Name: New Jersey Central's Blue Comet
Brand: Anthony Puzzilla
SKU: 9781467126540
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

New Jersey Central's Blue Comet

9781467126540

$24.99

The legendary Blue Comet train no longer streaks through the pines of New Jersey. However, its memory still lives on through timeless images and the sustained efforts of historical societies and preservation organizations.

The Garden State's Blue Comet passenger train service operated from 1929 to 1941, on a route from the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. Despite the backdrop of the Great Depression and stiff competition from other railroads, it survived and established an enduring legacy in the annals of New Jersey rails. This book contains memorable images, many from private archival photograph collections, showing the remarkable history of this classic train and of the many hardworking, dedicated people who made it all possible.

Oahu's Narrow-Gauge Army Rail

9781467127387

$24.99

The US Army Corps of Engineers built the first Army railroad on Oahu in 1907 to use for construction of Fort Kamehameha. Seven batteries were built between 1907 and 1920, and the "temporary" railroad not only remained but was expanded to become a permanent one in 1920 with the establishment of the 41st Coast Artillery (Railway). The Oahu Railway & Land Company (OR&L) provided most rail service to the Army, beginning with Fort Shafter in 1905 and Schofield Barracks in 1909. Government tracks were built at Schofield Barracks by the Army between 1922 and 1933, including an independent 60-centimeter "trench" railroad system. Two highly specialized railroads were built at Forts Weaver and Barrette to serve the 16-inch gun batteries. With the advent of World War II, the Army, short on equipment, continued to depend heavily on the OR&L. The OR&L abandoned its main line in December 1947, and the Army's railroads were also soon removed.

Buffalo's Historic Streetcars and Buses

9780738557502

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Buffalo has witnessed the evolution of mass transportation through the decades, from the International Railway Company's streetcars in 1902 to the formation of the Niagara Frontier Transit System (NFT) Metro in 1974. The Great Gorge Route, the world's most famous scenic electric railway, offered passengers unparalleled views of Niagara Falls. By 1950, the NFT became known as one of the most progressive and profitable bus transportation networks in America. In 1985, following mergers between transport companies, streetcars were reinstated, bringing public transportation full circle. After over a century of innovation, Buffalo's mass transportation has proven to be a lasting and venerated testament to the history of the region. Buffalo's Historic Streetcars and Buses is a tribute to the people and equipment that serviced this great city for generations.

Tacoma

9781467103121

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Preceding the state of Washington's admittance to the United States in 1889, Tacoma, located south on Puget Sound, was officially incorporated on November 12, 1875, after the Northern Pacific Railway determined that Tacoma should be the western terminus of its transcontinental line. With this decision, the city began its transformation into the "City of Destiny" and allowed farm products and manufactured items to be brought across the country and shipped to Asia and anywhere on the Pacific Rim. Known for its fishing and logging industries, Tacoma prides itself on being the original world headquarters for the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and the birthplace of Bing Crosby. Today, Tacoma has a population that exceeds 200,000 and is the third-largest city in Washington, preceded by Seattle and Spokane.

Maritime Biloxi

9780738506029

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Site of the landing of Pierre LeMoyne Sieur d'Iberville in February 1699 and the birthplace of the French colony la Louisiane, Biloxi has been nurtured by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico for more than three hundred years. Located almost due north of the mouth of the Mississippi, on a coast laced with small rivers, bays, and bayous, the historic peninsula city owes much of its fortune and growth to the bountiful waters and pleasant salt-air ambiance of the Mississippi Sound. Although Biloxi garnered its earliest fame as a seaside antebellum resort, the arrival of the railroad in 1870 led to the meteoric rise of a seafood industry which, by the end of the nineteenth century, had allowed the city to lay legitimate claim to the title "Seafood Capital of the World." Since the 1880s, a large Biloxi fishing fleet has harvested the Mississippi Sound and adjacent Gulf waters, keeping the city's seafood among the most highly prized in the nation. Today, a bustling new casino gaming industry, resort hotels, and myriad outdoor recreational activities have promoted the city to a world class tourist and retirement destination.

