Images of Rail
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Ebook
(2)
Railroads of Hillsboro
by D. C. Jesse Burkhardt
Part of the Images of Rail series
Hillsboro, Oregon, always seemed destined to be an important railroad town. When the first trains arrived in Hillsboro in 1871 under the banner of the Oregon & California Railroad, the town began to develop into a key railroad junction point. Hillsboro was strategically located just 20 miles from the booming Portland metropolis, a regional center of manufacturing and trade, and by 1911, Hillsboro was where several rail lines branched off. One line headed west toward Tillamook, where the railroad tapped rich timber resources along the Oregon coast. Another line cut south into the fertile Willamette Valley, accessing prime agricultural lands that produced a bounty of wheat and other commodities. A third route carried passengers and goods to and from Portland and the neighboring communities of Cornelius and Forest Grove. As these routes developed, heavy volumes of freight began rolling into Hillsboro. At the same time, travelers moved through Hillsboro on passenger trains, including the Southern Pacific Railroad's famed "Red Electrics" and the Oregon Electric Railway's interurbans, which advertised passenger service with "no soot and no cinders."
Ebook
(0)
Portland's Streetcars
by Richard Thompson
Part of the Images of Rail series
Street railways arrived early in Portland and made lasting social and economic contributions that are still apparent in the layout and character of the city's neighborhoods today. During the 1890s, streetcar lines spread rapidly into the West Hills and across the Willamette River. The technological prowess of the growing "Rose City" was reflected in the largest horsecar in the Northwest, the second steepest cable car grade in the nation, the first true interurban railway, and an annual illuminated trolley parade. By the dawn of the 20th century, Portland could boast of the largest electric railway system in the West, as well as its first eight-wheeled streetcar. The streetcars lasted into the late 1950s here, and then, after a hiatus of nearly 30 years, were rediscovered by a new generation of urban planners.
Ebook
(0)
Slabtown Streetcars
by Richard Thompson
Part of the Images of Rail series
No area of Portland, Oregon, played a more important role in street railway history than Northwest Portland and the neighborhood known as Slabtown. In 1872, the city's first streetcars passed close to Slabtown as they headed for a terminus in the North End. Slabtown was also home to the first streetcar manufacturing factory on the West Coast. In fact, until locally built streetcars began to be replaced by trolleys from large national builders in the 1910s, more than half of all rolling stock was manufactured in shops located at opposite ends of Northwest Twenty-third Avenue. All streetcars operating on the west side of the Willamette River, including those used on the seven lines that served Northwest Portland, were stored in Slabtown. When the end finally came in 1950, Slabtown residents were riding two of the last three city lines.
Ebook
(0)
Revisiting the Long Island Rail Road
1925-1975
by David Keller
Part of the Images of Rail series
Planned and chartered on April 24, 1834, the Long Island Rail Road commenced operations in 1836 to provide a route to Boston. Stretching 110 miles east of New York City, the Long Island Rail Road has been the backbone of population growth and suburban development for over a hundred years. Electrification was begun on the Long Island Rail Road in 1905. Whether it was commuter, freight, or special trains, third-rail operations played a major role in the Long Island Rail Road's development as well as the people, places, and industries it served. This book offers an insider's view of the Morris Park shops and photographs of the varied passenger operations found on the Long Island Rail Road.
Ebook
(0)
Delaware Valley Railway
1901-1937
by Michelle Jacques
Part of the Images of Rail series
From 1901 to 1937, the lone engine of the Delaware Valley Railway chugged up and down its solitary track, from the Stroudsburgs to Bushkill. It was a time of heady prospects as the resorts of the Delaware Water Gap pushed north up the valley. Modest farmhouses became vacation boardinghouses, and some then blossomed into grand hotels. The railway brought in vacationers by the carload, but it was not just about tourism. The dinkey hauled in coal for winter heat and hauled out lumber, dairy, and farm produce that kept the farmers in cash. Farm children commuted to town to earn their high school degrees. For more than a generation, the dinkey's whistle blowing over the valley linked its people and places.
