the city, but they also have a long and fractious history. There are actually three cable lines in operation today: the California Street line and the two Powell Street lines-- the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde. The Powell Street lines have been the subject of much controversy through the years, due to a complex lineage of private and public ownership. Cable cars on Powell Street began in 1888, operating under the Ferries and Cliff House Railway Company and utilizing the same basic design pioneered by Andrew Hallidie in 1873. Among the story's twists and turns are the line's actual routes following the 1906 earthquake, which caused heavy damage and forced major repairs. Post-quake, United Railroads was able to replace many of the cable car lines with streetcars, including a part of the Powell Street system. San Francisco at one time had eight separate cable car operators. Gradually most were replaced by streetcars, buses, and trolley buses, given the complexities and expense of cable systems. The Powell lines were taken over by the city in 1944, but the mayor tried to abandon them in 1947. The public disapproved of this move, and since then the Powell Street line has only grown in stature and its importance to San Francisco.

San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

Santa Fe 1880

9781467141949

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The sleepy frontier capital of Santa Fe transformed abruptly in 1880. The city, already a vibrant mix of cultures, jolted suddenly into the industrial age when it was inundated with hordes of newcomers from the East. The freshly laid tracks of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway provided easy access to the Wild West and changed the city almost overnight. Learn about the daily lives and surprising adventures of its local inhabitants, including Sisters of Charity challenging the establishment, Buffalo Soldiers pursuing an Apache chief across the desert and Billy the Kid's escape from prison. Author Allen R. Steele recounts these events and more from firsthand accounts of that dynamic year.

Scranton Railroads

9780738565187

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The coal industry and the railroad industry both played an important part in the development of Scranton and the railroad cemented its place in history.

Founded as a small iron-making community, Scranton gained prominence as the anthracite capital of the world for the rich deposits of hard coal surrounding the city. Five railroads eventually served Scranton, attracted by the lucrative anthracite trade. The viability of these lines became directly linked to the coal industry, and the decline of this traffic in the 1950s had a devastating impact on the railroad industry in the northeastern United States. Following decades of decline, abandonments, and mergers, an unparalleled resurgence of freight traffic coupled with the development of heritage railroading has transformed Scranton into a destination for tourists and rail historians alike.

Cover image for Scranton Railroads, isbn: 9780738565187

Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway

9780738580197

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Operating for 29 years, the Seattle-Everett Interurban Trolley traveled over 29 miles of rail carrying passengers and freight to nearly 30 stops along its line. In the first decade of the 1900s, the Boston electrical engineering firm of Stone and Webster had designs of building an interurban electric railway system that would eventually connect Olympia, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia. To start the Seattle north link, they purchased the existing Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway Company from Fred E. Sander in 1908. On the early morning of April 30, 1910, the Seattle-Everett Interurban Trolley made its inaugural run, starting in Everett. On February 20, 1939, the trolley left Everett for its last run.

Sierra Railway

9781467115308

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Sierra Railway is one of the most intact steam railroads in the United States. It is operated today by California State Parks to interpret and celebrate the importance of steam railroading in California history. Located in the Gold Rush town of Jamestown, in Tuolumne County, the railway began operations in 1897 and played an important role in developing the economy of Tuolumne and adjoining Calaveras County. While nearly all other steam short-line railroads in the United States were dismantled in the 1950s, the Sierra line has survived in a remarkably complete condition. The railway was a big hit among railfans, who flocked to it as early as the 1930s and in increasing numbers in the 1950s. Now operated as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, the steam operation of the railroad is very much alive.

Cover image for Sierra Railway, isbn: 9781467115308

Sioux City Railroads

9780738552224

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Toward the end of the 19th century, railroads transformed Sioux City from a western outpost to one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the world. Prior to the arrival of the railroads, Sioux City depended on the Missouri River for transportation. The Missouri, however, was not dependable because of flooding and droughts. As an all-season mode of transportation, the railroads permitted the flourishing of the meatpacking industry in Sioux City. In fact, it was the large number of different railroad companies that made Sioux City a major agricultural center rather than just another county seat or market town. Trains carried cattle and hogs to the plants and then carted away the Sioux City-processed products to the nation and to the world.

Slabtown Streetcars

9781467133555

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

No area of Portland, Oregon, played a more important role in street railway history than Northwest Portland and the neighborhood known as Slabtown. In 1872, the city's first streetcars passed close to Slabtown as they headed for a terminus in the North End. Slabtown was also home to the first streetcar manufacturing factory on the West Coast. In fact, until locally built streetcars began to be replaced by trolleys from large national builders in the 1910s, more than half of all rolling stock was manufactured in shops located at opposite ends of Northwest Twenty-third Avenue. All streetcars operating on the west side of the Willamette River, including those used on the seven lines that served Northwest Portland, were stored in Slabtown. When the end finally came in 1950, Slabtown residents were riding two of the last three city lines.

Smoky Mountain Railways

9781467144599

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The history of the Western North Carolina Railroad is a tale like no other, filled with tragedy, heroism, brains, blood, sweat, tears, nitroglycerin and humor.

Now a tourist mecca, the Great Smoky Mountains were a remote and inaccessible place until well after the Civil War. Using first enslaved and later convict labor the Western North Carolina Railroad and Murphy Branch connected the mountains with the remainder of the state by rail for the first time in 1891. The railroad brought commerce and tourism. Though its vital role was eventually eclipsed by the automobile, tourists and rail buffs continue to come to Bryson City to experience travel by steam train on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

Local authors Jacob Morgan Plott and Bob Plott tell the story of a line that refused to die.

Cover image for Smoky Mountain Railways, isbn: 9781467144599

South Dakota Railroads

9780738532943

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The arrival of the railroad in South Dakota is directly responsible for the population boom and town development the state experienced in the early 1900s. Enticed by the promise of opportunity, many immigrants and East Coast residents hopped on the train and headed west, many settling in South Dakota. Railroads opened the doorway and made the West what it has become. Using over 200 images, authors Mike Wiese and Tom Hayes take the reader on a historic tour of the depots, trains, and wrecks that defined South Dakota railroading in the early part of the 20th century. Drawing on their immense collections of images and postcards, they tell a story of railroad development and local history in South Dakota.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys

9780738556925

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

An extensive number of trolley car lines linked the city of Philadelphia to the rich farmland and picturesque towns of southeastern Pennsylvania. These trolley lines traversed miles of narrow streets lined with row houses whose residents were proud working-class Americans. These historic photographs trace the trolley cars' routes, including Route 23, the region's longest urban trolley route, from the expanses of Northwest Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill through the crowded commercial Center City to South Philadelphia with a variety of neighborhood stops at everything in between. Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys follows the history of the trolley cars that have served this diverse and historic region.

Southern Pacific in California

9780738582078

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Southern Pacific Railroad is California's railroad. As the Central Pacific, it bored and blasted its way east from Sacramento, across the towering High Sierra, meeting with the Union Pacific at Promontory, Utah, completing the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and profoundly changing the growing United States. By the early 20th century, the Southern Pacific was a rail colossus, stretching from San Francisco Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Yet the Southern Pacific remained essentially Californian. Its rail lines gave muscle to the lovely California coast, the fertile San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys, and the timber industry of the north coast. Yet for all its might and majesty, for many Californians the Southern Pacific was a smaller, more intimate part of the fabric of their daily lives.

Southern Pacific Railroad in Eastern Texas

9780738579948

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Southern Pacific Railroad and its predecessors served Texas from 1853 to 1996. Stretching from El Paso to the Louisiana border and from the Rio Grande Valley to the Red River, Southern Pacific opened up vast areas of the state to settlement by transporting people, building materials, and livestock. The railroad fueled Texas's economy by moving oil, timber, agricultural commodities, coal, automobiles, petrochemicals, cement, steel, consumer goods, and myriad other products. It hauled the marble that built the state capitol in Austin and the materials to build the massive seawall in Galveston. Southern Pacific also played an important role in developing the ports of Beaumont, Galveston, Houston, and Corpus Christi. This book is a photographic record of Southern Pacific in eastern Texas during the 50-year period following World War II to the 1996 merger with the Union Pacific Railroad.

