Images of Rail

Name: Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, and Muskegon Railway
Brand: David Kindem
SKU: 9781467113595
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

The Images of Rail American history book series showcases the history of railroads, trolleys, and transportation during the 19th and 20th centuries. Travel on the Sunnyside Yard and Hell Gate Bridge and learn about the unlikely success of America's oldest continuously operating railroad. Witness the building of Grand Central Terminal, take Horseshoe Curve through the Allegheny Mountains, or visit the copper deposits along the Nevada Northern Railway. From the Pennsylvania Main Line railroad stations to the railroads of Death Valley, these train images and railroad pictures document many of America’s most impressive engineering marvels. [View all Images of Rail books]

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Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, and Muskegon Railway

$24.99

Railroading in Conneaut

$24.99

Railroad Depots of Northern Indiana

$24.99

The Ann Arbor Railroad

Railroad Depots of Southwest Ohio

$24.99

Copper Country Streetcars

$24.99

Electric Trolleys of Washtenaw County

$24.99

Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana

$24.99

Sioux City Railroads

$24.99

Canton Area Railroads

$24.99

Whitewater Valley Railroad

$24.99

Akron Railroads

$24.99

St. Louis Gateway Rail

$24.99

Rockford & Interurban Railway

$24.99

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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.

Railroading in Conneaut

9780738523460

$24.99

Conneaut, Ohio, a major Lake Erie harbor town, fortified the industrial and economic growth of the Great Lakes area during the "Golden Age" of railroading. Three major railroads, the Nickel Plate Road, the New York Central, and the Bessemer & Lake Erie hauled people, iron ore, and coal in and out of Conneaut. Written in cooperation with the Conneaut Historical Railroad Museum and the Conneaut Area Historical Society, this book preserves Conneaut's rich rail and shipping history in vintage photographs. The town itself is beautifully captured in images of lighthouses, buildings, festivals, and people.

Railroad Depots of Northern Indiana

9780738541310

$24.99

Take a historic excursion across a state that is often mistaken as the home of grain and corn production, and little more.

Countless manufacturing centers in northern Indiana strengthened the economic fabric of Hoosier land. The railroads that criss-crossed northern Indiana were instrumental in populating the small towns and larger cities by employing thousands over the course of many years. Through photographs of depots, freight houses, and other railroad structures, long demolished yet an integral part of community development, Railroad Depots of Northern Indiana reviews the history of the cities and towns that used the rail to transport raw materials and finished manufactured products across the state to markets such as Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. This book also tells the story of a short line railroad and the commodities it has transported for the past century, as well as the longest-existing interurban, still operating just south of Lake Michigan, the resilient South Shore Line.

The Ann Arbor Railroad

9780738534299

$24.99

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

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).

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.

Railroads of Dubuque

9780738539577

$24.99

The city of Dubuque, settled on the west side of the Mississippi River in 1833, has historically been home to four major railways and numerous trolleys and passenger trains. Dubuque's railroad legacy was precipitated by local resident John Plumbe Jr., "the Father of the Transcontinental Railroad," who proposed a transcontinental railroad in 1838 and promoted the idea throughout the Midwest. The Illinois Central Railroad first reached the east bank of the Mississippi in 1855, followed by the Milwaukee Road, the Chicago and Great Western, and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroads. This book uses rare photographs and historical text to chronicle the development and heyday of these four pioneering railways, as well as Dubuque's many trolleys and its two funicular railroads. While the glory days of Dubuque's railroads may have passed, the legacy they brought to the city lives on, and is evident in the Fourth Street Elevator, which remains the world's shortest, steepest railroad.

Railroad Depots of Southwest Ohio

9780738584157

$24.99

Springfield was the original destination of the two oldest railroad companies to lay rails in Ohio, the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad and the Little Miami Railroad. This would form the first rail link between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Other routes became more important as rails eventually spread like spokes of a wheel from Cincinnati, and connections were made to Akron, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Lexington, Louisville, Marietta, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Toledo as well as many other cities by the late 1800s. Hundreds of depots were erected to serve train travelers, ranging from the smallest shelter to the standard combined passenger-freight building to the major city passenger terminal. Cincinnati, Dayton, and Springfield became railroad centers, and towns like Blanchester, Hamilton, Loveland, Middletown, Morrow, Wilmington, and Xenia, served by more than one line, became busy transfer points. With the decline of rail passenger service, depots became unnecessary--many were demolished. Railroad Depots of Southwest Ohio presents a pictorial look at a sampling of these grand structures when they were in their prime.

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.

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.

Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana

9780738539584

$24.99

Did you know that Greene County in Indiana has one of the longest land-crossing railroad trestles in the Midwest?

Are you aware that the Southern Railway once used half of the railroad tunnels in the state? Indiana's first railroad, built in Shelbyville, was only a mile long, but in 1847, completion of a major steam railroad from Madison to Indianapolis made the state's capital a center of transportation. Unlike canals, railroads could be built just about anywhere. Southern Indiana's quickly growing network of rail lines was able to haul tons of goods at low cost, and enabled settlers to travel great distances in a single day. Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana takes the reader on a journey through the towns and cities that shape Indiana's railroad lore. Images depict regional rail history from the inner workings of now demolished depots to one of the oldest "short lines" in Indiana. Through more than 200 vintage photographs, author David E. Longest documents locomotives, rail equipment, the moving of stock, depots, rail stations, and freight houses, and finishes with a tour of the rail museums and excursions that still allow tourists and aficionados to "ride the rails."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rockford & Interurban Railway

9781467112390

$24.99

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