Ebook
(5)
The Long Island Railroad
1925-1975
by David Keller
Part of the Images of Rail series
Chartered on April 24, 1834, as a route from Brooklyn to Boston, the Long Island Rail Road commenced in 1836 with service between Brooklyn and Jamaica, New York. The railroad has linked Long Island and New York City through several periods of increasing immigration and population beginning in the 1880s. Farmers and fishermen have depended on the railroad for their livelihood, and every summer thousands of tourists flock to Long Island beaches on the Long Island Rail Road. It is still the nation's largest commuter railroad, transporting an average of over two hundred fifty thousand commuters daily. The Long Island Rail Road: 1925-1975 offers a behind-the-scenes look at freight and passenger activities and the people who worked on the railroad. These one-of-a-kind photographs depict structures no longer in use, such as towers, water tanks, and crossing shanties, as well as electric motive power and other facets of a working railroad.
Ebook
(4)
Strasburg Rail Road
by Eric S. Conner
Part of the Images of Rail series
When the Strasburg Rail Road was chartered in 1832, no one anticipated the myriad of obstacles the short line would encounter. What began as an afterthought in the early 19th century eventually became one of America's premier steam train excursions and the most visited heritage railroad in the continental United States. By 1957, the declining condition of its rails and the lack of freight and passenger service seemed to mark the end of the railroad, but it was given new life in 1958, and not even the wildest imagination foresaw the remarkable transformation and development this "Methuselah of railroads" would undergo. This book chronicles the unlikely success of America's oldest continuously operating railroad. Explore how and why Strasburg's four-and-a-half-mile line survived, and discover the story behind its ascension to prominence as an iconic, internationally known, small-town steam railroad.
Ebook
(2)
Tooele Valley Railroad
by Emma Louise Penrod
Part of the Images of Rail series
Shortly after the International Smelter offered economic salvation to Tooele's struggling desert community, the Tooele Valley Railroad became the town artery. Though originally built in 1908 to connect the smelter to the Union Pacific and Western Pacific lines west of town, the railroad became central to daily life. Hundreds of local workers rode it to and from work each day. As technology continued to change Tooele, the Tooele Valley Railroad shared Vine Street with the first automobiles-safety precautions required that the caboose, with a horn mounted to warn motorists, lead the oncoming train. However, the smelter's decades of prosperity proved short-lived, and by the 1930s, the town had fallen on difficult times once again. The railroad outlived the smelter, but operations ceased in the early 1980s, and the city had the abandoned tracks removed.
Ebook
(0)
Johnstown Trolleys and Incline
by Kenneth C. Springirth
Part of the Images of Rail series
The Johnstown flood on May 31, 1889, virtually demolished the horse car lines of the Johnstown Passenger Railway Company, resulting in the system being rebuilt with electric trolley cars. Johnstown Trolleys and Incline covers the history of the trolley car system, trackless trolleys, and the Johnstown Inclined Plane. Johnstown was the last small city in the United States to operate a variety of vintage and modern trolley cars along with trackless trolleys. The Johnstown incline played a key role in transporting residents to higher ground in the devastating floods of 1936 and 1977. Ridership declined with the coming of the automobile and the changing industrial scene in the region. Rail enthusiasts from all parts of the country came to Johnstown on its last day of trolley service in 1960, and the last runs are fully illustrated in these vintage photographs.
Ebook
(3)
Rails in and around Saratoga Springs
by Richard (Dick) Chait
Part of the Images of Rail series
Saratoga Springs is special. Its reputation goes back to 1767 when Native Americans brought Sir William Johnson to the area for the healing powers of the High Rock Spring. From this humble beginning, the popularity of Saratoga Springs and its many mineral water springs grew from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. Railroads played a key role in that growth. The first train entered Saratoga Springs in 1832. Regularly scheduled passenger trains made Saratoga Springs more accessible, and as a result, it grew by leaps and bounds. Beautiful train stations welcomed visitors, the Saratoga Race Course opened, large bathhouses were constructed, the Grand Union and other luxurious hotels awaited overnight guests, and many people from all walks of life visited the casino in historic Congress Park. Visits to historic locations such as Mount McGregor and North Creek were made easier by train. Along with the railroads in and around Saratoga Springs, this book also includes historic highlights of those locations.
Ebook
(1)
South Dakota Railroads
by Mike Wiese
Part of the Images of Rail series
The arrival of the railroad in South Dakota is directly responsible for the population boom and town development the state experienced in the early 1900s. Enticed by the promise of opportunity, many immigrants and East Coast residents hopped on the train and headed west, many settling in South Dakota. Railroads opened the doorway and made the West what it has become. Using over 200 images, authors Mike Wiese and Tom Hayes take the reader on a historic tour of the depots, trains, and wrecks that defined South Dakota railroading in the early part of the 20th century. Drawing on their immense collections of images and postcards, they tell a story of railroad development and local history in South Dakota.
