Historical account of the growth of the railroad and it's influence on American history.

In the 1800s the railroads changed America and America changed the world. Celebrate the men and women who ran the rails, built the trains and commanded an empire of steel. Originally printed in 1893, this stunning reprinting of the rare classic, The American Railway, is filled with more than 200 gorgeous period illustration of locomotives, brakemen, engineers, rail service, managers and tycoons from the era. Learn how the 19th-century American railroad was constructed, managed and run to become the greatest railway in the world. This stunning reprint is edited and designed by Mark Bussler, director of Expo: Magic of the White City and writer of Tome of Infinity, The World's Fair of 1893 Ultra Massive Photographic Adventure, World War 1: A Dramatic Collection of Images, the Ultra Massive Video Game Console Guide series and Westinghouse.

This richly illustrated encyclopedia of classic and contemporary American railroads features consise histories of 101 U.S. and Canadian railroads past and present. Illustrated with period and modern photography in both color and black and white, evocative print ads, and system maps, each profile is also accompanied by one or more fact boxes offering details on the railroads' geographic scope, hardware, and freight and passenger operations. Spanning more than a century and a half, this giant compendium of “fallen flags,” Class I behemoths, classic regional carriers, and transportation icons is sure to become the go-to compendium for railfans of all stripes.

Great American Railroad Journeys sees the famous brand of social-history-cum-travelogue venture to the New World. Across multiple programmes and using Appleton's General Guide To The United States & Canada as reference, Michael Portillo now undertakes an epic trip by train from New York and Boston on the East Coast down to the Deep South of Atlanta and New Orleans, then on to Chicago, Colorado, New Mexico and ultimately finishing in San Francisco. This lavishly illustrated official tie-in covers each journey Portillo makes across North America and captures the colour, beauty, history and exhilaration experienced when journeying through this incredible continent. Packed with new maps, as well as originals from Appleton's General Guide, this book explores the construction of rail routes across the continent in the 1800s, as a new nation was built by the immigrant masses. Truly this is a colourful and exciting enterprise, with vignettes of revealing social history displaying the rich tapestry of the peoples who established themselves in this vast new world. Great American Railroad Journeys is a must-have purchase for any fan of this unique and award-winning travel series.

One of the most colorful yet neglected eras in American transportation history is re-created in this definitive history of the electric interurbans. Built with the idea of attracting short-distance passenger traffic and light freight, the interurbans were largely constructed in the early 1900s. The rise of the automobile and motor transport caused the industry to decline after World War I, and the depression virtually annihilated the industry by the middle 1930s. Part I describes interurban construction, technology, passenger and freight traffic, financial history, and final decline and abandonment. Part II presents individual histories (with route maps) of the more than 300 companies of the interurban industry. Reviews "A first-rate work of such detail and discernment that it might well serve as a model for all corporate biographies. . . . A wonderfully capable job of distillation." —Trains "Few economic, social, and business historians can afford to miss this definitive study." —Mississippi Valley Historical Review "All seekers after nostalgia will be interested in this encyclopedic volume on the days when the clang, clang of the trolley was the most exciting travel sound the suburbs knew." —Harper's Magazine "A fascinating and instructive chapter in the history of American transportation." —Journal of Economic History "The hint that behind the grand facade of scholarship lies an expanse of boyish enthusiasm is strengthened by a lovingly amassed and beautifully reproduced collection of 37 photographs." —The Nation

This is a comprehensive, illustrated account of the growth and decline of American narrow gauge railroading. It documents a long-gone era, bringing to life ancient steam locomotives, railroads and rolling stock that have mostly disappeared without trace. The basic facts and information on the subject are heavily illustrated with photographs, drawings and maps, presented in an encyclopedia format.