Name: Greater Wyoming Valley Trolleys
Brand: Harrison Wick
SKU: 9780738565873
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Greater Wyoming Valley Trolleys

9780738565873

$24.99

The Wyoming Valley is nestled among the Endless Mountains in Luzerne County with the scenic Susquehanna River meandering through it. Best known for its rich deposits of anthracite coal, the Wyoming Valley was first colonized by Connecticut settlers in 1769. Electric trolleys served many urban centers in Pennsylvania. Trolley service in the Wyoming Valley started in 1888 and lasted for more than 60 years. Trolley lines went through the boroughs and townships of Ashley, Courtdale, Edwardsville, Forty Fort, Hanover, Kingston, Larksville, Miners Mills, Nanticoke, Parsons, Pittston, Plains, Plymouth, Sugar Notch, West Pittston, West Wyoming, Wilkes-Barre, and Wyoming. Greater Wyoming Valley Trolleys features rare photographs dating from the 1890s to 1950 documenting the trolley system and the communities of the Wyoming Valley.

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San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars

9780738530475

$24.99

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.

Cover image for San Francisco's Powell Street Cable Cars, isbn: 9780738530475

The Ligonier Valley Rail Road

9781467120814

$24.99

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.

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Mattoon and Charleston Area Railroads

9780738552286

$24.99

Railroads were instrumental to the development of Mattoon and Charleston, twin cities located in Coles County in east-central Illinois. The railroads enabled both cities to become regional centers for agriculture, industry, and commerce. The Illinois Central Railroad and New York Central System maintained shops, yards, and offices in Mattoon, while the Nickel Plate Road had shops, offices, and a yard in Charleston. In the early 20th century, the railroads were the major source of employment in both cities. Dozens of passenger trains stopped at the local stations. The phasing out of steam locomotives following World War II led to the closing of the shops. Railroad consolidation that began in the 1960s would lead to abandonment of routes and greatly diminish the importance of the railroads to the economies of Mattoon and Charleston.

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The Rahway Valley Railroad

9780738510088

$24.99

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.

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Street Railways of El Paso

9780738571140

$24.99

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.

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Nebraska's Cowboy Rail Line

9780738560328

$24.99

Nebraska's Cowboy Line existed for nearly 125 years and covered more than 400 miles as it made its way across the northern portion of the state. The construction of the rail line, which started in 1869, was the impetus for the establishment of many towns, and even the relocation of some, along the route. The line was employed to transport miners to the Black Hills during the gold rush of the late 1800s, it carried thousands of Irish and German immigrants to the largely unsettled area, and it allowed politicians to meet their constituents. It also was used to deliver necessities, amusements, technology, and new innovations to the state's citizenry.

Cover image for Nebraska's Cowboy Rail Line, isbn: 9780738560328

Suburban Philadelphia Trolleys

9780738550435

$24.99

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.

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Railroad Depots of Central Florida

9780738553900

$24.99

Railroads have served the northern counties of Central Florida since before the Civil War. Following the war, railroads expanded down the peninsula to bring transportation services to even more people and places throughout the region. By 1929, the railroad network in the state had reached its peak, with some communities being served by two or more railroad lines. Trains provided the means for growth and development, and the local depot was the focal point of every town throughout Florida's central region. Stretching across the middle section of the peninsula from coast to coast, the Central Florida area includes Levy, Gilchrist, Alachua, Putnam, and Volusia Counties to the north, while the counties of Sarasota, Desoto, Highland, Osceola, and Brevard define the southern boundary. Featuring depots of the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, Florida East Coast, and their predecessor railroads, the photographs used by the author were obtained from local historical groups, the Florida State Archives, and private collections.

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Northwestern Pacific Railroad

9781467130622

$24.99

The year 2014 marks the centennial of the completion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP), celebrated by driving a golden spike at Cain Rock in October 1914. This achievement was the culmination of a massive, six-year engineering effort to connect rail lines ending at Willits with the early lumber company railroads of the Humboldt Bay region. When it was completed, the NWP linked Eureka with San Francisco by rail, a milestone in the history of Humboldt and Northern Mendocino Counties. This book examines the impact of the NWP on Northwestern California. Although no longer operational, the railroad today symbolizes the ongoing struggle to connect this isolated region with the wider world.

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Plymouth Railroads

9781467104692

$24.99

According to a Detroit Free Press article of March 14, 1872, “The advent of the railroad has completely changed the course of life of the inhabitants of this village, which is the first of importance going west from Detroit.” The two railroads that came to Plymouth in the early 1870s changed the course of history for the once-sleepy town. Within 20 years, the railroads would be used to transport repeat orders for the booming air rifle industry to all corners of the United States. The rail lines made industry possible for a small burg outside of the metropolitan area of Detroit. Because of the distance to other cities, passenger transportation was always an important mission of railroads. These needs were met between 1899 and 1928 by the Detroit, Plymouth & Northville Railroad (Interurban). Later, enhanced passenger service ran on the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) line between Detroit and Grand Rapids, stopping in Plymouth (1946–1971).

Cover image for Plymouth Railroads, isbn: 9781467104692

Brooklyn Streetcars

9780738557618

$24.99

In the summer of 1854, the Brooklyn City Railroad opened four separate streetcar lines. The lines were introduced here several years before they were brought to larger cities, such as Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia, demonstrating the city's modernization and ingenuity. From its first introduction, Brooklyn had one of the nation's largest urban transit systems. With the advent of streetcars, the population in Brooklyn grew from about 139,000 to over 2.5 million by the time streetcars were retired. The street railway blended mobility with innovation, prompting one-third of New York City's population to call Brooklyn home.

