Name: The Rise and Fall of Pennsylvania Station
Brand: Gregory Bilotto
SKU: 9781467105347
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

The Rise and Fall of Pennsylvania Station

9781467105347

$24.99

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

The Rise and Fall of Pennsylvania Station

Southern Pacific's Slim Princess

9781467108782

$23.99

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

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal

9781467160902

$24.99

The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) Terminal operated for nearly 80 years from 1869 until 1967. It served as the main passenger terminal for the CRRNJ and its tenant Class I railroads serving the New York City metropolitan area. For approximately two-thirds of the 12–17 million new citizens that successfully passed through the Ellis Island Immigration Station between 1892 and 1954, the CRRNJ Terminal became their gateway to America. In addition, the terminal became the New York City origination/destination point for the CRRNJ and its tenant Class I railroads and their famous named trains. These trains were, and are still today, widely renowned in the annals of American railroading.

Anthony Puzzilla is a retired federal government employee after 43 years of service. He is now a full-time writer, as well as a railfan and model train lover. He is a member of the Jersey Central Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society, and the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society. This book contains memorable images, many from the author’s own private photograph collection, showing the remarkable history of this notable railroad terminal.

Cover image for Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, isbn: 9781467160902

The North Shore Line

9781467108966

$23.99

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

Southern Pacific in California

9780738582078

$24.99

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

The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway

9781467108010

$23.99

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

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

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

Railroad Depots of Northwest Pennsylvania

9781467105774

$24.99

From 1860 until the decline of the railroads nearly 100 years later, Pennsylvania led the nation in railroad miles. The zenith came in 1920, when the state boasted 11,500 miles of track. The northwest corner of the state was home to the Pennsylvania oil rush in the late 19th century, coal mines, timber forests, and stone quarries. The landscape was dotted with railroad depots every couple of miles. These depots were waypoints for business transactions, family reunions, outings to amusement parks, and soldiers leaving for or returning from service; they also became hangouts for pickpockets, targets for nighttime burglars, and sometimes storage sheds for explosives. Although Pennsylvania still has over 5,000 miles of track, only a few stations remain, and most of them have been repurposed as museums and businesses. This book captures the stories these stations told when rail was king in the early 20th century.

Railroad Depots of Northwest Pennsylvania

New York Central's St. Lawrence Division

9781467106061

$24.99

The New York Central System was a huge, 10,000-mile railroad in the Northeast, stretching from New York City to Chicago and Boston to St. Louis. This book focuses on the St. Lawrence Division as it was during the 1940s-1960s; this was the glory period of its greatest modern-day years. This non-main line division, located in Upstate New York, contained more than 600 miles of track, including branches and running rights. The mid-20th century was a time of enormous change in the railroad industry. New technology affording economy, competition in transportation, reduced labor, and politics would be some of the factors leading to the change. Neighboring division crews had great respect for their "Hojack" colleagues, as was the division's nickname.

New York Central's St. Lawrence Division

The Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass

9781467125192

$29.99

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

The Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass

Virginia & Truckee Railroad

9781467107419

$23.99

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

Northern Central Railway

9781467103442

$23.99

The Northern Central Railway (NCR), completed to Sunbury in 1858, was a Class 1 railroad that connected Baltimore City, Maryland, to Sunbury, Pennsylvania. In 1861, the Pennsylvania Railroad acquired controlling interest in the railway. It became such a vital transportation link during the Civil War that it had to be guarded constantly by Union forces. In June 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes heavily damaged much of the NCR right-of-way in Pennsylvania and all but destroyed the right-of-way in Maryland. Then under control of Penn Central, it was decided to repair only the tracks in Pennsylvania and abandon the Maryland section from Cockeysville to the Maryland state line. The majority of the route in Maryland is now the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail in Baltimore County, and the portion in York County, Pennsylvania, is now the Heritage Rail Trail. The extreme southern end of the line from Baltimore City to Cockeysville in Maryland is now used by MTA-Baltimore Light Rail system.

