A battle of titans over the building of a railroad
One of the most intriguing yet neglected pieces of American transportation history, electric interurban railroads were designed to assist shoppers, salesmen, farmers, commuters, and pleasure-seekers alike with short distance travel. At a time when most roads were unpaved and horse and buggy travel were costly and difficult, these streetcar-like electric cars were essential to economic growth. But why did interurban fever strike so suddenly and extensively in the Midwest and other areas? Why did thousands of people withdraw their savings to get onto what they believed to be a "e;gravy train?"e; How did officials of competing steam railroads respond to these challenges to their operations? H. Roger Grant explores the rise and fall of this fleeting form of transportation that started in the early 1900s and was defunct just 30 years later. Perfect for railfans, Electric Interurbans and the American People is a comprehensive contribution for those who love the flanged wheel.
Frank Julian Sprague invented a system for distributing electricity to streetcars from overhead wires. Within a year, electric streetcars had begun to replace horsecars, sparking a revolution in urban transportation. Sprague (1857-1934) was an American naval officer turned inventor who worked briefly for Thomas Edison before striking out on his own. Sprague contributed to the development of the electric motor, electric railways, and electric elevators. His innovations would help transform the urban space of the 20th century, enabling cities to grow larger and skyscrapers taller. The Middletons' generously illustrated biography is an engrossing study of the life and times of a maverick innovator.
In 1836, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas agreed on one thing: Illinois needed railroads. Over the next fifty years, the state became the nation's railroad hub, with Chicago at its center. Speculators, greed, growth, and regulation followed as the railroad industry consumed unprecedented amounts of capital and labor. A nationwide market resulted, and the Windy City became the site of opportunities and challenges that remain to this day. In this first-of-its-kind history, full of entertaining anecdotes and colorful characters, Simon Cordery describes the explosive growth of Illinois railroads and its impact on America. Cordery shows how railroading in Illinois influenced railroad financing, the creation of a national economy, and government regulation of business. Cordery's masterful chronicle of rail development in Illinois from 1837 to 2010 reveals how the state's expanding railroads became the foundation of the nation's rail network.
Among the grand antebellum plans to build railroads to interconnect the vast American republic, perhaps none was more ambitious than the Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston. The route was intended to link the cotton-producing South and the grain and livestock growers of the Old Northwest with traders and markets in the East, creating economic opportunities along its 700-mile length. But then came the Panic of 1837, and the project came to a halt. H. Roger Grant tells the incredible story of this singular example of "e;railroad fever"e; and the remarkable visionaries whose hopes for connecting North and South would require more than half a century-and one Civil War-to reach fruition.
One of America's foremost civil engineers of the past 150 years, John Frank Stevens was a railway reconnaissance and location engineer whose reputation was made on the Canadian Pacific and Great Northern lines. Self-taught and driven by a bulldog tenacity of purpose, he was hired by Theodore Roosevelt as chief engineer of the Panama Canal, creating a technical achievement far ahead of its time. Stevens also served for more than five years as the head of the US Advisory Commission of Railway Experts to Russia and as a consultant who contributed to many engineering feats, including the control of the Mississippi River after the disastrous floods of 1927 and construction of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam. Drawing on Stevens's surviving personal papers and materials from projects with which he was associated, Clifford Foust offers an illuminating look into the life of an accomplished civil engineer.
In this visually stunning and comprehensive photographic essay, railroad historian and photographer Donovan L. Hofsommer records the end of branchline passenger service, the demise of electric railroads, the transition from steam to diesel power, as well as the end of common carrier freight service on the Colorado narrow gauge. Off the Main Lines carries readers along out-of-the-way railways in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, and South Dakota to see the changes that occurred on these lines from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Entering an already crowded and established industry, the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company in Ohio began business with surprising success, producing well over 1,000 electric and steam railway cars-cars so durable they rarely needed to be replaced. That durability essentially put the company out of business, and it vanished from the scene as quickly as it had appeared, leaving little behind except its sturdy railway cars. The story of this highly regarded company spans just 16 years, from Niles's incorporation in 1901 to the abandonment of railway car production and sale of the property to a firm that would briefly build engine parts during World War I. Including unpublished photographs and rosters of railway cars produced by the company and still in existence in railroad museums, The Electric Pullman will appeal to railroad enthusiasts everywhere.