Cover image for Brooklyn Streetcars, isbn: 9780738557618

Southwest Washington Logging Railroads

9781467162777

$24.99

Admirers of the power of trains and process of logging will revel in the images included in Southwest Washington Railroads, which features the progress of railways in the northwest and the developments made by this prolific era.

Southwest Washington was famous for its old-growth trees and rich timber resources during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The logging railroad marks the era between logs being dragged out with horses or oxen and the introduction of truck and road transport. These railroads provided logging companies with greater opportunity to reach inland areas and access larger timber resources. Logging companies such as Ostrander, B.F. Brock, Doty Lumber and Shingle, and Polson Logging Company required railroads to transport harvested timber to mills or to rivers, where logs would float to mills downstream. Railroads carried the labor, equipment, and camp materials to work locations. Though most of these logging businesses are gone, many roads and place names are attributed to these companies. Over time, the farmed tree and logging truck took over. Today, stacks of these smaller farmed trees are seen near the Western Washington ports of Longview and Kalama, replacing the giant trees of the past. Images of America: Logging Railroads of Southwest Washington is filled with images of the timber harvesting past and the golden age of railroad logging.

The photographs in this book are courtesy of resources at county museums and archives that comprise Southwest Washington. Joseph Matthew Govednik is the museum director of the Cowlitz County Historical Museum in Kelso, Washington.

Cover image for Southwest Washington Logging Railroads, isbn: 9781467162777

Middletown and Unionville Railroad

9780738573175

$24.99

The Middletown and Unionville Railroad, successor to the Middletown, Unionville and Water Gap Railroad, operated from December 1, 1913, until May 31, 1946, when it was reorganized as the Middletown and New Jersey Railway. The railroad's main revenue was derived from the transportation of dairy products, feed, coal, lumber, and passengers along its 14.5-mile right-of-way from the city of Middletown through Slate Hill, Johnson, Westtown, and Unionville in Orange County, New York. It provided a connection between the Erie Railroad in Middletown; the New York, Ontario & Western Railway in Middletown; and the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad in New Jersey. All three of these railroads had unique relationships with the M&U during its period of operation.

Cover image for Middletown and Unionville Railroad, isbn: 9780738573175

Kenosha on the Go

9780738550985

$24.99

Kenosha on the Go chronicles 110 years of transportation in Kenosha. From the first interurban streetcar that reached Kenosha's northern city limits in 1897 to the existing transit system in 2007, this book covers local streetcar operations, trackless trolley and bus operations, the two electric interurbans that served Kenosha, and the North Western Railway. Kenosha on the Go also brings readers to the rebirth of streetcar operations in Kenosha at the dawn of the 21st century.

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Rails around Houston

9780738558844

$24.99

Several railroads were chartered by the Republic of Texas, but the first line built was the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado, which began construction near the Port of Houston Turning Basin in 1851. The BBB&C would become the oldest segment of the country's first transcontinental railroad under sole ownership: the Southern Pacific's Sunset Route, connecting New Orleans and Los Angeles and completed in 1883. By the time oil was discovered near Beaumont in 1901, Houston was such a transportation hub that it became the heart of the petrochemical industry. Houston saw narrow-gauge lines, two interurban lines, light rail, and even a monorail. For many years, the chamber of commerce proudly proclaimed that Houston was the place "where seventeen railroads meet the sea." More than 30 beautiful trains with names like Sunset Limited, Sunbeam, Sam Houston Zephyr, Twin Star Rocket, Bluebonnet, Texas Rocket, and Texas Chief would serve three depots.

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Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys

9780738556925

$24.99

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.

Cover image for Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys, isbn: 9780738556925

San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars

9780738559636

$24.99

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.

Cover image for San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars, isbn: 9780738559636

Big Bend Railroads

9781467132534

$24.99

The Big Bend area had its start with a land grant given by President Lincoln to the Northern Pacific Railway. As such, the railway company heavily promoted the area to encourage settlement and populate the station sites along the way. Towns began to develop in the late 1880s; prior to that time, the few settlers had a difficult time getting around. Despite snow, floods, fires, wrecks, human error, sabotage, and government regulation, the railroads continued and were able to serve the communities and help them survive. The earliest lines were built largely by man and beast with few large machines. The last transcontinental line in the Big Bend, the Milwaukee Road, featured groundbreaking technology in the form of electrically operated locomotives. The building of Grand Coulee Dam brought more railroad lines, with tracks that featured grades and locomotives normally seen on logging railroads, to bring in construction materials to the largest concrete structure in the world at the time.

Gray placeholder cover reading Cover Coming Soon for Big Bend Railroads.

Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway

9780738538976

$24.99

Dating back to 1882, the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway has humble origins, but it quickly became a viable transportation system serving the city of Altoona. Often referred to as the Logan Valley, the railway employed 300 people, transported 11.5 million passengers a year, and traveled 7,220 scheduled route miles a day until economic conditions forced the line to discontinue service on June 2, 1954. Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway documents the history of a streetcar network that served the employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad as well as the community. Through 200 images and informed narrative, this book retraces the history of the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway and its successor, the Logan Valley Bus Company.