Ebook
(1)
Florida Railroads in the 1920's
by Gregg Turner
Part of the Images of Rail series
Florida's railroads emerged in the 1830s amid Native American upheaval and territorial colonization. Many periods of development marked this fascinating heritage, but one era towers above the rest: the 1920s. It was then that Florida experienced a colossal land boom, one of the greatest migration and building stories in American history. People poured into the state as never before, real estate traded hands at breakneck speed, and the landscape added countless new homes, hotels, apartments, and commercial buildings. Florida's biggest railroads--the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Florida East Coast--were unprepared for the tidal wave of traffic. Thus, the "Big Three" had to rapidly expand and increase capacity. Dozens of projects unfolded at great cost, by one estimate over $100 million. When the building frenzy ended, the railway map of the state stood at its greatest extent--some 5,700 miles. Further, the frequency of railway service within and to the Sunshine State reached an unprecedented level, never again to be repeated.
Ebook
(1)
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads
by Robert L. MacDonald
Part of the Images of Rail series
The narrow gauge railroad arrived in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Based on the Welsh two-foot gauge, the American narrow gauge was expanded by railroad engineers to a three-foot gauge that became the standard track width for narrow gauge railroads in the United States. Maine, however, adopted the two-foot gauge that was developed by George E. Mansfield in Massachusetts. The narrow track width was ideally suited to the mountainous terrain, and the maneuverability of the trains proved highly beneficial to companies and passengers traveling to remote locations. The narrow gauge railroad served Maine for over fifty years until the early 1940s.Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads is a comprehensive pictorial record of the history of the narrow gauge railroad in Maine. From the one-hundred-twelve-mile Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad to the five-mile Kennebec Central, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads features the toy like miniature trains of Maine as they appeared at different stages in their history. The Bridgton and Harrison Railroad, the Monson Railroad, and the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway lines are documented within, as well as the current restoration projects that are under way.
Ebook
(3)
Akron Railroads
by Craig Sanders
Part of the Images of Rail series
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.
Ebook
(1)
Willamette Valley Railways
by Richard Thompson
Part of the Images of Rail series
Willamette Valley Railways tells the story of the electric interurban railways that ran through Oregon's Willamette Valley and of the streetcars that operated in the towns they served. Long before modern light rail vehicles, electric trains were providing Portland and the Willamette Valley with reliable, elegant transportation that was second to none. Between 1908 and 1915, two large systems, the Oregon Electric Railway and the Southern Pacific Red Electrics, joined smaller competitors constructing railways throughout the region. Portland became the hub of an impressive interurban network in a frenzy of electric railway building. Yet all too soon, this brief but glorious interurban era was over. Highway improvement and the growth of automobile ownership made electric passenger trains unprofitable in the sparsely populated valley. By the early 1930s, the company that had launched the nation's first true interurban was the only one still offering passenger service here.
Ebook
(5)
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in West Virginia
by Bob Withers
Part of the Images of Rail series
In 1827, a group of Baltimore capitalists feared their city would be left out of the lucrative East Coast-to-Midwest trade that other eastern cities were developing; thus, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered. Political pressure kept the B&O out of Pennsylvania at first, and so track crews headed for what is now West Virginia, building mountainous routes with torturous grades to Wheeling and Parkersburg. Eventually the B&O financed and acquired a spider web of branch lines that covered much of the northern and central parts of the Mountain State. This book takes a close look at the line's locomotives, passenger and freight trains, structures, and, most importantly, its people who endeared their company to generations of travelers, shippers, and small Appalachian communities.
Ebook
(0)
Alameda by Rail
by Grant Ute
Part of the Images of Rail series
Across the great bay from San Francisco, the city of Alameda evolved into an island hometown of fine Victorian and Craftsman architecture and a port containing a naval air station, shipbuilding center, and the winter home of the long-gone Alaska Packers fleet of "tall ships." But Alameda also was a busy railroad town. In 1864, a passenger railroad with a ferry connection created a commute to San Francisco. In 1869, the city became the first Bay Area terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad. Alameda became an island because a railroad allowed construction crews to dig a tidal canal, separating it from Oakland in 1902. Later generations rode steam, then electric, trains to a grand ferry pier where ornate watercraft guided them the 20 minutes to San Francisco. An auto tube, and later the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, hastened the demise of ferry, then rail, operations before World War II.
