Railroad Trains

America was made by the railroads. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line—the first American railroad—in the 1830s sparked a national revolution in the way that people lived thanks to the speed and convenience of train travel. Built through heroic effort, the American railroad network was bigger in every sense than Europe's, and facilitated everything from long-distance travel to commuting and transporting goods to waging war. It united far-flung parts of the country, boosted economic development, and was the catalyst for America's rise to world-power status.

The paths of the great American robber barons were paved with riches, and though ordinary citizens paid for them, they also profited. Les Standiford, author of the John Deal thrillers, tells how the man who turned Florida's swamps into the playgrounds of the rich performed the almost superhuman feat of building a railroad from the mainland to Key West at the turn of the century.

Michael Gillespie applies his generous wit, dry humor, and historical insights to the school of railroading literature at the height of the steam era. Personal journals, press reports, and trade magazines all produced stories meant at the time to entertain readers… but which today offer a compelling folk history from the early days of railroads. 350 pages of railroad stories... with editorial introductions and commentary, dozens of historic photos, and a complete railroad glossary... make "OLD TIME RAILROAD STORIES" a true collector’s edition! Michael is also the author of two of the ...

In 1869, when the final spike was driven into the Transcontinental Railroad, few were prepared for its seismic aftershocks. Once a hodgepodge of short, squabbling lines, America's railways soon exploded into a titanic industry helmed by a pageant of speculators, crooks, and visionaries. The vicious competition between empire builders such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, J. P. Morgan, and E. H. Harriman sparked stock market frenzies, panics, and crashes; provoked strikes; transformed the nation's geography; and culminated in a ferocious two-man battle....

The transcontinental railroads of the late 19th century were the first corporate behemoths. Their attempts to generate profits from proliferating debt sparked devastating panics in the US economy. Their dependence on public largess drew them into the corridors of power, initiating new forms of corruption. Their operations rearranged space and time, and remade the landscape of the West. As wheel and rail, car and coal, they opened new worlds of work and ways of life.

This book covers thirty-eight years working on the railroad. The first twenty-five were with AT&SF Santa Fe. The last were with the BN&SF after the two railroads merged. There are thirteen years worth of thoughts and wisdow after leaving the work force. This will cover my thoughts and feelings along this journey from the day I hired on to the day I retired, and then how life changed after leaving the railroad.

Watch the landscapes shift as travelers board and disembark a train in this Audible Sleep story told by John Stamos. Travel through cities and over shimmering waters reflecting the moon, enjoying the steady chug of the train’s engine as you drift off to sleep.

When Monisha Rajesh announced plans to circumnavigate the globe in 80 train journeys, she was met with wide-eyed disbelief. But it wasn’t long before she was carefully plotting a route that would cover 45,000 miles - almost twice the circumference of the earth - coasting along the world’s most remarkable railways; from the cloud-skimming heights of Tibet’s Qinghai railway to silk-sheeted splendour on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Packing up her rucksack - and her fiancé, Jem, Monisha embarks on an unforgettable adventure.

What follows is an account of a few weeks one long-ago summer, when I was 19 and was working for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) on a railroad construction gang, in the wilds of north-central British Columbia, Canada. The journal is in the form of a letter, that was never sent. Decades later, I think it has an interesting historical resonance. At times I come off like a callow youth – I plead guilty as charged. I swore a lot more in those days than I do now, but in places the writing is surprisingly good, at least in my humble opinion. And the story has a compelling narrative arc. ...

In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean - an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal. Many considered the project impossible, but build it they did. The railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than 22 years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”, until its total destruction in 1935's deadly storm of the century.

Named one of the "75 People You Should Know" by Trains Magazine, Jim McClellan was a railroading legend and one of the railroad industry’s titans. An iconic and innovative executive, McClellan participated in the creation of both Amtrak and Conrail and worked for the Norfolk Southern, the New York Central, US Railway Association, and the Federal Railroad Administration. My Life with Trains combines a world-class photographer’s love of railroading with the insights of a government and railroad official.