Southern Pacific Railroad in Eastern Texas

Southern Pacific's Slim Princess

9781467108782

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

For 60 years, the Southern Pacific's Slim Princess served as the lifeline to remote areas of western Nevada and eastern California. In 1880, the financiers of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad organized the Carson & Colorado Railroad to build a narrow-gauge line from the Carson River to the Colorado River, but that dream was never fully realized. In 1900, the Southern Pacific Railroad purchased the 300-mile line, envisioning it as a shortcut from Nevada to Southern California. The northern half of the line was converted to standard gauge in 1905. The section from Mina, Nevada, to Keeler, California, remained an isolated and celebrated part of the Southern Pacific until it succumbed to the scrapper's torch in 1960.

Southern Railway's Historic Spencer Shops

9780738587806

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Southern Railway's Spencer Shops was a vibrant part of the Southeast's transportation network for more than 80 years. Starting in the late 1800s and continuing until its closure in 1979, the shop complex and its accompanying yards, transfer sheds, and stockyards constituted a major force in the economy of North Carolina and Southern states. The trains that the shop prepared were hauling everyday freight--Appalachian lumber, Piedmont textiles, and perishables--or were famous passenger trains like the Crescent, the Peach Queen, and many more. Others were more notable, such as the locomotive in the folk ballad "The Wreck of the Old 97" or President Roosevelt's funeral train in 1945. The Spencer Shops was an industrial power whose prominence today is celebrated in its continued role as the home to the North Carolina Transportation Museum. This book tells the story of how Spencer Shops came to be, its role in transportation, and its continued use today as a North Carolina Historic Site.

Southern Railway's Historic Spencer Shops

St. Louis Gateway Rail

9780738540702

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Though the city of St. Louis is located on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, for the railroads, the St. Louis Gateway extends into Illinois, north and south along both sides of the river. Two factors conspired against St. Louis's aspiration to become the preeminent rail center of the 19th-century American Midwest: there was no bridge across the Mississippi, and Missouri's loyalty to the Union during the Civil War was suspect. Chicago beat out St. Louis to attain the region's top railroad billing. Fast forward to the 1970s, when the Gateway Arch, dedicated in 1968, redefined the St. Louis riverfront and when the St. Louis Union Station closed to rail service. The 1970s was a decade of railroad debuts--Burlington Northern, Illinois Central Gulf, Family Lines--and a decade of railroad demises--Rock Island and Frisco. It signaled the end of a century of rail domination of the American transportation scene.

Staten Island Rapid Transit

9781467123389

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Staten Island's first railroad began in 1860 as a passenger line connecting towns along the island's eastern shore, with ferry service from Vanderbilt's Landing to Manhattan. The Staten Island Rapid Transit was a second line, built in 1885. During the 19th century, major eastern trunk railroads competed for the New York freight market. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was a latecomer but saw opportunity with Staten Island in 1886, buying interest in both railroads. The B&O took control of the island's passenger service and turned it into a thriving commuter railroad with three branches and nearly 40 stations, forever changing transportation in the borough. Reaching Staten Island from Cranford, New Jersey, the B&O built a major freight yard at Arlington and a waterfront terminal at St. George. The railroad's customers ran the gamut from large industries like Procter & Gamble to small one-carload coal dealerships. By 1971, the cash-strapped B&O sold the passenger service to the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), and by 1985, the B&O had left New York for good.

Cover image for Staten Island Rapid Transit, isbn: 9781467123389

Steam Railroads of Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota

9781467102889

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Steam railroading became an integral part of the communities in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota in the late 1800s. The railroad provided hundreds of jobs and the ability to transport both goods and passengers across the Midwest. The Chicago & North Western Railway, the Chicago Great Western Railroad, the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway, the Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific Railroad, and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (called the Milwaukee Road by employees) served five principal gateways, which included Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Omaha, Nebraska; and Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri. Operating steam engines required tremendous manpower, and by the 1920s, some steam passenger trains were replaced by more efficient motor cars, fueled by oil-powered engines. Steam engines could no longer compete with the reduced operating costs, smaller crew requirements, and time savings provided by diesel, which ultimately led to the fall of steam in 1955.

Cover image for Steam Railroads of Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota, isbn: 9781467102889

Street Railways of El Paso

9780738571140

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Spanish explorers traveling north from Mexico in 1581 crossed the Rio Grande at present-day El Paso and called the area El Paso Del Norte, or the pass of the north. Two cities were linked together: Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. In 1881, the railroad brought even more people to El Paso. What had been a sleepy adobe town became a vibrant, bustling city. Public transportation was established with a mule-car system in 1882 and ran for 20 years. The first electric cars were introduced in 1902 and were also very successful, serving all parts of the city and establishing neighborhoods. At the zenith of the system, there were 63 miles of track, 17 routes, and over 100 streetcars. In those days, everyone used the electric cars.

Cover image for Street Railways of El Paso, isbn: 9780738571140

Streetcars of Chatham County

9780738501796

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

On August 25, 1946, Savannah saw the last run of its
streetcars, which were to be replaced by gasoline-powered buses as the city gave way to modernization. For years the residents of Savannah had depended upon streetcars, from horse-drawn to electric, for travel in and around the city. This engaging collection of images explores this period in the history of Chatham County and the integral part that streetcars played in the lives of everyone in the community. When the streetcar system began operation in 1869, residents who were previously unable to afford transportation welcomed the opportunity to travel outside of Savannah for the purposes of residency, employment, recreation, and health. Billed as being beneficial to the population at large, streetcars were an instrumental force in Savannah's development both as a city and as a tourist destination. Discover in Streetcars of Chatham County the prominent citizens behind the companies, the changes that occurred in residential and commercial areas, and the evolution of the streetcar as a means of transportation. Chronicled are the histories of such influential companies as
the Savannah, Skidaway and Seaboard Railroad, and Savannah Electric Company.

Suburban Philadelphia Trolleys

9780738550435

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company prospered through the hard times of the 1930s and was the last privately-owned trolley system in the United States. Aerodynamically designed Bullet cars of the Philadelphia and Western Railway dramatically reduced travel time on the Sixty-ninth Street to
Norristown line. The Presidents' Conference Committee trolley cars of the Philadelphia Transportation Company linked the boroughs of Darby, Colwyn, and Yeadon with Philadelphia. Photographs of Media's 1977 town fair feature vintage trolleys in the only suburban community in the United States with a trolley line ending in its main street. Suburban Philadelphia Trolleys covers the history of the trolleys that served Philadelphia's western suburbs.

Cover image for Suburban Philadelphia Trolleys, isbn: 9780738550435

Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads

9781467116855

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads tells the story of the two railroads that fought for dominance in Summit County, Colorado, during the late 1800s and early 1900s: the Denver, South Park & Pacific and the Denver & Rio Grande. The two railroads developed an intense rivalry as they sought to monopolize the county's economic potential. Altitude, heavy winter snow, and rugged mountainous terrain combined to provide a unique set of challenges to company management as well as to the crews as they battled to lay the tracks and provide much-needed rail service to the residents and businesses of the county. Intimately tied to the mining economy, the fortunes of the railroads plummeted when the mining economy collapsed. Although poorly financed and poorly built, the railroads changed the living conditions for county residents. Without the railroads bringing the necessary equipment and lumber, nine huge gold-dredging boats would not have scoured the county's major waterways between 1898 and 1942.

Cover image for Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads, isbn: 9781467116855

Sumpter Valley Logging Railroads

9780738575421

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1889, David Eccles chartered the Oregon Lumber Company, an organization that produced many mills and railways and whose influence was felt from Salt Lake City to Northern California and Idaho. Through family connections, Eccles was also involved with many other logging enterprises, and he influenced the growth of the Inter-Mountain region as well as the Pacific Northwest. Sumpter Valley Logging Railroads is a pictorial history of the Oregon operations, focusing on the operations along the Sumpter Valley Railway. It explores the rails, mills, and people, as well as the logging practices of a bygone era.

