The image of a little red caboose trundling along behind a long freight train is a classic slice of Americana. With the help of nearly 300 marvelous modern and historical images depicting cabooses of all colors, this collection traces the development of this iconic, bygone rolling stock from the nineteenth century to their almost total demise by the mid-1990s. Bobber, cupola, bay window, and transfer cabooses are shown at work across the United States, in the process presenting the grand geographic scope of North American railroading. The photography is accompanied by detailed captions discussing caboose construction, function, history, and locations depicted.

This all-new book explains why cabooses existed, how they were used, and why they eventually disappeared. It will show and explain designs common to regions as well as designs specific to many individual railroads, closing with the common International-built wide-cupola caboose that appeared on railroads across the country.

Identifies more than 170 locomotives and cars, grouped by visual similarity for ease of identification and including statistical data, manufacturing history, and usage by railroads.

This 176-page book tells the complete story of the merger and operation of two of the Southern's great railroads: Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line, and their highly successful operation as Seaboard Coast Line. It carries the story down to the additional consolidation of Louisville & Nashville and Clinchfield Railroads into the system to form Seaboard System, just before its merger with Chessie System to become today's CSX Transportation. Passenger and freight operations and cars are covered in detail as well as all other aspects of the line's operation.

From the first steam-powered locomotives of the early nineteenth century to the high-speed commuter trains of today, the American railroad has been a great engine powering the nations growth and industry. This book celebrates the glory and grandeur of that legacy with a lavish tour of the history of the American railroad and the culture surrounding it. Generously illustrated with vintage photographs, modern images, maps, timetables, tickets, brochures, and all manner of memorabilia, this volume offers a fascinating look at the rail industrys beginnings and development, as well as its place in American history. From the might of the major rail companies and their empires to the romance of rail travel, this is the full and fabulously colorful story of the industry that moved a nation--and stirs our imaginations to this day.

A compilation of the best places to watch trains in operation across North America. Each entry includes a photos, general location, directions from the nearest highway, list of operating railroads, and the type and regularity of trains operating. Also includes railroad radio frequencies, scenic highlights, photography tips, safety considerations and other relevant travel information.

History and development of steam power since 1900, including railroad-by-railroad histories and rosters.

America was made by the railroads. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line -- the first American railroad -- in the 1830s sparked a national revolution in the way that people lived thanks to the speed and convenience of train travel. Promoted by visionaries and built through heroic effort, the American railroad network was bigger in every sense than Europe's, and facilitated everything from long-distance travel to commuting and transporting goods to waging war. It united far-flung parts of the country, boosted economic development, and was the catalyst for America's rise to world-power status. Every American town, great or small, aspired to be connected to a railroad and by the turn of the century, almost every American lived within easy access of a station. By the early 1900s, the United States was covered in a latticework of more than 200,000 miles of railroad track and a series of magisterial termini, all built and controlled by the biggest corporations in the land. The railroads dominated the American landscape for more than a hundred years but by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile, the truck, and the airplane had eclipsed the railroads and the nation started to forget them. In The Great Railroad Revolution, renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary story of the rise and the fall of the greatest of all American endeavors, and argues that the time has come for America to reclaim and celebrate its often-overlooked rail heritage.