Flatonia

9781467128698

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Flatonia owes its place on the map to the railroad and its name to German immigrant and entrepreneur F.W. Flato. The Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway first traversed southwestern Fayette County in 1874. Inexpensive land along the line attracted farmers and ranchers, and new shipping and trade opportunities enticed merchants. Immigrants of German and Czech origins mingled with Mexican Americans, African Americans, and transplants from the Southeastern United States. These diverse groups were known to brawl one minute and unite in a common cause the next. Flatonia's survival has depended upon its ability to adapt while honoring its heritage. As rail service declined, a location on the coast-to-coast Old Spanish Trail (US Highway 90) provided a steady flow of automobile traffic. Cotton disappeared, but cattle and egg production remained strong. The buildings of the Flatonia Commercial Historic District still retain their late-19th- to early-20th-century charm, earning distinction in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Port of Houston

9781467130769

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To reach the Port of Houston's Turning Basin, a ship must travel 50 miles along a narrow and twisting channel that passes through Galveston Bay, the San Jacinto River, and Buffalo Bayou. Despite this improbable location, Houston has the world's largest landlocked port. Measured by annual tonnage shipped, the Port of Houston is the second-largest port in the United States. Its docks, wharves, and facilities cover more than 25 miles. The port starts its second century as a seaport in 2014. Its transformation from a crowded river port into an industrial giant is fascinating. It is a tale of technology, geography, politics, hard work, and Texas brag--mixed with a little luck.

Prineville

9781467161213

$24.99

Settled in 1868, Prineville was the first community in Central Oregon. Primarily focused on the livestock industry, the area experienced a period of vigilante action in the 1880s and sheep-and-cattle wars just after the turn of the 20th century. Prineville remained the predominant community in the region until about 1915, when major railroads arrived and passed over it. This book showcases key images of Prineville, beginning with its first-known photograph in 1881 up until the early 2000s. /Steve Lent has authored several books on local history and provides historical perspectives to both the past and present photographs.

Cover image for Prineville, isbn: 9781467161213

Vinalhaven Island's Maritime Industries

9781467122542

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Vinalhaven Island has been the home port of a productive commercial fishing fleet for over 200 years. By 1819, Vinalhaven vessels were fishing for cod and herring from Seal Island all the way to Labrador waters. By 1878, Carver's Harbor was lined with docks, fishhouses, a sail loft, a net factory, and the Lane & Libby fish plant. Throughout the 19th century, boats brought bait, salt, and supplies to Vinalhaven and returned with fish and granite from the island's quarries. Lighthouses at Brown's Head, Heron Neck, Saddleback Ledge, Goose Rock, and Matinicus guided mariners through storms. In Vinalhaven shops, boatbuilders constructed small dories, peapods and double-enders, masted schooners, and lobster boats, as well as the 365-ton Margaret M. Ford. Passenger ferries played an important role as the primary link between Vinalhaven and the mainland. The island has long been a successful center of maritime economic activity, so it is no surprise that islanders call it "the center of the universe."

Lake Winnipesaukee

9780738523552

$24.99

Documenting the history of Lake Winnipesaukee from its early Native American heritage to the lasting legacy of the first American settlers.

A world unto itself, Lake Winnipesaukee and its environs have attracted and sustained a variety of cultures over the past centuries from early American Indian tribes to New World settlers to today's seasonal tourists. Whether Indian hunter, aspiring pioneer or modern-day angler, each, in turn, fell for the region's wild allure: its sheer natural beauty, fertile soils, and waters teeming with an assortment of fish, including great quantities of shad, salmon, pickerel, smelt, and trout. Within this magnificent setting, scores of hardy and resolute frontier men and women worked tirelessly to fashion homes and towns along the bays, tributaries, islands and shoreline of the lake.

With over 150 accompanying illustrations, the many stories recorded in this unique volume evoke memories of a simpler way of life, when the lake was evolving from a scattering of humble villages, like Laconia, Meredith, and Wolfeboro, and just beginning to toy with a budding tourist industry. Readers of many generations will enjoy reliving the early summer camps, upstart businesses and the variety of entertainment and recreation the lake's waters have provided, such as canoe trips, steamships rides and ski boat adventures.