Cover image for Sumpter Valley Logging Railroads, isbn: 9780738575421

Sunnyside Yard and Hell Gate Bridge

9781467124195

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Sunnyside Yard was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad as part of its massive New York Extension, the centerpiece of which was Pennsylvania Station in the heart of Manhattan.

Opened in 1910, it is still the world's largest railroad passenger car storage yard. At the height of its operation in the 1930s, there were 79 tracks, with a capacity for 1,100 cars. Hell Gate Bridge was a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New Haven Railroad to construct a direct rail route for trains between New York City and the New England states. The main span is 1,017 feet between the towers, and it rises more than 300 feet from the East River to the top of the towers.

Cover image for Sunnyside Yard and Hell Gate Bridge, isbn: 9781467124195

Tacoma Rail

9781467130066

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Come along for the journey that is today's Tacoma Rail, from its humble beginning as a rickety trolley line to the economic engine that helps power the Port of Tacoma and surrounding communities. Once called the Step Child Utility, today, Tacoma Rail moves more than 82,000 rail shipments on 204 miles of track annually and contributes more than $1.6 million in tax revenues to the city of Tacoma.

Cover image for Tacoma Rail, isbn: 9781467130066

Tennessee Central Railway

9781467108799

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

For over 60 years, the Tennessee Central Railway spanned 296 miles, linking western Kentucky with middle and east Tennessee. Visionary businessman Jere Baxter consolidated several railroads over the course of five years. By 1904, his new railway was serving numerous coal mines on its eastern end. The colorful regional road was loved and revered by citizens in the cities it served. The scrappy homespun railroad would spend most of its existence fighting for survival as it faced aggressive competition from other railroads and fended off bankruptcy on several occasions.

The Ann Arbor Railroad

9780738534299

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

With a mainline that originated in the industrial port city of Toledo, Ohio, the Ann Arbor Railroad stretched northwest in a diagonal line across the length of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan to reach Frankfort and adjacent Elberta, where its
tracks terminated on the shore of Lake Michigan. From its Elberta facility, the Ann Arbor blended trains and Great Lakes carferries to operate a unique transportation system that survived for nearly a century. This book documents the Ann Arbor Railroad's legacy through rare photographs and historical research, and carries the reader on a visual journey through this influential railroad's storied past.

Cover image for The Ann Arbor Railroad, isbn: 9780738534299

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Maryland

9781467121422

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Incorporated in 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was one of America's first railroads, and Maryland was its heart and soul.

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s (B&O) creation was a tangible symbol of the Industrial Revolution, representing commerce and progress to towns along its route. Its headquarters and operations, centered in Baltimore, provided years of economic growth for the port city. This book contains images of well-known stations in Maryland, including Ellicott City Station, Gaithersburg Station, Camden Station, and the Mount Clare Shops—a self-contained industrial city, now home to the B&O Railroad Museum. Some stations still exist and are home to small museums or restaurants; others no longer stand, but images of them will remind even the casual historian of a time when railroads were a part of everyday life in America.

Take a step back in time and revisit the sites, stations, and trains of the B&Othat were once part of everyday life in Maryland and remember the glory of a bygone era.

Cover image for The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Maryland, isbn: 9781467121422

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Pittsburgh Division

9781467123761

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Pittsburgh Division had its earliest beginnings in 1837, but what would be known as the main line was not completed until 1871. At its height, the Pittsburgh Division consisted of five distinct main lines and 14 branch lines, and the division had trackage rights over the Western Maryland and Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroads. Images of Modern America: The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Pittsburgh Division looks at five of these lines: the B&O Main Line from Cumberland to Pittsburgh; the Pittsburgh and Western; the Somerset and Cambria; the Fairmont, Morgantown and Pittsburgh; and the Wheeling, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Cover image for The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Pittsburgh Division, isbn: 9781467123761

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in West Virginia

9780738552835

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1827, a group of Baltimore capitalists feared their city would be left out of the lucrative East Coast-to-Midwest trade that other eastern cities were developing; thus, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered. Political pressure kept the B&O out of Pennsylvania at first, and so track crews
headed for what is now West Virginia, building mountainous routes with torturous grades to Wheeling and Parkersburg. Eventually the B&O financed and acquired a spiderweb of branch lines that covered much of the northern and central parts of the Mountain State. This book takes a close look at the line's locomotives, passenger and freight trains,
structures, and, most importantly, its people who endeared their company to generations of travelers, shippers, and small Appalachian communities.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in West Virginia

The Blue Ridge Tunnel

9781626194212

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Told through the eyes of three Irish immigrant families who helped build it, discover the groundbreaking story of the construction of the Blue Ridge Tunnel.

In one of the greatest engineering feats of his time, Claudius Crozet led the completion of Virginia's Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1858. Two centuries later, the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark still proudly stands, but the stories and lives of those who built it are the true lasting triumph. Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Hunger poured into America resolute for something to call their own. They would persevere through life in overcrowded shanties and years of blasting through rock to see the tunnel to completion. Prolific author Mary E. Lyons follows three Irish families in their struggle to build Crozet's famed tunnel and their American dream.

Cover image for The Blue Ridge Tunnel, isbn: 9781626194212

The Burlington Railroad

9781467112970

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Alliance has been a railroad center ever since the Burlington Railroad established the city in 1888 while pushing tracks into the vast, open regions of Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. As a hub for trains carrying a variety of agricultural and mining products to market, Alliance became headquarters in 1902 for the large and geographically diverse area of Burlington train operations called the Alliance Division. For 86 years, the Alliance Division controlled much of the region's rail traffic. Despite the loss of its division point status in 1988, Alliance continues to have its fortunes closely tied to the railroad, now known as the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe. Today, the BNSF funnels large numbers of coal trains through the city while transporting Power River Basin coal to power plants across the nation.

Cover image for The Burlington Railroad, isbn: 9781467112970

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

9780738543345

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In the late 1860s, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) pushed its first tracks westward from Virginia's Tidewater region across the mountains into what was then the new state of West Virginia. Ultimately its tracks stretched across a half-dozen states and even into Canada. Appalachian coal was the C&O's primary cargo, but its fast freights carried shipments of all kinds, and its crack passenger trains were marvels of their day. In 1963, the C&O merged with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the first of what would become a wave of railroad mergers. Today the old C&O is part of giant CSX Transportation. Images of Rail: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway gathers 200 photographs that chronicle the C&O story. Here is a fond look back at its mammoth steam locomotives and the diesels that replaced them, its bustling passenger stations, and much more, including the legendary John Henry, who beat that steam drill, and Chessie, the sleeping kitten that was the C&O's much-loved trademark.

Cover image for The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, isbn: 9780738543345

The Cheyenne Depot

9781467105316

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Twenty years after Cheyenne was founded by Union Pacific, the city had outgrown its three-room board-and-batten depot and began to lobby for a new, grander building that better represented the lustrous community.

Union Pacific agreed, and in 1886, construction began on the lavish three-story passenger depot and headquarters for the division.The Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot, designated a national historic landmark in 2006, endures proudly as a symbol of the Magic City and the lasting partnership between the city and the railroad that build it.It continues to serve as Cheyenne’s gathering place, a center of activism, and an enduring symbol of the city itself.While the state capitol just down the street stands as a symbol for the state of Wyoming, the Union Pacific Depot belongs to Cheyenne alone.

Cover image for The Cheyenne Depot, isbn: 9781467105316

The Cincinnati Subway, History of Rapid Transit

9780738523149

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

While Cincinnati intended their new subway, started in 1920, to be a shining jewel for public transportation, the story of its origin and ultimate failure show the history of the Queen City.

Cincinnati emerged from a tumultuous 19th century as a growing metropolis committed to city planning. The most ambitious plan of the early twentieth century, the Cincinnati Subway, was doomed to failure. Construction began in 1920 and ended in 1927 when the money had run out. Today, two miles of empty subway tunnels still lie beneath Cincinnati, waiting to be used. The Cincinnati Subway tells the whole story, from the turbulent times in the 1880s to the ultimate failure of ""Cincinnati's White Elephant."" Along the way, the reader will learn about what was happening in Cincinnati during the growth of the subway-from the Courthouse Riots in 1884 to life in the Queen City during World War II.