Ebook
(1)
Horseshoe Curve
by David W. Seidel
Part of the Images of Rail series
The Horseshoe Curve is known worldwide as an engineering achievement by the Pennsylvania Railroad. This landmark, located just west of Altoona, opened to traffic on February 15, 1854, and it enabled a railroad line to climb the Allegheny Mountains and the eastern continental divide. The Horseshoe Curve's construction impacted railroad design and development for mountainous terrain everywhere, enabling access to coal and other raw materials essential for the industrial age. J. Edgar Thomson, chief engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, is widely recognized for his engineering and design of the Horseshoe Curve, a concept never utilized previously. Today the curve is still in use and sees approximately 70 trains daily. Through vintage photographs, Horseshoe Curve chronicles how this marvel remains one of the vital transportation arteries linking the east and west coasts of the United States.
Ebook
(1)
East Broad Top Railroad
by Kenneth C. Springirth
Part of the Images of Rail series
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.
Ebook
(1)
Kenosha on the Go
by Kenosha Streetcar Society
Part of the Images of Rail series
Kenosha on the Go chronicles 110 years of transportation in Kenosha. From the first interurban streetcar that reached Kenosha's northern city limits in 1897 to the existing transit system in 2007, this book covers local streetcar operations, trackless trolley and bus operations, the two electric interurbans that served Kenosha, and the North Western Railway. Kenosha on the Go also brings readers to the rebirth of streetcar operations in Kenosha at the dawn of the 21st century.
Ebook
(0)
Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys
by Kenneth C. Springirth
Part of the Images of Rail series
An extensive number of trolley car lines linked the city of Philadelphia to the rich farmland and picturesque towns of southeastern Pennsylvania. These trolley lines traversed miles of narrow streets lined with row houses whose residents were proud working-class Americans. These historic photographs trace the trolley cars' routes, including Route 23, the region's longest urban trolley route, from the expanses of Northwest Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill through the crowded commercial Center City to South Philadelphia with a variety of neighborhood stops at everything in between. Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys follows the history of the trolley cars that have served this diverse and historic region.
Ebook
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Railroading Around Cumberland
by Patrick H. Stakem
Part of the Images of Rail series
Located at the confluence of Will's Creek and the Potomac River, Cumberland, Maryland, is known as the Queen City of the Alleghenies. Because of the unique geography of the mountain passes, Cumberland became a transportation nexus between the Eastern Seaboard and the inland bounty of the United States. The National Road, a federal project initiated by Pres. Thomas Jefferson, passes through Cumberland, as does the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and Canal. Rail lines and roads stretch out west, south, and north to industrial, agricultural, and natural resource areas. Regional short-line railroads served to move coal to the loading docks of the canal in Cumberland. Today the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad features steam-power excursions from the old Western Maryland Station next to the canal basin, while 6,000-horsepower diesels haul heavy freight through the CSX Yards in South Cumberland.
Ebook
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Railroads of North Carolina
by Alan Coleman
Part of the Images of Rail series
Since the opening of the first permanent railway in 1833, hundreds of railroad companies have operated in North Carolina. Rail transportation, faster and more efficient than other methods of the era, opened new markets for the products of North Carolina's farms, factories, and mines. Over the years, North Carolina rail companies have ranged in size from well-engineered giants like the Southern Railway to temporary logging railroads like the Hemlock. Cross ties and rails were laid across almost every conceivable terrain: tidal marshes, sand hills, rolling piedmont, and mountain grades. Vulnerable to the turbulent and unregulated economies of the day, few railroad companies escaped reorganizations and receiverships during their corporate lives, often leaving tangled and contradictory histories in their passing.
Ebook
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Railroad Depots of Central Ohio
by Mark J. Camp
Part of the Images of Rail series
By the mid-1850s, the railroad craze had hit central Ohio. Pioneer railroads that were to evolve into portions of the Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central, and Pennsylvania Railroads connected the state capital, Columbus, with the canals, Lake Erie, and the Ohio River. The region was crisscrossed by numerous other lines by 1880; Columbus became the main hub while other railroad centers included Circleville, Delaware, Mansfield, Mount Vernon, Newark, and Zanesville. Hundreds of depots were built throughout central Ohio to serve railroad passengers and to handle baggage, mail, and freight. Depots became the center of commerce and activity at communities--big and small. With the discontinuance of passenger trains across the Buckeye State, many depots disappeared from trackside--many simply demolished, others relocated for non-railroad uses. Railroad Depots of Central Ohio offers a pictorial history of selected depots, centering around Columbus and Franklin County, using old postcards and vintage photographs.