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Sacramento's Streetcars

9780738531472

$24.99

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

Northwestern Pennsylvania Railroads

9780738573472

$24.99

Erie's rail link to Philadelphia was achieved in 1864 with the completion of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, which later became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. By 1869, railroad lines from Buffalo through Erie to Chicago were consolidated into the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, which later became part of the New York Central Railroad. Completed in 500 days, the parallel New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly known as the Nickel Plate Road, was a 513-mile, well-designed railroad that emphasized excellent service. South of the lakeshore, the wide-gauge Erie Railroad enhanced east to west connections. Through vintage photographs, Northwestern Pennsylvania Railroads brings to life the history of the railroads that have served the region.

Cover image for Northwestern Pennsylvania Railroads, isbn: 9780738573472

Ocean Shore Railroad

9780738529387

$24.99

With one of the world's most scenic backdrops as a brilliant seascape for passengers, the Ocean Shore Railroad skirted northern California's coastline to service communities south of San Francisco for the first two decades of the 20th century. As impressive as it was idealistic, the line was held prisoner by natural forces that eventually took too much of a toll to keep its striking route churning. Today's Highway 1 traces the passage once paved with tracks, and points to the few remnants of one of California's most well-known excursion lines.

Cover image for Ocean Shore Railroad, isbn: 9780738529387

Trolleys of the Capital District

9780738562612

$24.99

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

Hartford County Trolleys

9780738539300

$24.99

During the golden age of the trolley, Hartford County was crisscrossed with over 200 miles of trolley lines, reaching to all major cities and towns in the county. Only 8 out of the 29 cities and towns in the county were without some type of public transit. A busy and prosperous area, Hartford County played a major role in banking, insurance, and manufacturing during the trolley era in Connecticut.

Cover image for Hartford County Trolleys, isbn: 9780738539300

Boston's Blue Line

9780738535760

$24.99

Boston's rapid-transit Blue Line covers a distance of 5.94 miles, a twenty-three-minute commute that begins at Bowdoin station in downtown Boston, travels under the harbor, passes Revere Beach, and stops at Wonderland. Today's commuters might be surprised to learn that the line they are riding was once operated by trolley cars and narrow-gauge steam-powered commuter trains, for it was not until 1904 that the East Boston Tunnel under the harbor was completed. By 1917, the number of people riding the Blue Line had climbed to twenty-five thousand a day. Although significant advances had been made to accommodate high-volume commuter traffic, rush-hour congestion at downtown stations remained a problem. In the 1920s, with ridership exceeding forty-two thousand people a day, the Boston Elevated Railway and the Boston Transit Commission agreed to convert the tunnel to a rapid-transit operation with a transfer station at Maverick Square. Further expansion occurred in the 1950s, when the Blue Line was extended to Orient Heights, Suffolk Downs, and Revere Beach.

Cover image for Boston's Blue Line, isbn: 9780738535760

Tooele Valley Railroad

9781467130264

$24.99

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.

Cover image for Tooele Valley Railroad, isbn: 9781467130264

Montgomery County Trolleys

9781467128766

$24.99

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was once served by 140 miles of trolley lines. In the first half of the 20th century, a wide array of trolley cars rolled over Montgomery County's rails, from quaint open streetcars rumbling through borough streets to sleek 80-mile-an-hour trolleys sailing across open fields in Upper Gwynedd and Hatfield Townships. The cars had zero emissions, and some lines were powered by renewable hydroelectric power. Taking the trolley was a convenient, affordable option for those travelling and commuting in Montgomery County, nearby Philadelphia, and points beyond. Freight was also carried on board trolleys, with prompt parcel delivery service. Fortunately, many years ago, dedicated trolley fans had the foresight to aim their cameras at these unique vehicles, providing rare glimpses not just of the trolleys but also of Montgomery County's rapidly changing landscapes.

Cover image for Montgomery County Trolleys, isbn: 9781467128766

The Ontario and Western Railway Northern Division

9780738511757

$24.99

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.

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Boston & Maine Locomotives

9780738510606

$24.99

Boston & Maine Locomotives is a fascinating history of the locomotives that powered New England's most dominant railway line.

The Boston & Maine Railroad has long captured the hearts of rail enthusiasts, and its locomotives are models of the majesty, power, and romance of American rail. The Boston & Maine was a railroad dynasty running through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, and many still remember hearing the whistle blow as a Boston & Maine locomotive spewing smoke and steam pulled into the station. Boston & Maine Locomotives, the third volume in Arcadia's trio documenting the Boston & Maine Railroad, is a history of the locomotives that powered New England's most dominant line. The Ten Wheelers, the Mastodons, the Pacifics, and the other classes of locomotive are seen here as they pull passengers and freight throughout the Northeast. The Boston & Maine was one of the last railroads in the area to continue naming its locomotives, and those engines, from nineteenth-century steam to twentieth-century diesel, are recorded here. The Portland, the Newburyport, the General Sherman, and more ride New England's rails once again in Boston & Maine Locomotives.

Cover image for Boston & Maine Locomotives, isbn: 9780738510606

New London County Trolleys

9780738535807

$24.99

Railroads were instrumental to the growth of industry in America. Streetcar systems branched off from railroad lines, extending transportation to urban and rural areas not otherwise accessible. The expansion of the trolley system in New London County also revitalized industry in the area. By the 1860s, the number of farms in Connecticut had begun to decline, and the need for reliable, reasonable transportation to towns and cities increased. The Norwich Horse Railroad, incorporated in 1864, was followed by various other trolley companies, including the Norwich Street Railway Company, the New London Horse Railroad, the New London Street Railway, and the Montville Horse Railway. Trolley transportation was finally electrified in 1889, fueling the expansion of trolley networks in Norwich and New London. The increase in trolley service allowed the textile industry to grow by expanding access to a sufficient workforce. The system also worked in reverse, enabling city dwellers to escape to the country for outings.