Cover image for The Cincinnati Subway, History of Rapid Transit, isbn: 9780738523149

The Economic History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

9780738594576

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

It has been the intention of the writer to present a brief history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from its inception in 1826 until its completion to Wheeling in January, 1853. The monograph has been designed as a study in the economics of transportation, and stress has been laid upon the influence of the railroad in the development of the industryand commerce of the city of Baltimore, and of the agricultural, mineral and manufacturing resources of the state of Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio having been the first great through-route railroad projected in America, has naturally an important place in the regard of the student of transportation. The beginnings of some of the present difficult railroad problems appear in the history of this road, and these have not only been treated incidentally as they appeared in connection with the legislative, financial and mechanical history of the railroad, but have been summarized in the final chapter.

The Economic History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

9780738550572

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In 1884, the Joliet, Aurora and Northern Railroad was formed to connect the growing industrial cities of Joliet and Aurora. This system evolved into the
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway. By 1893, it encircled Chicago from Waukegan, via Joliet, to Porter, Indiana. The railroad developed into a prosperous subsidiary of U.S. Steel at the beginning of the 20th century. It primarily served the steel
mills and facilities of its parent company and as a bridge route between the many Chicago railroads it crossed. It has also been an industry innovator. It was one of the first Class 1 railroads to completely convert to diesel locomotive power in 1949 and the first in the world to install an automatic, electrically operated car retarder yard in 1952. Today it is the same prosperous railroad it was over 120 years ago, serving the rail transportation needs of its online customers and as an even more important bridge route for the region's railroads.

The Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass

9781467125192

$29.99 $22.49 Save 25%

Montana's Marias Pass is the lowest rail crossing through the Rocky Mountains. The tracks snake through narrow canyons, traverse the swift Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and twist through numerous snowsheds and tunnels to crest the 5,213-foot Continental Divide. James Jerome Hill was the driving force behind Great Northern Railway's mission to find the most economical route to the Pacific coast, with surveyor John F. Stevens taking a major role in locating the pass. Browning is the eastern gateway into Marias Pass as the railroad approaches the Rocky Mountain Front; continuing west from Summit, the tracks parallel Bear Creek and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River downgrade through Essex to Glacier National Park and into the Flathead Valley.

The Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass

9781467126786

$7.99 $5.99 Save 25%

Montana's Marias Pass is the lowest rail crossing through the Rocky Mountains. The tracks snake through narrow canyons, traverse the swift Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and twist through numerous snowsheds and tunnels to crest the 5,213-foot Continental Divide. James Jerome Hill was the driving force behind Great Northern Railway's mission to find the most economical route to the Pacific coast, with surveyor John F. Stevens taking a major role in locating the pass. Browning is the eastern gateway into Marias Pass as the railroad approaches the Rocky Mountain Front; continuing west from Summit, the tracks parallel Bear Creek and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River downgrade through Essex to Glacier National Park and into the Flathead Valley.

Cover image for The Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass, isbn: 9781467126786

The Inclines of Cincinnati

9780738561301

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

On a summer evening, the overlook at the Rookwood Pottery in Mount Adams will be visited by at least a few, as it is one of the most romantic and fascinating hilltop vantage points in Cincinnati. One hundred years ago, though, this was the place to see and be seen. The fashionable Highland House, a world-class entertainment complex, put Cincinnati on the cultural map, and the city became known as the Paris of America. Every weekend, crowds of thousands of hardworking Cincinnatians watched their worries disappear as the streets grew smaller, the city came into focus, and they were lifted on the Mount Adams Incline toward the Highland House and the promise of a cool drink, a good meal, and a night of dancing under the stars. At one time, five of these hillside railroads carried Cincinnati citizens and tourists alike to the peaks of Mount Adams, Mount Auburn, Clifton, and Price Hill. When were the inclines built? Why did they disappear? And why were none of them saved? The Inclines of Cincinnati examines these questions through historic images, some never before published, of the inclines and their hilltop resorts.

Cover image for The Inclines of Cincinnati, isbn: 9780738561301

The Key System

9780738547220

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

It is difficult now to imagine San Francisco Bay without bridges, but not too long ago, a complex system of ferries and trains helped span the waters in an elegant way. The Key System was a huge portion of this network; it was part of businessman "Borax" Smith's method to attract San Francisco workers to live in the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Piedmont, where he dealt in real estate. The Southern Pacific Railroad was the Key System's fierce competitor, then later an ally, before it was vanquished. Thousands of commuters rode the system for years, until a ridership decline eventually doomed the Key when bridges finally crisscrossed the bay.

The Lackawanna Railroad in Northeastern Pennsylvania

9781467121682

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, better known as the Lackawanna Railroad, was organized in 1851 and thrived on the anthracite coal traffic originating from the area surrounding Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The company came to operate a network of track between Hoboken, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York, before becoming part of the Erie Lackawanna Railway in 1960. During the first decade of the 1900s, the railroad underwent a substantial modernization and improvement project, which was documented extensively by company-hired photographers. A century later, these images provide a fascinating insight into the everyday workings of a railroad and its interaction with the communities along its route. Nearly all of the railroad territory covered by this book remains in operation today.

Cover image for The Lackawanna Railroad in Northeastern Pennsylvania, isbn: 9781467121682

The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey

9780738565767

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Constructed as the Easton and Amboy Railroad, opened by 1875, the Lehigh Valley Railroad was instrumental in developing commerce and communities of central New Jersey.

Thout it no longer runs, it was originally built to haul unending trains of black diamonds from Pennsylvania to Perth Amboy, the Lehigh Valley Railroad became so much more than a conduit for shipping coal. In building across the state, it became instrumental in not only hauling produce to New York City markets but also for providing service to companies like Johns-Manville and Lionel Trains. From Phillipsburg to Jersey City and all points in between, the Lehigh Valley Railroad hauled freight and passengers, while at the same time contributing to the social fabric of the area. The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey paints a picture of a railroad that provided over 100 years of quality service to the Garden State.

Cover image for The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey, isbn: 9780738565767

The Ligonier Valley Rail Road

9781467120814

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

To provide his sons with an opportunity to create a new business, Judge Thomas Mellon agreed in August 1877 to invest in a short line railroad that would connect Ligonier to the Pennsylvania Railroad in Latrobe. Four months later, the Ligonier Valley Rail Road (LVRR), a 10.6-mile-long line, was completed and began transporting passengers and freight between Ligonier and Latrobe. The viable transportation the LVRR provided to Pittsburgh markets immediately spurred lumber and quarry industries in Ligonier Valley and later coal mining and coke production. Also, to increase ridership, Judge Mellon built Idlewild Park on 350 acres near Ligonier in 1878. By its end in 1952, the LVRR had hauled more than 30 million tons of freight out of the valley. Equally impressive, because of the popularity of Idlewild Park and the growing tourism in Ligonier Valley, nine million passengers rode LVRR's rails over its 75 years of operation. Mellon's short line railroad stimulated an economic boom in Ligonier Valley and propelled it into the 20th century.

The Milwaukee Connection

9781467128803

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In the late 1890s, the Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, and Great Northern Railways had a firm grip on all West Coast rail traffic. In 1905, Milwaukee Road officials voted to extend the line into Seattle, securing Pacific Coast markets. As the Milwaukee built into Montana, numerous obstacles emerged; frigid winter temperatures and steep mountain grades challenged steam-powered operations. In the early 1910s, electric locomotives became a viable alternative for steam engines in long-haul rail service; at the same time, waterpower for generating electricity was developing in the Northwest. The mines and smelters of Butte and Anaconda supplied the resources needed to electrify 440 miles of track in Montana and Idaho. The longevity of the Milwaukee Road electrification into the 1970s highlights the determination of faithful employees on what was known as America's Resourceful Railroad.