Ebook
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Western Connecticut Trolleys
by Various Authors
Part of the Images of Rail series
Throughout history, Americans have embraced technology with a special enthusiasm, and the innovation of the trolley car is no exception. This industry fueled the growth of many towns and cities in Connecticut, and Western Connecticut was able to keep pace with other parts of the state because of it. Although short lived, the trolley changed the landscape of the state and spurred progress in ways never imagined just a few years before. Marking an important milestone in the documentation of Connecticut's street railway heritage, Western Connecticut Trolleys is the sixth Arcadia Publishing book chronicling the history of all the streetcar lines and companies in the state.
Ebook
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Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station
Statuary and Sculptures
by David D. Morrison
Part of the Images of Rail series
Opened in 1913, Grand Central Terminal is a world-famous landmark building with a magnificent 48-foot-high, 1,500-ton statuary group on top of the main facade. Designed by sculptor Jules-Felix Coutan, a 13-foot-wide Tiffany clock serves as the centerpiece. The figure above the clock is Mercury, with Hercules to the left and Minerva to the right. In the late 1990s, a historic restoration was performed on the terminal after which two cast-iron eagle statues were placed over entrances at Lexington Avenue and Forty-Second Street/Vanderbilt Avenue. These eagles were from the 1898 Grand Central Station building that was demolished in 1910 to make room for the construction of the new Grand Central Terminal structure. Penn Station, which opened in 1910, covered two full city blocks and had statuary groups, designed by sculptor Adolph Weinman, on all four sides of the building. After Penn Station was demolished in the mid-1960s, the statuary was dispersed throughout various locations, mainly in the Northeast.
Ebook
(1)
Railroad Depots of Northeast Ohio
by Mark J. Camp
Part of the Images of Rail series
The first rail lines in northeast Ohio opened for business in July 1850, and by the 1890s, northeast Ohio was laced with railroad tracks. Cleveland was the hub of railroad activity, and important rail-served lake ports developed at Ashtabula, Conneaut, Fairport Harbor, Huron, and Lorain. Akron became a center of southerly east-west lines. Over 310 passenger and combination depots were established at various points along the railroads to serve the needs of passengers traveling throughout northeast Ohio. Depots were the focal point of communities--news arrived over their telegraphs, traveling salesmen gathered on the trackside platforms, depot staff maneuvered four-wheel wagons loaded with baggage, parcels, and milk cans, locals gathered to meet, greet, and send off family and friends. The depot was a veritable beehive of activity at train time. Railroad Depots of Northeast Ohio offers a glimpse into these golden years of train travel through the use of early postcards and photographs of selected depots and related structures.
Ebook
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Railroads of Rensselaer
by Ernie Mann
Part of the Images of Rail series
Rensselaer was once a classic American railroad town, and like most cities and towns of its type, it was part of an important junction of several destinations. From the 1840s to today, trains have rolled to the four principal compass points from town. Located across the Hudson River from Albany, Rensselaer has seen a rich array of locomotives, structures, and notable trains, all helping to establish Rensselaer's rail prominence and the industry's importance to and involvement in the community. Today Rensselaer hosts the Albany Amtrak station, which sees an average of 775,000 passengers annually and is ranked as the country's 10th busiest station. Using images of rolling stock, buildings, maps, documents, and memorabilia, Railroads of Rensselaer is a visual trip through the years.
Ebook
(0)
Nebraska's Cowboy Rail Line
by Keith Terry
Part of the Images of Rail series
Nebraska's Cowboy Line existed for nearly 125 years and covered more than 400 miles as it made its way across the northern portion of the state. The construction of the rail line, which started in 1869, was the impetus for the establishment of many towns, and even the relocation of some, along the route. The line was employed to transport miners to the Black Hills during the gold rush of the late 1800s, it carried thousands of Irish and German immigrants to the largely unsettled area, and it allowed politicians to meet their constituents. It also was used to deliver necessities, amusements, technology, and new innovations to the state's citizenry.