Cover image for New London County Trolleys, isbn: 9780738535807

Hagerstown

9780738515076

$24.99

Hagerstown, Maryland's history is inextricably linked to the railroad. Hagerstown's nickname of the "Hub City" comes from the wheel-spoke effect that the many rail lines in and out of the city created. The first train cars from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reached the limits of Washington County on December 3, 1834, where the line crossed into Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The railroad was instrumental in transporting both goods and passengers and helped spell the demise of the C & O Canal. Through the years, the railroads continued to ply the tracks through the county providing work for many, and transportation of freight and passenger service from Baltimore in the east to the great expanse of the country to the west. Today, passenger service no longer runs through Hagerstown, but freight service continues and trains are far from forgotten.

Cover image for Hagerstown, isbn: 9780738515076

Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad

9780738575933

$24.99

In 1859, when oil was successfully drilled near Titusville, the closest railroad was 27 miles away. To fill a transportation need, the Oil Creek Railroad line was completed from Corry to Titusville in 1862. Under a series of mergers, it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad by 1900. When Titusville's last railroad was about to be abandoned, the Oil Creek Railway Society formed and saved the line. Through vintage photographs, Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad relives the railroad history of a valley that has become a lovely wilderness served by an important railroad.

Cover image for Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad, isbn: 9780738575933

San Francisco's Interurban to San Mateo

9780738530086

$24.99

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.

Cover image for San Francisco's Interurban to San Mateo, isbn: 9780738530086

Railroading around Hazard and Perry County

9780738542737

$24.99

Besides the 1795 settling of what later became Hazard, Kentucky, and the establishment of Perry County in 1821, no other event has had the historical significance of the coming of the railroad. Until the track-laying train came through the tunnel north of town and stopped briefly for a celebration, Hazard was landlocked, and the townspeople had never heard the earthshaking sound of the train whistle. Before the railroad, the river was their road. The only few household conveniences known to these isolated people were laboriously brought up the river on push boats. Many materials used to build the railroad were also transported on flatboats. As a bridge and tunnel were built, and a passage was made for the engine that carried the railroad ties, John G. Kinner documented the change with his camera. Images of Rail: Railroading Around Hazard and Perry County features John G. Kinner's vivid and historic\photographs and others from the Bobby Davis Museum collection.

Cover image for Railroading around Hazard and Perry County, isbn: 9780738542737

Portland's Streetcars

9780738531151

$24.99

Street railways arrived early in Portland and made lasting social and economic contributions that are still apparent in the layout and character of the city's neighborhoods today. During the 1890s, streetcar lines spread rapidly into the West Hills and across the Willamette River. The technological prowess of the growing "Rose City" was reflected in the largest horsecar in the Northwest, the second steepest cable car grade in the nation, the first true interurban railway, and an annual illuminated trolley parade. By the dawn of the 20th century, Portland could boast of the largest electric railway system in the West, as well as its first eight-wheeled streetcar. The streetcars lasted into the late 1950s here, and then, after a hiatus of nearly 30 years, were rediscovered by a new generation of urban planners.

Cover image for Portland's Streetcars, isbn: 9780738531151

Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars

9780738547916

$24.99

Local rail-borne transit in Los Angeles began with horsecars in 1874, evolving with cable-powered and later electric-powered passenger vehicles. Yellow Cars describes the principal local transit system in and around Los Angeles in the first half of the 20th century. The canary-colored local streetcars formed the inner-neighborhood lines between a vast rail network of main lines known as the interurban system, primarily the Pacific Electric Railway Red Cars, which spiderwebbed throughout Los Angeles County and into Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Rail tycoon Henry Edwards Huntington consolidated several independent lines into this great interurban empire. He sold it in 1910 to the Southern Pacific Railroad, keeping the Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars. These evocative photographs illustrate travel during decades of change, progress, economic setbacks, war, and postwar retrenchment, when streetcar service was taken over by bus lines.

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Railroading in Ellis County

9780738579153

$24.99

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad made its way through eastern Ellis County in 1871 and played an integral role in the founding of Ennis, Texas. Eventually, that community would be designated as a division point along the line. The H&TC's arrival also brought growth and prosperity to other communities on the line, including Alma, Garrett, Palmer, and Ferris. It made its mark on the area. The Waxahachie Tap was the vision of many of that city's earliest settlers. Within a decade of its completion in September 1879, Waxahachie's cotton production multiplied and the town would soon earn the moniker "Where Cotton Is King." Midlothian and its surrounding communities would never be the same once connected by the Chicago, Texas, and Mexican Central Railroad in 1881. The rail had arrived and Ellis County was transformed.

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Willamette Valley Railways

9780738556017

$24.99

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.

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Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, and Muskegon Railway

9781467113595

$24.99

This book traces the history of the electric interurban in West Michigan, telling the story of the growth, operation, and demise of an electric railway.

The Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon (GREG H&M) Railway was part of a network of electric railroads that spread across southern Michigan in the early part of the 20th century. For nearly 30 years, the railway connected Grand Rapids with Muskegon and Grand Haven on the Lake Michigan shore. The fast and frequent service it offered transformed life in Coopersville, Nunica, Berlin (now Marne), Fruitport, and other smaller communities along the way. In addition, the railway and the boats of the Goodrich and Crosby steamship lines provided an overnight connection with Chicago and Milwaukee. Moving both people and freight, this interurban had an important impact on both local and regional economies. Images of Rail: The Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon Railway traces the history of the electric interurban in West Michigan, telling the story of the growth, operation, and eventual demise of an important electric railway in the region.

Cover image for Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, and Muskegon Railway, isbn: 9781467113595

Rail Depots of Eastern North Carolina

9781467126229

$24.99

Railroads have been an integral part of North Carolina since the 1850s, allowing goods and people to travel across the state or to other areas of the country. For many years, the main focus of small towns and large cities in the state was the railroad depots. Residents could purchase train tickets, businesses sought to ship or receive goods for market, and kids loved to visit and wave to the passing train crews. During the Christmas season, presents ordered from catalogs would arrive by Railway Express and were delivered to homes across the area. Mail was also delivered by rail to the depots, even if the train did not stop at a particular community. This book hopes to provide rail enthusiasts, local and economic historians, and history lovers in general a look back at the heyday of railroads and how much they affected daily life in North Carolina.

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Richmond Railroads

9780738566481

$24.99

During the second half of the 20th century, the railroads that operated in the Mid-Atlantic region offered a wide variety of subject matter for railroad enthusiasts and photographers to marvel at. A prime location to witness this activity was in Richmond—a railroad melting pot. As with any major city, the railroads played a significant role in Richmond's growth and development. As a result of being served by five different railroads, a labyrinth of railroad infrastructure emerged, including the Triple Crossing, a world-renowned landmark. Millions of travelers have passed through Broad Street and Main Street Stations on famous streamliner passenger trains such as the Silver Meteor and the George Washington. Images of Rail: Richmond Railroads documents the past 60 years of railroading in the Capital City, which has seen drastic changes as a result of corporate mergers, urban development, and technological advances.

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Florida Railroads in the 1920's

9780738542324

$24.99

Florida's railroads emerged in the 1830s amid Native American upheaval and territorial colonization. Many periods of development marked this fascinating heritage, but one era towers above the rest: the 1920s. It was then that Florida experienced a colossal land boom, one of the greatest migration and building stories in American history. People poured into the state as never before, real estate traded hands at breakneck speed, and the landscape added countless new homes, hotels, apartments, and commercial buildings. Florida's biggest railroads—the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Florida East Coast—were unprepared for the tidal wave of traffic. Thus, the Big Three had to rapidly expand and increase capacity. Dozens of projects unfolded at great cost, by one estimate over $100 million. When the building frenzy ended, the railway map of the state stood at its greatest extent—some 5,700 miles. Further, the frequency of railway service within and to the Sunshine State reached an unprecedented level, never again to be repeated.

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Toledo Trolleys

9780738541044

$24.99

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.

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Waterbury Trolleys

9780738538112

$24.99

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.

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Railroads of Fort Bend County

9780738579016

$24.99

Fort Bend County was formed in the early 1820s by members of Stephen F. Austin's Old 300. Traders utilized barges and steamboats running along the Brazos River to transport cotton and other products from the lower Brazos Valley to the port at Galveston. In 1853, railroads began to play a larger role in the county's transportation system. Transportation facilities were greatly improved when the first railroad in Texas, the Buffalo, Brazos, and Colorado Railroad Company, completed its first 20-mile segment to Stafford's Point in Fort Bend County from Harrisburg (Houston). As many as eight separate railroads were chartered and operated in Fort Bend County by 1900. Today some of the names have changed but most of the original rail lines remain in operation. The Union Pacific, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Kansas City Southern rail companies have picked up where their predecessors left off and are keeping Fort Bend County one of the busiest and fastest-growing counties in the United States.

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Greater Erie Trolleys

9780738539386

$24.99

When the first electric trolley car entered service in Erie in 1889, it revolutionized public transportation in the region. Within a few years, Erie became a major trolley hub linking the eastern and central United States. With the exception of a 15-mile gap at Little Falls, one could travel from New York City to Chicago via Erie. Greater Erie Trolleys covers the network of trolley lines that operated between Erie, Conneaut, Buffalo, and Meadville. Greater Erie Trolleys illustrates the vital role trolley cars played in the expansion of the urban population. It documents the beginning of pleasure travel with photographs of the special trolley car excursions from Erie to Elk Park for picnics, dances, and sporting events. Ridership began to decline just as the automobile came on the scene and dirt roads became paved highways. Eventually the lines were abandoned, but the trolleys left an important mark in transportation history.

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Electric Trolleys of Washtenaw County

9780738561363

$24.99

Electric streetcars and interurbans appeared in Washtenaw County in the 1890s. Evolved from horse-drawn streetcars, electric cars were ideal for public transportation. They were cheap, fast, and went to plenty of places. The system developed around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, branching out to Detroit to the east and Jackson to the west. Bigger and better equipment was added, and larger companies took over the small ones. In western Washtenaw County, two interurban railways engaged in a struggle for survival. Occasionally the interurbans crashed into buildings or one another, with disastrous results. Electric Trolleys of Washtenaw County explains how electric mass transportation flourished starting in the 1890s, why it bloomed, and why it suddenly became extinct after only a few decades.