Colorado and Southern Railway

9780738529295

$24.99

In 1860, thousands journeyed to the Colorado Territory, beckoned by reports of gold discoveries in the mountains west of Denver. In the early 1870s, W.A.H. Loveland built a railroad connecting Denver to the Clear Creek Mining District-the Colorado Central Railroad. Over the next 28 years, other lines were established, bought, sold, extended, and merged to service the mining towns of Black Hawk, Central City, Idaho Springs, and Silver Plume. In 1898, the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf, and the Denver Leadville & Gunnison were combined to form the Colorado & Southern Railway. After more than 40 years of dedication to the Clear Creek District, the railroad was scrapped in 1941. However, tourism would revitalize the area, and in the years to come a group of enthusiasts began to rebuild a portion of the old right of way. Toady, the spirit of the C&S is alive again, and rail fans can make the same journey over "The Loop" that thrilled tourists a century ago.

Nevada Northern Railway

9780738574752

$24.99

The Nevada Northern Railway is the sole survivor from a grand era when railroads served mines throughout the state. Built in 1905-1906 to develop the incredible copper deposits of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company in White Pine County, it was--and still is--a workaday railroad. Although its primary purpose was to haul ore, it eventually served the community with a daily passenger train between East Ely and Cobre until 1941. Over 4.5 million people rode the trains, and a mountain of copper ore was moved. In 1983, the Nevada Northern Railway ceased operating, and two years later the entire ore line, including the railroad's yard and shop facilities in East Ely, was donated to the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation that now operates the railway as a museum. Instead of relics in glass cases or repainted old equipment on static display, the museum preserves a working steam railroad, delighting train enthusiasts year-round with passenger service and special seasonal excursions.

Western & Atlantic Railroad

9781467103398

$24.99

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

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

Cover image for Western & Atlantic Railroad, isbn: 9781467103398

East Broad Top Railroad

9780738557540

$24.99

Chartered in 1856, the East Broad Top Railroad began operating in 1873 through scenic Huntingdon County in south-central Pennsylvania. This well-managed narrow-gauge railroad connected the isolated Broad Top Mountain coal field with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Mount Union. With a decline in the hauling of coal, service ended in 1956. Nick Kovalchick, president of the Kovalchick Salvage Company of Indiana, Pennsylvania, purchased the railroad and reopened a portion of it as a tourist line in 1960. Through vintage photographs, East Broad Top Railroad showcases the steam locomotives, rolling stock, and railroad yard at Rockhill Furnace, which is the most historic railroad yard in North America.

Railroad Depots of East Central Ohio

9781467129398

$23.99

The hilly Alleghany Plateau of eastern Ohio was crossed by a number of primarily east-west rail lines heading toward Chicago, St. Louis, and ports on the Mississippi River during the latter part of the 19th century. These lines, eventually part of the Baltimore & Ohio, Erie, New York Central, Nickel Plate, and Pennsylvania systems, were joined by shorter lines extending from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, most notably the Wheeling & Lake Erie, designed to tap the coal and clay riches of the region. In order to serve the populace, railroad depots were needed. Smaller communities like Dalton and Dundee received typical combination depots designed to provide passenger, baggage, and freight accommodations. Separate passenger and freight depots were erected in larger communities, including Ashland and Canton. The arrival of the automobile brought a decline to local passenger service and a closing of depots. Some depots continued to serve the railroads in other ways and others were sold and moved from trackside, but many were demolished. Few remain today.

Reading Trains and Trolleys

9780738535142

$24.99

Reading Trains and Trolleys documents the impact of railroad and trolley networks on Reading and adjoining communities.

Rail transportation has been part of daily life in Reading since the 1830s. Reading Trains and Trolleys portrays the good old days of the Philadelphia & Reading Railway (reorganized as the Reading Company in 1923), the Schuylkill Valley Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Mount Penn Gravity Railroad, the Neversink Mountain Railroad, the Reading City Passenger Railway, and the Reading Traction Company. The Reading Railroad gained widespread recognition as a property for sale on the Monopoly board, but the history of trains and trolleys in Reading goes well beyond that iconography. Reading Trains and Trolleys documents the impact of railroad and trolley networks on Reading and adjoining communities, including photographs of the interior of the locomotive shop and the carbarn at Tenth and Exeter Streets, views of the Walnut Street yard before and after the Outer Station was constructed, and views from the Swinging Bridge, which spanned the yard by the Outer Station. The Historical Society of Berks County's collection of rail photographs includes many never-before-published images of diverse scenes in and around Reading.