Ebook
(0)
Norfolk and Western Railway Stations and Depots
by C. Nelson Harris
Part of the Images of Rail series
The tracks of the Norfolk and Western Railway snaked through Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and the coalfields of West Virginia. For nearly 100 years, the Norfolk and Western brought freight, passengers, and economic vitality to large cities and rural mining towns. At each stop was the depot or station; some stations were large, architecturally ornate structures that represented the muscular energy and romantic era of this great steam railway with its famed J-class engines. In other places there were small wooden depots that depicted the hard-scrabble life of the mining communities, tucked amid steep mountain valleys that were indelibly shaped by the railway's presence. Today some of those structures remain, while many disappeared when the railway ceased passenger or other service. The Norfolk and Western eventually merged with the Southern Railway, and though the trains of the Norfolk Southern still run along those same lines, they simply pass by where they used to stop many years ago.
Ebook
(2)
Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway
by John Schmale
Part of the Images of Rail series
With a schedule regulated by the tides and the needs of chickens, the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway operated for 81 years as a delightfully quirky egg-hauling enterprise. Modern electric railroad technology paired with ancient low-tech steamboats made possible the overnight shipping of fresh produce to a voracious San Francisco market. The railroad helped Petaluma earn the moniker "the egg basket of the world." Incorporated in 1903, the railroad provided efficient train service to this fertile farm region. The famous botanist Luther Burbank located his experimental farm near Sebastopol and proclaimed it is nature's "chosen spot of all the earth." The railroad survived the devastating 1906 earthquake, opposition from three larger railroads, the Great Depression, and fierce auto-truck competition. The corporation was, mercifully, abandoned in 1984, and most of the rails were removed by 1988. Happily, recent plans call for a tourist trolley to operate over a portion of surviving Petaluma tracks.
Ebook
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Yakima Valley Transportation Company
by Kenneth G. Johnsen
Part of the Images of Rail series
The National Register of Historic Places lists the Yakima Valley Transportation Company (YVT) as the last intact early 20th century electric interurban railroad in America. From its beginning in 1907, the YVT was no quitter, surviving a takeover by the Union Pacific, large financial losses as the last trolley railroad in Washington state, attempts at dieselization, and a concerted effort to put the company in its grave. Thanks to the efforts of local preservationists, YVT trolleys are still in operation. The railroad and its infrastructure never changed. What is seen today is what was built 100 years ago--a living slice of history. Images of Rail: Yakima Valley Transportation Company is the most authoritative chronicle of the famous YVT yet compiled.
Ebook
(3)
Yosemite Valley Railroad
by Leroy Radanovich
Part of the Images of Rail series
The Yosemite Valley Railroad was constructed as a badly needed conveyance to Yosemite Valley in the days before the automobile. Visitation to Yosemite had been small, and the federal government wished to introduce the new park system to the public. A railroad through the Merced River Canyon from Merced was the answer to the challenging terrain. Thousands of acres of virgin timber forest and other natural resources along the way supported the building and operation of this rail line. From l906 until World War II, timber, gold, barium, limestone, freight, and visitors rode the rails to Yosemite National Park on this line.
Ebook
(3)
The Lehigh Valley Railroad across New Jersey
by Ralph A. Heiss
Part of the Images of Rail series
Constructed as the Easton and Amboy Railroad and opened by 1875, the Lehigh Valley Railroad was instrumental in developing the commerce and communities of central New Jersey through which it once ran. 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.
Ebook
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Trolleys of the Capital District
by Gino DiCarlo
Part of the Images of Rail series
When it came to first-class transportation, not many regions of North America had more to offer than the trolley lines of New York's Capital District. From their humble beginnings as horse roads forming belts around Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, these trolley lines helped move people around Upstate New York from the late 1800s until their final exit after World War II. The lines of the United Traction Company, Schenectady Railway, and the Hudson Valley Railway provided hundreds of miles of track around their home cities, as well as direct routes to resorts in the Adirondacks, Lake George, and Saratoga Springs. The trolley lines became famous for disasters that made national headlines, labor disputes, and engineering wonders that included the longest trolley bridge in the world. The vintage images in Trolleys of the Capital District provide insight into an era gone by and an often forgotten form of transportation.
