|
Great Rail Trails of the Northeast The essential outdoor guide to 26 recreationa
Great Rail Trails of the Northeast The essential outdoor guide to 26 recreational - biking trails and their railroad history by Craig Della Penna Soft Cover 1995 223 pages
Preface
I am a professional in the transportation field, the manager of Railroad Distribution Services, an inter-modal facility owned by the Pinsly Railroad Company. One of my customers, New England Cartographics, is a publisher of outdoor recreation maps and guides that cover the New England region. The owner of N.E. Cartographics, Chris Ryan, was in my office one day in February, 1994, and noticed that I had a copy of The Lost Railroads of New England by Ronald Dale Karr. We started to discuss abandoned railroad right-of-ways, and the growing interest in the Rail-to-Trails Movement.
It became apparent that, between the two of us, we could not think of a single informative guide on the subject of rail-trails (abandoned railroads which have been converted to multi-use paths, managed by state or local agencies, and designed to be safe and fun -- safe being the operative word here.). Chris and I decided that such a book might generate some interest. He contracted with me to do the research and write a manuscript. I had no idea of the scope of the project or what I'd find along the way.
First I made contact with the managers of about 50 rail-trails throughout New England. Then my wife Kathy and I bought a pair of fat-tired mountain bikes. We purchased very inexpensive, popular brand-name bicycles to see if they would hold up as well as some of the pricier types. Starting in April, 1994, we set out to bike, photograph, and catalog as many rail-trails as we could on weekends. Many moons had passed since we were last on bicycles, but gradually we were able to do 30-to-40 miles on gravel without feeling badly fatigued.
We found that some trails were not safe enough to put into a book aimed at beginners (like us). Kathy doesn't like to cross 100' bridges without decks over deep rivers, so we eliminated those trails. There were some trails where we kept trying to find a safe or practical way around major obstacles, such as highways that were built across the rail bed with no provision for the rail-trail user to pass through. Altogether we did more than 1300 miles of biking on this project, a challenge for us, but not much by the standards of some of the "terminator" types that we met during this endeavor.
Although we intended to do all 50 of the New England trails in one season, this was logistically impossible. This first edition of Great Rail-Trails of the Northeast has twenty-six trails. We will be continuing on in 1996. Look for us, we'll be out there.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