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Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway

9780738559421

$24.99

A hundred years ago, high on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, stood a grand lodge with a breathtaking view. For 33 years, elegantly dressed men and women came to visit on the gritty steam trains of a famous twisting railroad known affectionately as the Crookedest Railroad in the World. They could dine, dance, and spend the night, and in the morning coast down the mountain in a gravity car. The Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway had 281 curves in 8 1/5 miles. It had a branch into Muir Woods. It was built by business-minded conservationists in seven months in 1896 and climbed from a depot on the dirt streets of Mill Valley through a redwood forest and on to the rocky summit one-half mile above San Francisco Bay.

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Tacoma Rail

9781467130066

$24.99

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.

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San Francisco's Market Street Railway

9780738529677

$24.99

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

Niles Canyon Railways

9780738529837

$24.99

All aboard for this photographic journey through the unique railroad history of Niles Canyon, near the city of Fremont. The melodic wail of the steam whistle first echoed off these canyon walls in 1866 when the Western Pacific Railroad laid track into Niles as part of a planned route from San Jose to Sacramento. That was three years before the transcontinental route from Sacramento to Omaha was completed in May 1869. Four months after the driving of the Golden Spike that joined the eastern and western United States by rail, the connecting route from Sacramento to Oakland through Niles Canyon was finished—the very last leg of a rail route that truly joined the Atlantic to the Pacific waters for the first time.

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Plano and the Interurban Railway

9780738571362

$24.99

Over a century ago, an industrial America was awakening, and a new transportation technology arrived on the north Texas prairie: electric interurbans. Plano's Interurban Railway depot was dedicated in July 1908, and electric interurban rail travel began with the creation of the Texas Traction Company. In 1917, three separate systems were connected by a single entrepreneur, J. F. Strickland. Throughout the 1920s, the Texas Electric Railway traveled in and out of Plano carrying riders, mail, and freight. The system was built to travel on existing streetcar tracks and often ran over private rights-of-way between cities. To promote interurban travel, the company created unique cars and special classes of service to appeal to every need. In the post-World War II era, however, the popularity of automobiles ended the important era of electric interurban travel.

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Sioux City Railroads

9780738552224

$24.99

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.

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Amador Central Railroad

9780738575506

$24.99

Resting in the community park in Ione, California, is old No. 7, affectionately known as "Iron Ivan," the last steam engine that served on the Amador Central Railroad. At the southern edge of town, one can glimpse the rails it once rode. Built in 1904, the Amador Central Railroad--a 12-mile, standard-gauge short line that snakes its way through the Sierra Nevada foothills from Ione to Martell--served both passengers and freighters for a century until 2004. It was said to be the slowest line in California, with over 75 curves and a grade of four percent in some places. In 2010, Sierra Pacific Industries sold the railroad to a nonprofit consortium to preserve the historic line.

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Whitewater Valley Railroad

9781467111485

$24.99

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.

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Railroading in Pinellas County

9780738585505

$24.99

Pinellas County's railroad heritage began in 1888 and lasted almost a century. Today few people who walk, run, or bike the 41-mile Pinellas Trail realize the importance of this path as they travel through Pinellas County railroad history. Railroading in Pinellas County transports the reader through 100 years. History is brought to life through photographs of the individuals who brought to Pinellas the railroad, railroad stations, railroad engines, passenger and freight cars, railroad companies, employees, and industries such as tourism that utilized this form of transportation. These photographs were culled with the assistance and permission of local historical societies, county and state archives, and various private collections.

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Akron Railroads

9780738541419

$24.99

The self-described rubber capital of the world, Akron was the home of numerous rubber factories that made tires for America's burgeoning automobile industry. Many of the raw materials needed to create rubber arrived by rail, and the finished products moved to market in freight cars. The city's major railroads included the Baltimore and Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Erie Railroads, but three regional carriers, the Akron, Canton and Youngstown, the Wheeling and Lake Erie, and the Akron and Barberton Belt, also served Akron-area industries. Written in cooperation with the Akron Railroad Club, this book chronicles the ever-changing Akron railroad scene since the club's founding in 1936.

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Along the Mount Beacon Incline Railway

9781467123297

$24.99

Situated on scenic Mount Beacon in New York State's Hudson River Valley is a great American achievement and engineering marvel almost lost to history. Opened in 1902, the Mount Beacon Incline Railway served locals, revelers, sightseers, and vacationers for nearly 100 years, riding them to the pinnacle of Mount Beacon for a 75-mile panoramic view, among other attractions. The incline was constructed when trains were king, and undeniably it emerged as a grand tourist destination; its notoriety was widespread, even earning the prized position as background of the majestic Empire State flag, as seen today. Eventually, the railway ceased operation and was shuttered. Today, with the planned restorative work of the Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society (MBIRRS), the prospect of reinstallation remains high. Along the Mount Beacon Incline Railway is a record to the celebrated history, preservation, and future of the railway in its natural setting.

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Rails in and around Saratoga Springs

9781467127097

$24.99

Saratoga Springs is special. Its reputation goes back to 1767 when Native Americans brought Sir William Johnson to the area for the healing powers of the High Rock Spring. From this humble beginning, the popularity of Saratoga Springs and its many mineral water springs grew from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. Railroads played a key role in that growth. The first train entered Saratoga Springs in 1832. Regularly scheduled passenger trains made Saratoga Springs more accessible, and as a result, it grew by leaps and bounds. Beautiful train stations welcomed visitors, the Saratoga Race Course opened, large bathhouses were constructed, the Grand Union and other luxurious hotels awaited overnight guests, and many people from all walks of life visited the casino in historic Congress Park. Visits to historic locations such as Mount McGregor and North Creek were made easier by train. Along with the railroads in and around Saratoga Springs, this book also includes historic highlights of those locations.

