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Great American Railroads A photographic history Dust Jacket Michael Swift 2006
Great American Railroads A photographic history Dust Jacket Michael Swift 2006 192 pages
Railways changed the face of the world. They revolutionized the hulk transit of goods and people. Nowhere was this more true than in the United States where railways enjoyed their most dramatic growth: by 1840 more than 3,000 miles of railroad were already operating; by the eve of the Civil War the iron network was more than 30,000 miles long. Following the war several lines were extended all the way to the Pacific coast, the first being the Union Pacific-Central Pacific, completed in 1869. By 1916 the U.S. rail network had reached an all-time high of 254.000 miles and America had a railroad system to be proud of: But this heyday lasted less than thirty years-the advent of the car meant that the golden age of the railroad was over even before the start of the 1920s. Rail transport would survive for commuters and some longer-distance freight operations. but cheap. efficient, uncomplicated internal air routes and the explosion of car ownership rendered many of the unique properties of railways no longer necessary features of the modern world.
However, just as they disappeared, people began to realize that there was more to the railway than an inefficient old transport system: the great locomotives were awesome, powerful behemoths that came alive when they ran. People began to preserve these mechanical marvels and buy up stretches of line to run them on. Pretty soon the preservation movement, which had started out as a labor of love, became a part of the tourist industry and now the wheel has turned full circle. Railways have become good business again-but as tourist and scenic lines.
Great American Railroad( provides a glorious illustrated history of American railroads examining the chronology, the companies, the locomotives-steam, electric, and diesel-and preservation. This is .t wonderful collection of photographs-from the historic sepia-colored images of the early years of the nineteenth century through contemporary images of historic preserved railroads to the sleek, powerful locomotives of today.
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 If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad.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.
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