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Illustrated History of North American Railroads 1830-present day DJ by A Taylor
Illustrated History of North American Railroads 1830-present day By Arthur Taylor Dust Jacket Copyright 1996 192 Pages
The Illustrated History of North American Railroads highlights the people, the events, and the achievements in railroad development and expansion from the 1820s through to the present day.
Socioeconomic factors are considered as the book traces railroad development in Canada and the United States from the construction of the very first lines in the east, through the inevitable decline that followed World War One and the advent of automobiles and air traffic, to the role that railroads play in North America today.
The strategic significance of rail during the Civil War is examined, as is its domination during the period that followed, in which it reached a peak owing to great industrial and agricultural demands as well as a growing interest in transcontinental travel.
Finally the book examines the disastrous and lasting effects of the Great Depression, and reflects on the financial wrangling, bankruptcies, and mergers that accompanied it.
Outstanding technological achievements are placed in the context of these events, from the first attempt at using steam as a motive power, development of the automatic air brake system, and advances in signalling systems, to the rapid expansion of track-building after the Civil War, luxurious designs for passenger travel, and the huge diesel-powered locomotives that dominated from the mid-1920s on. Accompanying this are details of the contributions by the great pioneers of the period such as Matthias Baldwin, George Westinghouse, Samuel Morse, and George Pullman.
This evocative pictorial history traces the development of the American Railroad, from its early start in the 1830s through its Golden Age to the 1950s. These were times of great cultural change and innovation, of social and industrial revolution. When the story opens in 1829, the stage coach, pony express and canal barge offered the main means of transport across the States. Half a century later, a vast network of railways spanned the plains of North America. By the 1950s, however, the great express train had been overtaken by the motorcar, lorry and aeroplane.
The revolution began in 1829 when the Stourbridge Lion was imported from England to run along the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company's Line at Honesdale. One year later, Tom Thumb, the first American locomotive, was tested out along the Baltimore and Ohio railroads. The stage was set for the development over the next fifty years of a massive system of railroads that would help to settle and unite the country.
North American Railroads features some of the greatest and most enduring stories in railroad history. One such adventure, the race to complete the first transcontinental railroad, reflects the commitment and courage of the railroad men.
The great railroad companies are highlighted, region by region, with memorable historic photography: New York Central, New Haven and Hartford, Pennsylvania Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio, Baltimore and Ohio, Illinois Central, Union Pacific, and many more.
With life-like effect, the pictures portray the power and mechanics of the great-named trains as they race along their rails: The Twentieth Century Limited, The Broadway Limited, The Jeffersonian, The Spirit of St. Louis, The Shreveporter, The California Limited, The Empire Builder, and many other locomotives.
Period photography brings the Golden Age to life in delightful detail : the stations, large and small, the railroad men, the passengers and their comforts, the trains and their routes. For the student, hobbyist and enthusiast, this absorbing history offers an enchanting guide along the great North American Railroad.
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