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Treasure Valley's Electric Railway

9780738596334

$24.99

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.

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Portland Terminal Railroad Company

9781467115674

$24.99

The Portland Terminal Railroad Company (PTRC), formerly the Northern Pacific Terminal Company (NPTCo.), was created to be the heart of Henry Villard's Northwest rail empire. The NPTCo. survived the whims of the financial markets, two world wars, and numerous corporate mergers. It reached its zenith in the 1950s and changed its name to Portland Terminal Railroad Company in 1965. The company continues to operate as a successful business, serving the local freight needs of the parent railroads and Guild's Lake industrial district.

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St. Louis Gateway Rail

9780738540702

$24.99

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.

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New Haven Streetcars

9780738512273

$24.99

The first street railway began operating in New York City in 1832. New Orleans inaugurated a street railway system in 1835, and most of the large American cities-Boston, Brooklyn, and Baltimore-were served by the end of the 1950s. In May 1861, more than a year before the nation's capital introduced this new mode of transit, the forty thousand residents of New Haven were furnished with local rail transportation.

New Haven's population more than quadrupled between 1861 and 1948, and the city became Connecticut's largest manufacturing center. Street railways made it possible to reach both residential and manufacturing areas. New Haven Streetcars illustrates the essential role played by streetcars in the transformation of the city, with images from each of the six groups of lines that served the New Haven area, including the Yale Bowl open cars, the universal dump cars, the safety cars, and the horse-drawn cars.

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Railroading around Dothan and the Wiregrass Region

9780738517193

$24.99

The Wiregrass Region of southeast Alabama, southwest Georgia, and north Florida--named for the perennial grass that covered the long-leaf pine forest floor--is a product of the railroads that arose with the New South. All kinds of railroads served all kinds of purposes in the Wiregrass. Shortlines and even temporary tracks moved timber and pine resin from forest to mill a century ago--they move raw materials and manufactured goods between ports and factories today. Longer lines created business links between Wiregrass towns and the cities of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the world. Some of these roads lasted only a few years; others merged into complex systems connecting the Wiregrass Region with the rest of the world in a way early settlers could not even imagine.

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Steam Railroads in Central Wyoming

9781467163217

$24.99

The first steam locomotives entered central Wyoming in 1886 as the rails were laid, and the railroad would soon become the driving force for agriculture, industry, and commerce.

The two main lines, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and the Chicago & North Western Railway, both operated steam until diesel-electric locomotives began to replace them. This journey will focus on the lines between Valentine, Nebraska, and central Wyoming as well as the survey work done beyond the town of Lander, Wyoming. The areas around the towns of Douglas, Glenrock, Casper, and Riverton will all be examined. The last steam locomotive in regular service would leave the region in 1952, and with its departure would come sweeping changes to how the railroads of the region operated and of their connections to the communities they served. The majority of the photographs presented have never been published.

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Rails in Rochester and Monroe County

9781467134378

$24.99

From photography to farming and from medicine to music, Rochester and the county in which it resides, Monroe County, are known throughout the world. This book brings to life the role that rail transportation had in developing an economy that made these contributions possible. By 1900, some of the county's biggest railroads had been drawn to the Rochester and Monroe County markets. They attracted people and businesses to the area and ensured the flow of products to the marketplace. Trolleys enabled people to commute to and from work as well as to enjoy the recreational resources of Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay. Rail transportation helped make Rochester and Monroe County truly great places to live and work.

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Hartford Trolleys

9780738536002

$24.99

By 1908 Hartford had an extensive system of streetcar lines radiating from the city in all directions. The Hartford division of the Connecticut Company totaled more than one hundred twenty-five miles of track for streetcars, the dominant mode of public transportation in central Connecticut. One could take a car to New Britain, Stafford Springs, or all the way to Springfield, Massachusetts. By the 1920s, the lighter density streetcar lines were no longer lucrative and the system was converted to a motor coach operation; by the early 1930s, the automobile had replaced the streetcar as the favored mode of transport. The advent of automobile transportation eventually led to the closing of all the Hartford streetcar lines in July 1941.

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Toronto's Railway Heritage

9780738565705

$24.99

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.

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North Beach Peninsula's IR&N

9780738570204

$24.99

For nearly 40 years, the quirky little narrow-gauge railroad, begun in 1889 by the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company, ran along the North Beach Peninsula in southwestern Washington. The train provided the primary transportation link from Ilwaco in the south to Nahcotta in the north, making peninsula communities accessible to one another and supplying a reliable route to outside markets for the area's major industries--oystering, logging, and cranberry farming. A tide table, not a timetable, governed the railroad's schedule, allowing coordination with the steamers that met the train at either end of its daily journeys. Old-timers of the area still speak affectionately of the train's unorthodox schedule and its informal and accommodating service. And they remember with fondness that the IR &N was widely known as the "Irregular, Ramblin' and Never-get-there Railroad."