';[A] wealth of vignettes and more than 100 black-and-white illustrations... Does a fine job of humanizing the iron horse' (The Wall Street Journal). In this social history of the impact of railroads on American life, H.Roger Grant concentrates on the railroad's ';golden age,' from 1830 to 1930. He explores four fundamental topicstrains and travel, train stations, railroads and community life, and the legacy of railroading in Americaillustrating each with carefully chosen period illustrations. Grant recalls the lasting memories left by train travel, both of luxurious Pullman cars and the grit and grind of coal-powered locals. He discusses the important role railroads played for towns and cities across America, not only for the access they provided to distant places and distant markets but also for the depots that were a focus of community life, and reviews the lasting heritage of the railroads in our culture today. This is ';an engaging book of train stories' from one of railroading's finest historians (Choice). ';Highly recommended to train buffs and others in love with early railroading.' Library Journal ';With plenty of detail, Grant brings a bygone era back to life, addressing everything from social and commercial appeal, racial and gender issues, safety concerns, and leaps in technology... A work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts.' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In this lavishly illustrated memoir, William D. Middleton invites readers to climb aboard and share with him 60 years of railroad tourism around the globe. Middleton's award-winning photography has recorded events such as the final days of American Civil War locomotives in Morocco and the start up of the world's first high-speed railway in Japan. He has photographed such great civil works as Scotland's Firth of Forth Bridge and the splendid railway station at Haydarpasa on the Asian side of the Bosporus, while closer to home he has been recognized for his significant contribution to the photographic interpretation of North America's railroading history. On Railways Far Away presents over 200 of Middleton's favorite photographs and the personal stories behind the images. It is a book that will delight both armchair travelers and those for whom the railroads still hold romance.
The Jewett Car Company was born in the heyday of the electric railway boom in the 1890s. The company gained an excellent reputation for its elegant, well-built wooden cars for street railway companies, interurban lines, and rapid transit service. Cities large and small used Jewett cars, including New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco.
A comprehensive history of North American railroad electrification.
Presents the story of an independent and creative nineteenth-century Indiana businessman, William Riley McKeen, and the railroad that he built based in Terre Haute - the Terre Haute & Indianapolis. This title contributes to the railroad history of Indiana, to the story of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and to the history of Terre Haute.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's keystone once ranked among America's most widely-recognised corporate logos. This book captures the history of the Pennsy and its Indiana predecessor lines. It helps us meet its famous passenger trains, the empire-builders who put down track later acquired by the Pennsy, its impact upon the state's economy, and more.
As president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Jervis Langdon Jr had the opportunity to put progressive concepts into practice. From his role in passing the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 to his work on creating the quasi-public Conrail, this book examines the impact of Langdon's active life.
Looks at the rise and fall of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway from 1887 to its merger with the Soo Line in 1961. This work gives an account that draws on an array of sources, such as the Soo Line records at the Minnesota Historical Society in St Paul, the Michigan State Archives at Lansing, and local newspaper accounts.
Railroads helped to define the character of America, and that certainly was the case in Iowa. Pioneer lines penetrated the interior from Mississippi River communities during the state's early railroad era, and later opened up huge tracts for agricultural opportunity, and urban development. This work gives a survey of Iowa's railroad experience.
Deals with the growth and development of urban rail transit systems in North America. This volume traces the history of rail transit technology from such impractical early schemes as a proposed steam-powered "arcade railway" under New York's Broadway through the sophisticated systems.
Two dozen illustrated stories describing William D Middleton's railroad journeys in North and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.
Earl J. Currie worked in the railway industry for 40 years in line management. He was head of the Operating Departments of two Class I US railways. He is author of Running a Railroad Right and Commitment to Safety.
Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., has carried on concurrent careers as a railroad historian, writer, photographer, and working railroader. He is author of The Railroad That Never Was: Vanderbilt, Morgan, and the South Pennsylvania Railroad (IUP, 2010), The New York, Westchester & Boston Railway: J. P. Morgan's Magnificent Mistake (IUP, 2008), and Invisible Giants: The Empires of Cleveland's Van Sweringen Brothers (IUP, 2003).Robert S. Korach was elected in 1995 to the American Public Transit Association Hall of Fame. He is past president of the Association of Railway Museums.
Provides a comprehensive illustrated history of Amtrak operations in America's heartland. This volume describes conditions that led to the passage of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, the formation and implementation of Amtrak in 1970-71, and the major factors that have influenced Amtrak operations since its inception.
The fascinating tale of Indiana's thriving regional railway
At one point in time, no place in Iowa was more than a few miles from an active line of rail track. A companion to "Steel Trails of Hawkeyeland", this title explores the pivotal role that railroads played in the urban development of the state as well as the symbiotic relationship Iowa and its rails shared.
A lucid and entertaining explanation of the evolution of modern steam power.
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