Chattanooga's Transportation Heritage

9781467110266

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Chattanooga's 138-year public transportation heritage is a complex and colorful conglomeration of some 32 companies that were initially comprised of horse-drawn streetcar lines. They were later upgraded to electric traction operations, steam dummy lines, and finally to the motor-coach buses of today. Chattanooga's transit story has been unique from its inception. Few cities have had any connection to the incline railways that were constructed in this mountainous city, one of which, the famous Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, is still in daily operation. Today's CARTA transit system has innovated one of the largest fleets of battery-operated electric buses, which other transit companies use as their model for comparison.

Willmar

9781467128605

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

It was the 1850s when the first settlers arrived in the area that would become Willmar, Minnesota. Encouraged by the land itself, they came for the fertile soil and the beauty and serenity provided by the landscape. Calamity would strike in 1862 due to the Dakota War, causing residents to flee for safer pastures. In 1869, the Great Northern Railroad would again call settlers to Kandiyohi County. Most of Scandinavian descent, this hardy lot would not be driven from the land again. In 1870, acting as agent for the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, Leon Chadwick Willmar purchased the title to Section 1 of Willmar Township. The following year, Willmar was officially named a city and became the county seat of Kandiyohi County. As the years passed from then to now, Willmar residents would face success and challenge, feast and famine, and partnership and controversy. No matter the circumstance, they would band together to face whatever arrived and join together in both celebration and sorrow.

Gladstone

9781467103022

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Gladstone, Oregon, is located at the confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers and was once the northern half of the historic town of Oregon City. Gladstone came to prominence as the site of the first Oregon State Fair, the first Clackamas County Fair, the first railroad bridge in Oregon, and the first river crossing of the first interurban trolley west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1869, Gladstone witnessed Ben Holladay, of Pony Express-Overland Stage fame, challenge both his competitors and the Clackamas River in the great north-south railroad race. From 1894 to 1927, Gladstone became known as the "Mother Chautauqua of the West," where orators such as William Jennings Bryan and Rev. Billy Sunday held thousands of attendees spellbound in Gladstone Park. Founded by Judge Harvey E. Cross, Gladstone incorporated in 1911 and steadily grew because of its scenic setting, cultural offerings, and ease of transportation to employment at the Oregon City Mills. The excitement of first events and famous visitors may be over, but Gladstone remains, today, a thriving, family-oriented community proud of its past.

Portland's Maritime History

9781467130844

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Portland is not only the site of numerous marine terminals along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers but also home to much of our American maritime history. Portland shipbuilding started in 1840 with construction of the schooner Star of Oregon. Over 100 years later, three Portland shipyards would build 621 ships for the war effort. Both before and after World War II, several steel and iron companies used the harbors in Portland for their manufacturing. Aside from production, Portland ships over 13 million tons of cargo every year and is the biggest shipper of wheat in the United States. The city displays this maritime history along its beautiful rivers.

Tennessee River and Northwest Alabama

9781467129824

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

This pictorial history illustrates the Tennessee River's influence on Northwest Alabama and people, places, and events that have shaped the area's cultural and natural history.

For centuries, the Tennessee River has shaped the lives of northwest Alabamians. Native peoples made their homes on its shores, living on the rich resources found in its waters and on its banks. Early Europeans and Americans recognized the river's importance in connecting east with west, although traveling the 40-mile stretch of rocky shoals between present-day Decatur and Florence was difficult. Overcoming that navigation challenge led to such 19th-century technological advances as the Tuscumbia, Courtland & Decatur Railroad--the first rail line west of the Appalachian Mountains--and the Muscle Shoals Canal. During the Civil War, skirmishes over control of factories, rail lines, and bridges characterized most military activity in northwest Alabama. In the 20th century, the construction of Wilson Dam and the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority improved the quality of life and increased economic opportunities in northwest Alabama.