The late 19th Century and early 20th Century marked an era of significant transition, for what form of transportation could compete with the railroad? Certainly it was the ultimate means of moving people and goods! Could steamboats compete? Or horses? or Steam tractors or Air Ships? The coming age of the automobile, though poised to make a monumental change, had not fully developed when the last of our stories was penned. The stories offered here, even those written as newspaper copy, or taken from journals and trade magazines, were generally meant as entertainment, first and foremost. But ...

Enter the enchanting world of Model Railroad Mastery, your indispensable guide to creating a miniature empire that defies the confines of space. This comprehensive eBook unveils the secrets of building a captivating model railroad, regardless of the room you have at your fingertips. Embark on a journey through the fundamentals of small-scale model railroading, where you'll start with understanding the nuances of scale and gauge. Then thread the needle of crafting balanced layouts that radiate beauty while maintaining full functionality. Delve deeply into the esoteric art of space ...

John Brown and the Last Train is the story of John Brown and his last raid on Missouri slave farms and the subsequent trip north to Canada. Along the way, a baby was born to a Freedom Seeker and they fought in the Battle of the Spurs. They received help from the major UGR Stations in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. Famous detective, Allan Pinkerton helped them get across to Canada. This is historical fiction based on factual events and told through the voices of the Freedom Seekers.

“I can't die but once!” This was the rallying cry of Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor in the history of the Underground Railroad. Her name is legendary, but many don’t know Harriet’s full story. The Tubman Train starts with her dramatic early years, including the pivotal day when she began having visions from God—visions of flying North. The story follows Harriet through her own escape in 1849 and the beginning of her work as the “She-Moses,” culminating in the dramatic attempt to rescue her brothers. The Tubman Train is the first novel to explore the complicated ...

Underground Railroad Poems: There’s a Train a ‘Comin, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown, is a historic ride from the West Congo’s, to down South and onto the Uppity North, on the eastside of town. This melancholy poetic account carries loads of heavy freight and provides easy access to major attractions such as: Africa, slavery, “The Civil Rights Movement” and this so-called thing some call “freedom.” While Moses had the vision to make it plain, Harriet Tubman laid the groundwork for author Drummond-Brown’s mission, to network literature that needs to extend globally ...

Tom Zoellner loves trains with a ferocious passion. In his new audiobook he chronicles the innovation and sociological impact of the railway technology that changed the world, and could very well change it again. From the frigid Trans-Siberian Railroad to the antiquated Indian Railways to the futuristic maglev trains, Zoellner offers a stirring story of man's relationship with trains. Zoellner examines both the mechanics of the rails and their engines and how they helped societies evolve. Not only do trains transport people and goods in an efficient manner, but they also reduce pollution and dependency upon oil.

In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites listeners on 25 one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through 700 years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. "[An] enchanting travelogue" (Publishers Weekly), Paris to the Past has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time.

This compilation of dozens of incredible true stories gathered over a 39 year railroad career, spotlights the unexpected hilarity involved in working in public transportation. Personal experiences run the gamut from sexual escapades to train accidents and even hijackings, almost all of which culminate with laughter. Chapters include: Light at the End of the Tunnel, Not Quite the Mile High Club, I Could Have Slept with Sandra Bullock, My Homosexual Years (sort of ;), How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Poopy Pants, Do Not Hump, I Was Lost But Now I'm Found, and many more. Commuters, train enthusiasts...

After his wife suffers a serious injury in a train wreck, Chen must find a place to live in Santa Cruz. He lands a job at Powder Works, where workers risk their lives manufacturing gunpowder. During their years in Santa Cruz, the unusual couple confront discrimination, catastrophic fires, and help introduce surfing to the thriving seaside community. Powder Works is the third novel in a trilogy, after Wrights and China Grade.