San Diego and Arizona Railway

9780738581484

$24.99

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

Long Island Rail Road

9781467106900

$23.99

East of Babylon, the 75-mile segment of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stretching from Bay Shore to Montauk is a non-electrified stretch of double-track to Sayville, where it becomes single-track to Montauk. Presently, there are 16 active passenger stations along the route. In years past, there was a total of 32 passenger stations and a signal tower. Several highly significant historic events occurred at stations on this branch. At Montauk Station, Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders disembarked for quarantine upon return from Cuba during the Spanish-American War. At Amagansett Station, Nazi spies purchased train tickets in 1942 for travel to New York City with the intent to engage in acts of sabotage. It was at Westhampton Station that valiant firefighters prevented the building from being destroyed during the 1995 Long Island wildfire. During summer months, ridership on the east end of the branch increases dramatically in order to serve persons vacationing at east end resorts, where they can enjoy quaint shops and the beautiful beaches.

Maine's Two-Footer Railroads

9781467109376

$24.99

Beginning in 1932, Linwood W. Moody (1905-1983) documented in photographs and collected artifacts of Maine's two-footer railroads. A pioneer of railroad photography, his work led to articles in numerous publications such as Railroad Magazine and later culminated in Linwood's 1959 publication The Maine Two-Footers . Among his personal effects at the time of his death in 1983 were hundreds of photographs of three of the Maine two-footers--the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway; the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad; and the Monson Railroad. The state of Maine was unique in regards to its narrow-gauge railroads. Most railroads in the United States have a width of four feet, eight and one half inches between the rails, known as standard gauge. Due to the efforts of George Mansfield, a railroad promoter of the late 1800s, a very narrow gauge of two feet between the rails was successfully developed in the state of Maine.

Cover image for Maine's Two-Footer Railroads, isbn: 9781467109376

Greensboro Depot

9781467109062

$24.99

Greensboro, North Carolina, is but one of many cities located on former Southern Railway’s Washington-to-Atlanta mainline. Greensboro is not the largest city between these points, but it has the distinction today of having the largest and finest Southern Railway passenger station after Washington. Greensboro has a colorful railroad history that begins in the 1850s and endures to this day. The large depot was built in the mid-1920s to serve the tremendous passenger rail traffic that passed through Greensboro. Its grandeur overshadowed every other depot in the state. Today, thanks not only to Amtrak, which remains to serve the city, but also to the passenger train service that the North Carolina Department of Transportation actively promotes to serve throughout the state, the depot continues to flourish as an icon of Greensboro.

Cover image for Greensboro Depot, isbn: 9781467109062

Macon Terminal Station

9781467103015

$24.99

Macon is certainly not the largest railroad hub in the country--not even in Georgia. Yet in the early 1900s, with nearly 100 daily passenger trains, it had nothing about which to be ashamed. In those years, the nation's railroads dominated and, as was befitting, they flaunted their grandeur by building lavish passenger stations. In the South, virtually all of Macon's counterparts had been blessed with new eye-inviting stations. Macon, however, was still being served by what the local media described as a "ramshackle structure" (the 1855 Union Depot) and a "little dingy smoky structure" (the equally embarrassing Southern Railway depot). This all changed on December 1, 1916, when Macon Terminal Station's doors were thrown open to an eagerly awaiting populace. This book traces the events that began some 78 years before, in 1838, with the entry of Macon's first railroad line and led to the creation of Macon's downtown treasure.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey

9780738565767

$24.99

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

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

The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey

Mount Lowe Railway

9780738547534

$24.99

Opened with great fanfare on July 4, 1893, the Mount Lowe Incline Railway was hailed as "Earth's Grandest Mountain Ride." Built by Civil War balloonist Thaddeus S. C. Lowe and railroad engineer David J. Macpherson in the mountains above Altadena and Pasadena in Los Angeles County, this funicular was operated for 43 years and served nearly four million passengers from around the world. Where else could one find four hotels, an observatory, the world's largest searchlight, a dance hall, miniature golf, a zoo, horseback riding, tennis, and snowcapped peaks, all within a day's journey from the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles? The San Gabriel Mountains continue to be a great natural resource and recreational escape for many Angelenos, but the spectacular railway lives on only in these vintage photographs.