The Monon Railroad in Southern Indiana

9780738552378

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In the spring of 1847, James Brooks met with six associates in Providence to forever change the face of transportation in Indiana. The New Albany and Salem Rail Road Company was born as a result of this historic meeting.

Today this railroad, most often called the Monon, is only a memory of a time when trains streaked across the hills and farmland of southern Indiana. The Monon Railroad in Southern Indiana examines the real purpose of railroads as movers of people and the products they devoted their lives to producing and focuses on areas from New Albany to Bloomington. It identifies the only two counties in Indiana that were a part of the Salem limestone district and gives a glimpse of how the stone was removed from the earth and eventually formed into some of the nation's most beloved buildings and structures. It also takes a look at the history of several lumber-based industries and the famed products that they manufactured. New Albany was once known across America as a key producer of hardwood plywood, used in custom cabinetry, and the Showers Brothers Furniture Company of Bloomington was once the largest manufacturer of furniture in America. This book talks about the industries that created the cities and towns that many Hoosiers called home.

The North Shore Line

9781467108966

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago's famous Loop "L" that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America's fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

The Ohio Railroad Guide

9780738594736

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Little Miami Rail Road did not exist twelve years since—nor any other railway in the Valley of the Ohio—but now it is here, to take you on your journey with all the speed, comfort and convenience of any such road, in any country; and there are three thousand miles of railway in this valley! Year after year hundreds of miles are added to the number, and where it once took weeks to accomplish a journey, it now takes only hours! What a revolution! But the revolution is not in the gain of time only, nor even money. The great change is in society. Thousands meet now where tens could meet twenty years since. Look through these cars, and you see around, men, women and children going to see friends, or transact business, or seeking pleasure, where they would not have dreamed of going a few years since. Some are going only to the next town; some to the Lakes; some to the Atlantic; some to Europe; —and some, perhaps, will wander through old Jerusalem, or by the banks of Jordan, before they will again return. The Railroad and the Steamboat have made man almost ubiquitous on this little earth, and his fondness for novelty and change is gratified beyond the dreams of fancy. Where will this stop? No where, till this earth is inhabited by one family, dwelling together in peace and unity.

Cover image for The Ohio Railroad Guide, isbn: 9780738594736

The Ontario and Western Railway Northern Division

9780738511757

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The New York & Oswego Midland Railroad-reorganized in 1879 as the New York, Ontario & Western Railway-was born out of necessity and a desire to populate and industrialize the interior regions of New York State. The railroad meandered down from Oswego, traversed the north shore of Oneida Lake, and then took a southerly route through Oneida and Norwich before turning east for a mountainous crossing to gain the village of Sidney. The railroad was not a success in its time. The New York, Ontario & Western brought a degree of financial stability to the northern division, and the line functioned through the late 1950s.

The Ontario & Western Railway Northern Division features photographs of the Ontario & Western, a railroad long on scenery but short on freight. The Ontario & Western inherited a railroad in search of revenue and a circuitous route that passed through one small community after another. Small wooden country depots dotted the line, locomotives of meager proportions pulled the trains, and dedicated employees did their best to keep the railroad solvent. The railroad is still fondly remembered today by those who rode its cars and witnessed its passing trains.

Cover image for The Ontario and Western Railway Northern Division, isbn: 9780738511757

The Oregonian Railway

9781467130318

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

To those with an interest in railroad history in the United States, mention of the words narrow gauge may bring to mind the extensive three-foot-gauge railroads of Colorado and Utah or perhaps the famous two-foot-gauge lines in Maine. However, few would think first of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Nonetheless, between 1877 and 1893, an extensive narrow-gauge railroad developed in Oregon— one that had aspirations of crossing the Cascade Mountains and connecting with the Central Pacific Railroad, thus giving Oregon its first access to the transcontinental railroad system. It is this railroad system, from its inception in 1877 to the present day, that Ed Austin explores herein.

Cover image for The Oregonian Railway, isbn: 9781467130318

The Rahway Valley Railroad

9780738510088

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Many residents of Union and Essex Counties in New Jersey fondly recall the whistles of the Rahway Valley Railroad trains that rolled through the picturesque stations of Roselle Park, Kenilworth, Union, Springfield, and Summit. The Rahway's steam and diesel locomotives supported local commerce, provided passenger service, and carried a vast array of goods to and from local businesses. It connected the area with larger railroads, such as the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Lehigh Valley, and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. One of the shortest yet most prosperous of American railroads, the Rahway Valley helped transform a rural region into one of New Jersey's most vital and populous areas. The Rahway Valley Railroad presents the story of this colorful short line with rare, vintage photographs of locomotives, passengers, stations, and train crews. It recounts how the Rahway Valley evolved from the New York and New Orange Railroad, linking Union County towns with Newark Heights (Maplewood), in adjoining Essex County. Images in this book include passengers riding Rahway Valley trains to picnics, church outings, and Springfield's world-famous Baltusrol Golf Club. Readers will learn how this feisty little line competed successfully for many years against the trucking industry and the interstate highway system during a time when many small railroads were dying out. The Rahway Valley Railroad tells the distinctively American story of a proud short line that competed with forces larger than itself and faithfully served the local merchants and residents who now remember it so fondly.

The Railroad at Pocatello

9780738576176

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Pocatello was founded as a station on the narrow-gauge Utah and Northern Railway in 1878, and it has been a railroad town ever since. Passenger and freight trains arrived and departed in all four directions of the compass, 24 hours a day. The Union Pacific also built extensive shops at Pocatello, where railroad equipment was serviced, maintained, and repaired. In addition, refrigerator cars were iced from a large icehouse, and railroad ties were treated with preservative at a tie plant. The advent of the automobile, improved roads, new technologies, and the introduction of the diesel-electric locomotives all combined to change the railroad industry, affecting Pocatello in many ways. Passenger trains were discontinued, the steam-locomotive-servicing facilities were closed, and shop buildings were torn down. However, the railroad in Pocatello remains a vital part of the local scene today, with freight trains continuing to run through the city day and night.

The Rise and Fall of Pennsylvania Station

9781467105347

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The construction of Pennsylvania Station (1904-1910) was a monumental undertaking equally for the voluminous earth displaced, incredible innovation, and brilliant French-influenced classical architecture, but it also was a quintessential archetype of the Gilded Age. The station reshaped the economic and social fabric of New York by dislodging scores of families and local businesses. It had been built for prestige and grandeur rather than sustainability and prolonged the rivalry with the New York Central and Hudson River Railroads, leading to the creation of Grand Central Terminal. Although the station was successful for increasing passenger journeys, the rise of independent travel after World War II and mounting financial losses culminated with its unfortunate demise and eventual destruction. Nevertheless, through the misfortune of demolition emerged the first historic preservation laws, which have saved countless historic buildings, including its Park Avenue rival.

The Rise and Fall of Pennsylvania Station

The Southern Railway: Further Recollections

9780738518312

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Following on the heels of Images of Rail: The Southern Railway, this volume takes a more detailed look at a historic railroad that has served the South for over 100 years and continues to serve as the Norfolk Southern Railway. Included in these pages are stories of bravery in war and
ingenuity in peace. From 1942 to 1945, the 727th Railway Operating Battalion'sponsored by the Southern Railway'served in North Africa and up the spine of Italy into Germany. The courageous unit received a citation from Gen. George S. Patton for its involvement in the Sicily Campaign.

Cover image for The Southern Railway: Further Recollections, isbn: 9780738518312

The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway

9781467108010

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

The Toledo, Peoria & Western (TP&W) Railway has made a big impact on Illinois and railroading for over 150 years.

Originally chartered in 1849 as the Peoria & Oquawka, the TP&W provided an important bypass for trains to avoid the often congested rail network in Chicago. Train wrecks on the TP&W over the years resulted in improved and safer technology that is still in use today nationally. Conflicts between the railroad’s management and employees led to the creation and development of national railroad labor unions. On a local level, the TP&W served many local businesses and made an effort to establish positive relationships with communities that it passed through. At one time, Toledo, Peoria & Western was a name known in virtually every household in the area. The TP&W is still operating today and serves many businesses along its route, including grain elevators and factories, and interchanges freight cars with other railroads in the area for transportation around the country.