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Railroads of Hillsboro

9781467132367

$24.99

Hillsboro, Oregon, always seemed destined to be an important railroad town. When the first trains arrived in Hillsboro in 1871 under the banner of the Oregon & California Railroad, the town began to develop into a key railroad junction point. Hillsboro was strategically located just 20 miles from the booming Portland metropolis, a regional center of manufacturing and trade, and by 1911, Hillsboro was where several rail lines branched off. One line headed west toward Tillamook, where the railroad tapped rich timber resources along the Oregon coast. Another line cut south into the fertile Willamette Valley, accessing prime agricultural lands that produced a bounty of wheat and other commodities. A third route carried passengers and goods to and from Portland and the neighboring communities of Cornelius and Forest Grove. As these routes developed, heavy volumes of freight began rolling into Hillsboro. At the same time, travelers moved through Hillsboro on passenger trains, including the Southern Pacific Railroad's famed Red Electrics and the Oregon Electric Railway's interurbans, which advertised passenger service with no soot and no cinders.

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Steam to Diesel in New Jersey

9780738510859

$24.99

Illustrated with nearly 200 historic images, the pivotal birth of diesel dominance and New Jersey's critical role is documented and investigated.

At the end of World War II, the nation's railroads were eager to replace their abundance of war-weary steam locomotives with sleek new diesel engines. From Cape May to Bayonne, New Jersey's tracks were soon humming with diesels while the old steamers were nudged onto the scrap tracks of the Central New Jersey, the Erie, and the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroads, among others. Powering a commuter train to Dover or a sand train to Millville's Wheaton glass plant, the diesels instantly proved their worth, praised by railroad employees for their ease of running and maintenance. In an era when most clothes were dried outside, the public accepted the new lack of trackside coal ash with gusto. Steam to Diesel in New Jersey presents the mixed era of late-steam and early-diesel power on the big and small railroads of New Jersey, from the mid-1940s to the end of the 1950s. From the Baldwins to the Alcos, the steam-spewing Behemoths to the smooth-running RS series, this engaging collection of vintage photographs remembers a time filled with wonder and change. With nearly two hundred images, Steam to Diesel in New Jersey showcases the departing steam engines and the emerging diesels that ushered in a new period of railroad history.

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Canton Area Railroads

9780738561110

$24.99

Canton and the nearby cities of Massillon and Alliance are located in the great steel-making region of northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Railroads brought coal, much of it mined in southeastern Ohio, and iron ore to the steel plants and hauled away the finished products. The Timken Roller Bearing Company moved to Canton in 1902 and in the 1920s began making roller bearings for railroad locomotives and rolling stock. Written in cooperation with the Akron Railroad Club, this book chronicles the history and development of the railroads that served Stark, Wayne, Holmes, Carroll, and Tuscarawas Counties. It shows how rail operations changed as the steel industry declined and railroad consolidations led to traffic shifts and route abandonment. Among the railroads that served this region were the Pennsylvania, Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central, and Wheeling and Lake Erie.

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San Diego Trolleys

9781467126649

$24.99

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.

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Western Connecticut Trolleys

9780738549699

$24.99

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.

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McKinney Avenue Trolleys

9780738584973

$24.99

Streetcar lines grew and prospered in Dallas from 1872 until the 1920s. Automobile competition siphoned many of their riders away, but ridership soared again during World War II. After the war, the trolleys entered an era of gradual attrition, and they were abandoned by 1956. Amazingly, in 1989, the nonprofit McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA) returned restored vintage trolley cars to the city in the Uptown neighborhood near downtown. MATA evolved from a tourist attraction into a true transit company and became the M-Line. Since then, the area has experienced rapid growth and is now home to midrise office buildings and upscale apartments.

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Long Island Rail Road

9781467163354

$24.99

Long Beach Station stands as one of the most remarkable and enduring landmarks on the Long Island Rail Road.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the oldest railroad in the country still operating under its original name. Of the 126 LIRR railroad stations, two are located on the island of Manhattan with the Long Beach Station being the only other that is not located on geographic Long Island. Situated on the barrier island of Long Beach, trains must travel over a bascule drawbridge, going over the Reynolds Channel waterway, to reach the Long Beach terminal. Train service began in 1880 at Long Beach as a means for city dwellers to get to a beach resort. When the island started to become heavily residential in the early 1900s, the existing station building was erected in 1909. A short walk from the world-renowned boardwalk and the Atlantic oceanfront, this station has an annual ridership of over three million. The ridership spikes during summer months, when the LIRR heavily promotes “Take the Train to the Beach.” The station building is an architectural gem, with three huge brick archways on the front, a Spanish-style roof, and Moravian tiles imbedded in the exterior stucco walls on all four sides.

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Copper Country Streetcars

9780738599861

$24.99

During the early 1900s, copper mining was at its peak in the Copper Country of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Numerous communities sprang up throughout the region, but travel between towns was difficult as the roads were not paved and became impassable during the winter months when over 200 inches of snow would inundate the area. The poor travel conditions and boom period in the Copper Country were instrumental factors that resulted in the construction of a streetcar line to serve the area. Service began in 1900, and the network was extended several times over the next few years. Ridership peaked in 1910, when over six million passengers rode the system; however, it declined in the 1920s as automobiles became more popular, roads were improved, and the copper boom subsided. Service finally ended in 1932. It is a fascinating history that surprises many of today's residents that streetcars operated in the area.

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Union Station in Washington, DC

9780738587530

$24.99

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.

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Slabtown Streetcars

9781467133555

$24.99

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.