When Atlanta Took the Train

9781467128223

$26.99

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

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

Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads

9781467116855

$24.99

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

Rhode Island Trolleys

9781467129749

$24.99

The history of the trolley in Rhode Island is a fascinating and intriguing subject. Rhode Island had one of the richest and most modern trolley systems in all of New England, with historic Providence as its nucleus. In 1865, a horsecar line began providing service from Market Square in Providence to Olneyville. The evolution from horse-drawn cars pulled along a track to the electrification of the system took many years. By 1895, almost all horse-drawn cars were replaced by a robust electric trolley network of routes reaching all parts of the state. By 1954, electrified trolleys were in decline and were being replaced with gasoline-powered buses. Little remains but some images of the once beloved trolley system and its importance to those who depended on it. Through these images, one can take the trolley from Westerly to Watch Hill or ride from Providence to Rocky Point on the Buttonwoods line and be brought back to a time full of wonderment worth remembering.

Yreka Western Railroad

9780738574301

$24.99

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

The Virginia Creeper in Ashe County

9780738588148

$24.99

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

Railroads of Nevada County

9781467128452

$24.99

The Central Pacific Railroad was the first railroad to enter Nevada County as it constructed eastward in 1865. At the base of the eastern slope of Donner Pass, the railroad established a construction camp, now known as Truckee, before following the Truckee River to the Nevada state line. Truckee became home to expansive locomotive facilities for helper locomotives on trains westbound over Donner Pass after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Through the end of the 19th century, additional railroads were constructed, bringing the outside world closer to the remote corners of the county. Railroads like the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad and Nevada County Traction Company served the gold rush-era boomtowns of Grass Valley and Nevada City. Lumber companies like the Towle Brothers and the Sierra Nevada Wood & Lumber Company brought rail into the forests and filled the demand for lumber throughout the region.

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

9781467113267

$24.99

Having whistled its first "all aboard" in 1988, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway now rambles alongside the Toccoa's clear waters, treating 50,000-plus sightseers annually to verdant mountain scenery. This former Cherokee land's pioneers carved homesteads from rough terrain, doggedly hauling goods via mule wagon. The discovery of rich copper veins in nearby Polk County, Tennessee, attracted an influx of settlers, but before they could enjoy an Industrial Age boom including rail for faster freight movement, they would endure route changes, bankruptcies, and land-rights issues. As Fannin, Polk, and surrounding counties neared the 20th century, the long-anticipated railroad arrived, and with it prosperity. This is a photographic history of the copper miners, shop owners, homesteaders, and railroad workers who made these mountains their homes, often for many proud generations.

The Cheyenne Depot

9781467105316

$24.99

Twenty years after Cheyenne was founded by Union Pacific, the city had outgrown its three-room board-and-batten depot and began to lobby for a new, grander building that better represented the lustrous community. Union Pacific agreed, and in 1886, construction began on the lavish three-story passenger depot and headquarters for the division. The Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot, designated a national historic landmark in 2006, endures proudly as a symbol of the Magic City and the lasting partnership between the city and the railroad that build it. It continues to serve as Cheyenne's gathering place, a center of activism, and an enduring symbol of the city itself. While the state capitol just down the street stands as a symbol for the state of Wyoming, the Union Pacific Depot belongs to Cheyenne alone.

Roaring Camp Railroads

9781467129961

$24.99

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

Railroads of the Columbia River Gorge

9780738529165

$24.99

Before the rails were up and running along the stunning Columbia River landscape of Oregon and Washington, 19th-century westward travelers faced treacherous conditions. Many emigrants perished before reaching Oregon Territory. Only recently have railways bridged the wide gap formed millions of years ago. Today the gorge remains the major commercial route through the Cascades, and the tracks are a shining example of human engineering and a mecca for rail enthusiasts. Mount Hood, Union Pacific, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains seem to connect in a magical way with the land, blasting out of raw, rock-faced tunnels, gliding under bridges, snaking along the edges of towns and along the big river, always rolling somewhere distant, symbolic of our national connectedness--and our restlessness.