Ebook
(2)
The Inclines of Cincinnati
by Melissa Kramer
Part of the Images of Rail series
On a summer evening, the overlook at the Rookwood Pottery in Mount Adams will be visited by at least a few, as it is one of the most romantic and fascinating hilltop vantage points in Cincinnati. One hundred years ago, though, this was the place to see and be seen. The fashionable Highland House, a world-class entertainment complex, put Cincinnati on the cultural map, and the city became known as "the Paris of America." Every weekend, crowds of thousands of hardworking Cincinnatians watched their worries disappear as the streets grew smaller, the city came into focus, and they were lifted on the Mount Adams Incline toward the Highland House and the promise of a cool drink, a good meal, and a night of dancing under the stars. At one time, five of these hillside railroads carried Cincinnati citizens and tourists alike to the peaks of Mount Adams, Mount Auburn, Clifton, and Price Hill. When were the inclines built? Why did they disappear? And why were none of them saved? The Inclines of Cincinnati examines these questions through historic images, some never before published, of the inclines and their hilltop resorts.
Ebook
(0)
Kentucky and the Illinois Central Railroad
by Clifford J. Downey
Part of the Images of Rail series
The Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) operated approximately 600 miles of mainline track throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, stretching from the Mississippi River to the central part of the state. In addition to Louisville, the state's largest city, the ICRR also served dozens of small towns. Kentucky's economy was built around coal mining and farming, and the ICRR played a major role in both industries. ICRR's coal trains served as a conveyor for Kentucky coal moving to Midwest factories, and the road hauled a wide variety of agricultural products, including tobacco, grain, and fresh fruit. No mention of the ICRR would be complete without discussing the fleet of fast passenger trains that whisked Kentucky residents to and from distant cities. To maintain the locomotives that hauled all these trains the ICRR operated one of the nation's largest locomotive repair shops in Paducah.
Ebook
(1)
Delaware and Hudson Railway
by Marilyn E. Dufresne
Part of the Images of Rail series
The Delaware and Hudson Railway has a grand and glorious history that began in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. The Delaware and Hudson Canal; Gravity Railroad; the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive in America in 1829; and the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad provided the necessary stepping stones for successfully transporting anthracite by rail to New York State. In 1906, the massive roundhouse was built in Oneonta during the glory days of steam power, and in 1931, the company became known as the Delaware and Hudson Railway. Today the railroad serves as a "bridge line," providing an important link in moving heavy freight. Delaware and Hudson Railway enlightens rail fans with historic photographs and rekindles the nostalgia for the great railroad era.
Ebook
(1)
Richmond Railroads
by Jeff Hawkins
Part of the Images of Rail series
During the second half of the 20th century, the railroads that operated in the Mid-Atlantic region offered a wide variety of subject matter for railroad enthusiasts and photographers to marvel at. A prime location to witness this activity was in Richmond--a railroad melting pot. As with any major city, the railroads played a significant role in Richmond's growth and development. As a result of being served by five different railroads, a labyrinth of railroad infrastructure emerged, including the Triple Crossing, a world-renowned landmark. Millions of travelers have passed through Broad Street and Main Street Stations on famous streamliner passenger trains such as the Silver Meteor and the George Washington. Images of Rail: Richmond Railroads documents the past 60 years of railroading in the Capital City, which has seen drastic changes as a result of corporate mergers, urban development, and technological advances.
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Portland's Streetcar Lines
by Richard Thompson
Part of the Images of Rail series
Portland neighborhoods owe their location, alignment, and growth to a splendid, 19th-century innovation: the streetcar. This city still bears the imprint of the carlines that once wove their way out to suburbs in every direction, including Fulton, Portland Heights, Goose Hollow, Nob Hill, Slabtown, Willamette Heights, Albina, Saint Johns, Irvington, Rose City, Mount Tabor, Montavilla, Mount Scott, and Sellwood. As routes developed, people used them for more than just getting to work; they also discovered the recreational function of street railways while visiting friends, parks, and shopping areas farther from the center of town. The time of the trolley peaked during the 1910s. In 1927, the local street railway system entered a period of slow decline that ended in 1950, when Portland's last city streetcars gave way to buses. This is the history of those classic lines.
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Railroading in Pinellas County
by Vincent Luisi
Part of the Images of Rail series
Pinellas County's railroad heritage began in 1888 and lasted almost a century. Today few people who walk, run, or bike the 41-mile Pinellas Trail realize the importance of this path as they travel through Pinellas County railroad history. Railroading in Pinellas County transports the reader through 100 years. History is brought to life through photographs of the individuals who brought to Pinellas the railroad, railroad stations, railroad engines, passenger and freight cars, railroad companies, employees, and industries such as tourism that utilized this form of transportation. These photographs were culled with the assistance and permission of local historical societies, county and state archives, and various private collections.