Author Thomas Dyrek is president of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Historical Society. Photographs and information from his collection as well as several other TP&W fans and historians have been assembled to tell the story of this unique railroad company.

The Upper Merrimack Valley to Winnipesaukee By Rail

9780738564784

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Railroads have played an integral part in shaping the identity of America, from carrying loads for industrial pursuits to connecting urban dwellers to recreational escapes in the countryside. In this volume, you will travel on the rail line that links New Hampshire's upper Merrimack Valley to the Lake Winnipesaukee region. From your window seat, you will watch beautiful, late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century landscapes unfold. You will experience the diverse personalities of several whistle-stops along the way, and will visit picturesque riverside towns, such as Concord, Penacook, Boscawen, and Franklin on the Merrimack River; places on up the Pemigewasset River, like Bristol, Ashland, and Plymouth; and towns such as Tilton, Belmont, and Laconia on the Winnipesaukee River.

The Upper Merrimack Valley to Winnipesaukee By Rail

The Virginia Blue Ridge Railroad

9781467118934

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In 1849, Virginia began a bold railroad expansion toward the Ohio River and its lucrative trade connections. The project's plan covered 423 miles and called for piercing two mountain chains with three railroads. The Blue Ridge Railroad was the shortest of these but crossed the most mountainous terrain. At times, hired slaves, who prepared the tracks, and Irish immigrants, who blasted the tunnels, faced challenges that seemed almost insurmountable. Many were killed by explosions and falling rock. Those deaths often resulted in labor strikes. The unrest slowed progress and haunted chief engineer Claudius Crozet for seven years. In this first full-length history of the Blue Ridge Railroad, award-winning author Mary E. Lyons uses a wealth of historical documents to describe construction on what Crozet called dangerous ground.

Cover image for The Virginia Blue Ridge Railroad, isbn: 9781467118934

The Virginia Creeper in Ashe County

9780738588148

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

West Jefferson did not exist until local entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to run the tracks from Whitetop Mountain in Virginia to North Carolina. In 1914, the Virginia Carolina Railroad came to Ashe County. Virgin timber grew in the mountains, luring the Hassenger Lumber Company into the area. Small sawmills and lumbering operations were located "up every holler," so the tracks were expanded into Elkland, known today as Todd. Until 1933, the train ran daily into the county, and communities such as Nella, Tuckerdale, Camrose, Bowie, Lansing, Warrensville, Berlin, and West Jefferson grew up along the tracks. The timber was gone by 1929, and when the Great Depression came, the Norfolk and Western Abingdon Line made the slow grinding haul up the mountain every week. During the 1950s and 1960s, the spectacular fall leaf displays made excursion trains popular for tourists. The last train ran in 1977, and the tracks in Ashe County were removed, leaving only a few vestiges to show the train was ever here.

The Virginian Railway

9780738552743

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Virginian Railway existed as a separate entity for only a half century, but that period of American history witnessed two world wars and the emergence of the United States as a global superpower. Henry Huddleston Rogers, who marshaled the development of the U.S. oil industry through his leadership of Standard Oil, invested $30 million of his personal wealth into the making of the Virginian. He speculated that south-central West Virginia coal would fuel America's Industrial Revolution. Although Rogers died before his railroading dream could realize its full potential, the Virginian Railway
continued on from 1909 until its merger in 1959 with the Norfolk and Western Railway (now Norfolk Southern). During that time, the Virginian grew to a point that it was originating from 1,200 to 1,500
hundred-ton carloads of coal per day and serving 60 active coal mines. It earned a reputation for power, service, and efficiency that placed it among the great railroads of America.

The Western Maryland Railway

9781467134583

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Take a nonstop journey through 131 years of the Western Maryland Railway's history in this photographic tale.

The Western Maryland Railway was never a large Class 1 rail carrier, but during its 131 colorful years of existence, it provided extremely fast, efficient, and reliable freight; coal-hauling; and passenger service in the states it served. This book contains images from the history of this remarkable railroad and also provides the reader the opportunity to see how the legacy of the Western Maryland Railway is being maintained and remembered even today at some of its well-known train stations, such as in Cumberland and Union Bridge, Maryland, now home to the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society (WMRHS). The Western Maryland is now gone, but through the wonderful images captured and preserved by the WMRHS and private archival photograph collections, the dream of the railway will live on.

The Wilmington, Brunswick & Southern Railroad

9781467150378

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

At the turn of the twentieth century, railroads meant progress, growth and development.

In the 1890s Southport, North Carolina became the target destination for a major coaling terminal for ships sailing the Atlantic coast. A new terminal would require a railroad to bring in coal and other supplies. More than twenty companies were formed to pursue this idea over the years, with a few actual accomplishments, but most were purely speculative. Wearying the expectant town for more than twenty-five years, the vision for a great port was whittled down until local entrepreneurs finally built a 30-mile rail line to connect the town to Wilmington.

Local author and railroad historian Mark Koenig chronicles the short life of a short line and the long process of making it a reality.

The Wilmington, Brunswick & Southern Railroad

Toledo Railroads

9780738533919

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The advent of the railroad--a major mode of transportation and an important link to industry--forged the interworkings of a nation, and especially the City of Toledo due to its location on the harbor. In 1850, rail companies began moving in, and Toledo soon became a central connecting point for railroads, bridging the gap between cities like Chicago and Cleveland and Detroit and Cincinnati, making coal available to cities everywhere. Just after the turn of the 20th century, there were 20 different railroads servicing Toledo with four different main stations, providing employment for the town and shaping its commerce and architecture. Today, many of the railroads have been lost to evolution of the city and mergers of the railroad. This book preserves their history through vintage images of trains, rail yards, stations, roundhouses, towers, bridges, and special trains.

Toledo Trolleys

9780738541044

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Toledo interurbans last ran in December 1949. The interurbans were a great loss to a city that was a major transportation hub in its own right. They would be replaced by buses, but nothing could replace the feeling of riding a trolley to work or taking the family to a movie by trolley. Today there is very little that remains of the interurban lines. Sometimes the old rails are visible when street repairs are being made. Toledo Trolleys was written to preserve the rich history of the trolleys that served citizens faithfully for many years.

Tooele Valley Railroad

9781467130264

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Shortly after the International Smelter offered economic salvation to Tooele's struggling desert community, the Tooele Valley Railroad became the town artery. Though originally built in 1908 to connect the smelter to the Union Pacific and Western Pacific lines west of town, the railroad became central to daily life. Hundreds of local workers rode it to and from work each day. As technology continued to change Tooele, the Tooele Valley Railroad shared Vine Street with the first automobiles--safety precautions required that the caboose, with a horn mounted to warn motorists, lead the oncoming train. However, the smelter's decades of prosperity proved short-lived, and by the 1930s, the town had fallen on difficult times once again. The railroad outlived the smelter, but operations ceased in the early 1980s, and the city had the abandoned tracks removed.

Toronto's Railway Heritage

9780738565705

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

On May 16, 1853, the first passenger train steamed out of Toronto from a wooden depot that was located near the site of today's Union Station. Over the next century, the railways had a profound impact on the geography and economic fortunes of Toronto and helped transform it from a provincial town into the commercial centre of Canada. To the dismay of many, the railways also swallowed up prime real estate on Toronto's waterfront and isolated its citizens from Lake Ontario, the city's most scenic asset. The struggle between the promoters of unfettered railway development and crusaders for public access to the waterfront culminated during the 1920s with the building of the waterfront railway viaduct and Union Station. This magnificent Beaux-Arts railway terminal is the busiest transportation hub in Canada and is undergoing a $1.5 billion revitalization. Inside this book are over 200 rare images illustrating 80 years of Toronto's railway history.

