Railroad Life

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.

Leland Stanford retains a double legacy as both a robber baron and a great philanthropist. He got his start in business as a merchant during the California gold rush, but he worked his way up to president of both the Central and Southern Pacific Railroad companies by 1861. He became a railroad mogul, a leading force in an under-regulated industry wherein he gained a reputation for corrupt and greedy practices. Yet, he and his wife benevolently founded Stanford University in memory of their deceased son.