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Railroads of Fort Bend County
by Jim Vollmar
Part of the Images of Rail series
Fort Bend County was formed in the early 1820s by members of Stephen F. Austin's "Old 300." Traders utilized barges and steamboats running along the Brazos River to transport cotton and other products from the lower Brazos Valley to the port at Galveston. In 1853, railroads began to play a larger role in the county's transportation system. Transportation facilities were greatly improved when the first railroad in Texas, the Buffalo, Brazos, and Colorado Railroad Company, completed its first 20-mile segment to Stafford's Point in Fort Bend County from Harrisburg (Houston). As many as eight separate railroads were chartered and operated in Fort Bend County by 1900. Today some of the names have changed but most of the original rail lines remain in operation. The Union Pacific, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Kansas City Southern rail companies have picked up where their predecessors left off and are keeping Fort Bend County one of the busiest and fastest-growing counties in the United States.
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Railroad Depots of Southwest Ohio
by Mark J. Camp
Part of the Images of Rail series
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.
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Shawmut & Northern Railroad Pittsburg
by Ken Clark
Part of the Images of Rail series
The Pittsburg (no h"), Shawmut & Northern Railroad was described by locals as a railroad that started nowhere and ended no place, with a lot of nothing in between," although it actually linked the coal mines of Elk County, Pennsylvania, with markets in Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Steuben Counties in central and western New York State. Always an underdog, the Class I line went into bankruptcy a mere five years after its corporate birth, holding the record for the longest receivership of any American railroad at 42 years. Always starved for cash, it limped along with outdated and tired equipment, yet it never failed to meet its payroll. It was scrapped completely in 1947.
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Copper Country Streetcars
by William J. Sproule
Part of the Images of Rail series
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.
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Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Eureka to Willits
by Susan J. P. O'Hara
Part of the Images of Rail series
The year 2014 marks the centennial of the completion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP), celebrated by driving a "golden spike" at Cain Rock in October 1914. This achievement was the culmination of a massive, six-year engineering effort to connect rail lines ending at Willits with the early lumber company railroads of the Humboldt Bay region. When it was completed, the NWP linked Eureka with San Francisco by rail, a milestone in the history of Humboldt and Northern Mendocino Counties. This book examines the impact of the NWP on Northwestern California. Although no longer operational, the railroad today symbolizes the ongoing struggle to connect this isolated region with the wider world.
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Pennsylvania Main Line Railroad Stations
Philadelphia to Harrisburg
by Jim Sundman
Part of the Images of Rail series
In 1857, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) took over Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works, a state-owned railroad and canal system built in the 1830s. Costly to build and maintain, and never attracting the traffic needed to sustain it, the state was eager to let it go. Keeping the rail portion and combining it with its own lines, the PRR ultimately developed a well-built and well-run rail line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh all while keeping the "main line" moniker. The eastern section between Philadelphia and Harrisburg was especially successful, particularly after the railroad built new communities along the line that were at first summer destinations and later year-round homes for daily commuters. Other towns and cities along the main line had a strong industrial or agricultural base needing rail access, and many of these communities had attractive train stations. Images of America: Pennsylvania Main Line Railroad Stations: Philadelphia to Harrisburg documents many of these passenger stations through vintage photographs and other images. Most are gone, but fortunately some still stand and are in use today.
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Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City
by Kenneth French
Part of the Images of Rail series
With over two hundred historical photographs, Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City explores the cultural and commercial effects of railway travel in two important New Jersey cities. Because of their unique location directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City have long been centers of transportation activity. When the railway industry was booming in the early twentieth century, four major passenger terminals dotted the left bank of the Hudson from the Jersey Central to the Pennsylvania to the Erie to the Lackawanna. Thousands of people streamed through these terminals every day to the ferries that then took them across the river to New York City. Additionally, tons of freight were brought through the vast train yards along the waterfront. Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City tells the history of the railroads between the mid-1800s and the 1970s. It also explores how the once vibrant waterfronts of Hoboken and Jersey City went through tremendous decline and how, over time, the waterfront has been restored and redeveloped. New residential and commercial buildings have sprouted along the old Pennsylvania and Erie properties, the Lackawanna Terminal has been restored, and the Central Railroad Terminal is now part of Liberty State Park, one of New Jersey's most popular tourist destinations.