Treasure Valley's Electric Railway

9780738596334

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Idaho's Treasure Valley, named for the gold and silver once mined in the area, encompasses Ada and Canyon Counties in the southwest corner of the state. Boise City was founded in 1863 when the US Army built a fort at the crossroads of the Oregon Trail and the road to the Boise Basin gold mines. Boise soon became the major distribution center for supplies and fresh food for miners. By 1890, with the development of agriculture and the expansion of the railroad, towns stretched west along the Boise River to the Oregon border. A boom in the early 20th century was due in part to the electric railway, a modern transportation system linking Boise to the communities of Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, Caldwell, and Middleton. The electric railway era lasted from 1891 to 1928 and supported the growth of neighborhoods and communities, inspired the creation of local parks, and provided recreation and entertainment opportunities to rural and urban residents.

Trolleys of the Capital District

9780738562612

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

When it came to first-class transportation, not many regions of North America had more to offer than the trolley lines of New York's Capital District. From their humble beginnings as horse roads forming belts around Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, these trolley lines helped move people around Upstate New York from the late 1800s until their final exit after World War II. The lines of the United Traction Company, Schenectady Railway, and the Hudson Valley Railway provided hundreds of miles of track around their home cities, as well as direct routes to resorts in the Adirondacks, Lake George, and Saratoga Springs. The trolley lines became famous for disasters that made national headlines, labor disputes, and engineering wonders that included the longest trolley bridge in the world. The vintage images in Trolleys of the Capital District provide insight into an era gone by and an often forgotten form of transportation.

Cover image for Trolleys of the Capital District, isbn: 9780738562612

Trolleys Under the Hub

9780738588278

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Trolleys Under the Hub, a fantastic collection of photographs and captions documenting the history of Boston's Green Line, commemorates the 100th anniversary of America's first subway system. Through a remarkable series of over two hundred unique images, authors Frank Cheney and Anthony M. Sammarco document the development of this active and diverse system over the years. In September of 1897, the first trolley emerged from Park Street under the Boston Common. The transportation system that developed from this early foundation connected Boston with its suburbs, providing a convenient mode of travel for commuters in Roxbury, Charlestown, Dorchester, West Roxbury, and Brighton. Through rare--and in some cases unique--images, authors Cheney and Sammarco develop a portrait of this life-changing and city-building force that will surely delight both trolley buffs and modern-day riders of the MBTA.

Ulster County Railroads

9780738575940

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Five railroads once passed through Ulster County, with Kingston being the main hub. These railroads--the Central New England Railway, the West Shore Railroad, the New York, Ontario & Western Railway, the Wallkill Valley Railroad, and the Ulster & Delaware Railroad--provided a means to transport produce and products from New York State's emerging frontier to New York City, some 70 miles south of Ulster County. Ulster County Railroads provides a glimpse into the lives of the people who worked on the railroad and those who depended on it for transport of goods and personal transportation.

Union Station in Denver

9781626199644

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

On June 1, 1881, Denver's Union Station opened as the largest structure west of the Mississippi. The station welcomed people from all walks of life, from pioneers and miners to U.S. presidents and Buffalo Bill Cody—and even royalty from abroad. It served as the center point for transporting cargo to Denver before the rise in popularity of air travel. Due to revitalization efforts, Union Station is the centerpiece of the nation's largest transportation hub and the pride of the city. Author Rhonda Beck explores the history and stories behind one of the Mile High City's most iconic historic landmarks.

Cover image for Union Station in Denver, isbn: 9781626199644

Union Station in Washington, DC

9780738587530

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The history of Union Station is a fascinating story. In 1907, Washington's train station was built as part of the McMillan Plan to create a monumental gateway to the nation's capital. Its construction made space for and shaped the development of the National Mall. The building is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, and today it is the most frequented destination in Washington, with more than 32 million visitors each year. Over the past century, Union Station has evolved into a transportation hub, an upscale shopping mall, and a venue for international exhibits and cultural events. Images of Rail: Union Station in Washington, DC, presents the finest images from a variety of sources to document how the construction of Union Station transformed the nation's capital and expanded rail service along the East Coast.

Virginia & Truckee Railroad

9781467107419

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

The Virginia & Truckee (V&T) was once the richest and most famous short line railroad in America. Created in 1869 to provide transportation for the Comstock Lode, the V&T transported gold and silver ore to the quartz reduction mills. On the return trip, it brought back cordwood for fuel, timbers for mining, lumber for building communities, and all the goods needed by the area's nearly 40,000 inhabitants. The V&T also supported passenger transportation between Virginia City, Gold Hill, Carson City, and Reno. At its peak, this "bonanza railroad" ran 50 trains per day and paid stockholders more than $130,000 in monthly dividends. Over the next 80 years, operations dwindled to a trickle, and the last train ran in May 1950. Today, the V&T is immortalized in motion pictures, its locomotives and cars are exhibited in museums, and 14 miles of the V&T have been returned to operation.

Virginia Rail Trails

9781626196537

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Take a tour of Virginia's scenic rail trails with author Joe Tennis as he explores restored train stations, discovers a railroad's lost island graveyard and crosses the commonwealth on its idyllic paths.

These classic rail lines of Virgina that were once only accessible to train engineers or a few lucky passengers can now be enjoyed by anyone looking for a scenic hike or bike ride. The trails highlight the natural beauty of Old Dominion, from the sunrise side of the Eastern Shore to the setting sun at the Cumberland gap, and each trail, with names like the Virginia Creeper and the Dick & Willie, has a personality and grandeur all its own.

Cover image for Virginia Rail Trails, isbn: 9781626196537

Washington & Old Dominion Railroad

9780738597928

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Discover the contribution and history of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad through pictures from the earliest days of building and development.

The Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad laid track from Alexandria through Fairfax County and into Loudoun County towards the coalfields of West Virginia. In 1900, the Southern Railway, which had taken over the line, extended the railroad into Bluemont on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Washington & Old Dominion Railway leased the Southern Railway's line in 1912, went into receivership in 1932, and was reorganized into the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad in 1935. The employees excavated the roadbed by hand, built stations and electric locomotives, reconfigured passenger cars, replaced diesel motors, and rebuilt bridges. Eventually, public roads and a lack of shipping and receiving industries forced the railroad into abandonment. Through old photographs, Washington & Old Dominion Railroad explores the efforts that went into building, operating, and maintaining the railroad whose right-of-way has now become the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park.

Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Revisited

9781467116381

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Explore the geography of Rosslyn, Great Falls, Leesburg and Purcelville along the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad.

Washington & Old Dominion Railroad covered the railroad's corporate history, construction, and operation. The images within offer a look at the railroad's feed and grain business, railfan-type views of equipment and a visual record of methods used to maintain the right-of-way and place equipment back on the tracks. Additionally, this work offers a history of the conversion of the right-of-way into thevery popular Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park.

Learn about the history of mills and their place in the local economy. See how the Burro crane was a jack of all trades. Look under the hood and inside the cab to imagine what it was like to be an engineer on one of the railroad's Baldwin-Westinghouse electric freight locomotives.

Cover image for Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Revisited, isbn: 9781467116381

Waterbury Trolleys

9780738538112

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Waterbury Trolleys traces the growth and expansion of the streetcar system throughout the Naugatuck Valley. This system became part of the Connecticut Company's extensive streetcar network, spanning 1,138 miles statewide at its peak in 1918. As automobiles became a primary mode of transportation, the streetcar lines in Waterbury transitioned to bus routes. By 1937, streetcars were officially replaced by buses. This wonderful collection of vintage photographs documents the network of streetcars that once thrived in Waterbury.

Western & Atlantic Railroad

9781467103398

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The State of Georgia chartered the Western & Atlantic Railroad in 1836. The railroad aided in the development and growth of many communities between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In constructing the railroad, workers created a winding route that cut its way across the North Georgia landscape. During the Civil War, both armies used this vital artery, and it was the setting for one of the war's most iconic events, the Great Locomotive Chase. The state still owns the Western & Atlantic and has leased it since 1870. The line remains an essential part of North Georgia and is a backbone of the region's industry. As Atlanta ponders its transportation future, it is important to remember that without the Western & Atlantic, Atlanta would not be the city it is today.

Todd DeFeo has studied railroads since growing up alongside the Northeast Corridor line in New Jersey. He is editor of Railfanning.org and founder of The DeFeo Groupe. Today, he lives near the historic Western & Atlantic. The images that help make up the visual history in this book come from the many libraries and museums dedicated to preserving the Western & Atlantic’s history, the archives of Railfanning.org, and the author’s collection.

Cover image for Western & Atlantic Railroad, isbn: 9781467103398

Western Connecticut Trolleys

9780738549699

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Throughout history, Americans have embraced technology with a special enthusiasm, and the innovation of the trolley car is no exception. This industry fueled the growth of many towns and cities in Connecticut, and Western Connecticut was able to keep pace with other parts of the state because of it. Although short lived, the trolley changed the landscape of the state and spurred progress in ways never imagined just a few years before. Marking an important milestone in the documentation of Connecticut's street railway heritage, Western Connecticut Trolleys is the sixth Arcadia Publishing book chronicling the history of all the streetcar lines and companies in the state.

When Atlanta Took the Train

9781467128223

$26.99 $20.24 Save 25%

Atlanta! The very name evokes a sense of grandeur and splendor and an aura of dominance. Indeed, today's Atlanta has no rival.

Present-day Atlanta prides itself in having one of the largest and busiest airports in the world, and 100 years ago, it boasted of having the busiest railroad center in the South. At its peak, its passenger stations dispatched countless numbers of trains to every major city in the country. This book recalls the building of the many stations that faithfully served Atlanta and records, with the exception of one, their final reduction to piles of rubble when they were of no further use, only to be remembered on paper and in the memories of those fortunate enough to have witnessed them.

When Boston Rode the EL

9780738504629

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Boston Elevated Railway broke ground in 1899 for a new transit service that opened in 1901, providing a seven-mile elevated railway that connected Dudley Street Station in Roxbury and Sullivan Square Station in Charlestown, two huge multilevel terminals. When the EL, as it was popularly known, opened for service, it provided an unencumbered route high above the surging traffic of Boston, until it went underground through the city. The new trains of the EL were elegant coaches of African
mahogany, bronze hardware, plush upholstered seats, plate glass windows, and exteriors of aurora red with silver gilt striping and slate grey roofs. They stopped at ten equally distinguished train stations, designed by the noted architect Alexander Wadsworth
Longfellow. All of this elegance, let alone convenience, could be had for the price of a five-cent ticket. The popularity of the EL was instantaneous. The railway continued to provide transportation service high above Boston's streets until 1987, when it was unfortunately ended after 86 years of elevated operation. Today, the squealing wheels of the Elevated trains, the rocking coaches, the fascinating views, and the fanciful copper-roofed stations of the line are a missing part of the character of Boston, when one could ride high above the city for a nickel.

Whitewater Valley Railroad

9781467111485

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Whitewater Valley Railroad is a historic line in scenic southeastern Indiana. It was completed to Connersville in 1867, linking the towns of the Whitewater Valley to Cincinnati over the former towpath of the Whitewater Canal (1836–1862). Originally named the White Water Valley Railroad, the line went through several name changes before being absorbed by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (the Big Four) in 1890 and later by the New York Central, the parent company of the Big Four. After merging with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968, the line became the Penn Central before closing in 1972 between Brookville and Connersville. It was slated for abandonment when a group of volunteers stepped in to create the Whitewater Valley Railroad, which ran its first tourist passenger trains in 1974. The nonprofit volunteer organization celebrates its 40th anniversary of operations in 2014.

Cover image for Whitewater Valley Railroad, isbn: 9781467111485

Willamette Valley Railways

9780738556017

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Willamette Valley Railways tells the story of the electric interurban railways that ran through Oregon's Willamette Valley and of the streetcars that operated in the towns they served. Long before modern light rail vehicles, electric trains were providing Portland and the Willamette Valley with reliable, elegant transportation that was second to none. Between 1908 and 1915, two large systems, the Oregon Electric Railway and the Southern Pacific Red Electrics, joined smaller competitors constructing railways throughout the region. Portland became the hub of an impressive interurban network in a frenzy of electric railway building. Yet all too soon, this brief but glorious interurban era was over. Highway improvement and the growth of automobile ownership made electric passenger trains unprofitable in the sparsely populated valley. By the early 1930s, the company that had launched the nation's first true interurban was the only one still offering passenger service here.

Wilmington and Western Railroad

9780738553627

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Wilmington and Western Railroad was chartered in 1867 and began to offer freight and passenger service in 1872 between Wilmington, Delaware, and Landenberg, Pennsylvania. Over the years, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad branch faced increasing
financial difficulties, and by the 1960s, it had dwindled to a limited freight operation. At this time, a dedicated group of volunteers revived the railroad and incorporated their growing organization
as Historic Red Clay Valley. The present-day Wilmington and Western Railroad owns 10.2 miles of the Landenberg Branch and operates between Greenbank Station and Hockessin. It offers steam- and diesel-powered tourist trains along its scenic tracks and
provides an educational and entertaining glimpse back in time while preserving part of the rich history of the Red Clay Valley.

Yakima Valley Transportation Company

9780738581033

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The National Register of Historic Places lists the Yakima Valley Transportation Company (YVT) as the last intact early 20th century electric interurban railroad in America. From its beginning in 1907, the YVT was no quitter, surviving a takeover by the Union Pacific, large financial losses as the last trolley railroad in Washington state, attempts at dieselization, and a concerted effort to put the company in its grave. Thanks to the efforts of local preservationists, YVT trolleys are still in operation. The railroad and its infrastructure never changed. What is seen today is what was built 100 years ago—a living slice of history. Images of Rail: Yakima Valley Transportation Company is the most authoritative chronicle of the famous YVT yet compiled.

Cover image for Yakima Valley Transportation Company, isbn: 9780738581033

York County Trolleys

9780738501376

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Until hard surface, all-weather thoroughfares were constructed and private automobiles became numerous, residents of York County depended on trolleys for local transportation. Many people commuted regularly to and from work on the electric cars, which also carried children to school from September through June. In the winter, when streets, roads, and highways were buried under deep drifts, powerful snowplows swiftly cleared the street railway tracks after severe storms so the trolleys could get through. Maine's York County boasted more than 100 miles of trolley lines from 1907 through 1922. The World War I years were difficult for street railways throughout the United States. Soon after the conflict ended, automobiles began rolling off the assembly lines at progressively more attractive prices. As the nation entered the "Roaring Twenties," more and more residents of York County acquired motorcars and no longer needed the trolleys that had served them so faithfully through the years. York County Trolleys takes us on a visual journey from Kittery to Old Orchard Beach, from Old Orchard to Portland, and inland to Eliot, South Berwick, and Sanford.

Yosemite Valley Railroad

9780738581118

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Yosemite Valley Railroad was constructed as a badly needed conveyance to Yosemite Valley in the days before the automobile. Visitation to Yosemite had been small, and the federal government wished to introduce the new park system to the public. A railroad through the Merced River Canyon from Merced was the answer to the challenging terrain. Thousands of acres of virgin timber forest and other natural resources along the way supported the building and operation of this rail line. From l906 until World War II, timber, gold, barium, limestone, freight, and visitors rode the rails to Yosemite National Park on this line.

Cover image for Yosemite Valley Railroad, isbn: 9780738581118

Yreka Western Railroad

9780738574301

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The city of Yreka was determined to have a railroad. When the Southern Pacific Railroad decided in 1883 to bypass Yreka, the citizens constructed their own railroad known as the Yreka Railroad Company. This railroad managed to eke out a living over the next few decades. In the 1930s, the railroad was reincorporated as the Yreka Western Railroad. By the mid-1930s, the railroad went bankrupt and was forced into receivership, and a new manager was put in charge. Through perseverance of the new manager, the railroad began to grow and prosper. By the late 1970s, the railroad once again started to decline, but as in the past, it managed to hold on. In 1986, the railroad started an excursion train known as the "Blue Goose," and steam locomotive No. 19 was added in 1989. Throughout all the hardships, the railroad still continues today and has been given the nickname "the Little Railroad that Refuses to Die."