Rails Across America: A History of Rairoads in North America

A promotional book: big (10.25x13.25"); highly graphic (200 period photos and clear drawings); and very inexpensive. Withuhn (Curator of Transportation, The Smithsonian) raises Rails above the usual by his scholarly writing and the contributors he's engaged: curators of the B&O RR Museum; director of the Calif. State RR Museum; historians at the U. of Akron & St. Cloud State Univ.; and two journalists. Covers US and Canadian rail from the 1830s to the 1993 visit of the X2000. A splendid book for the rail buff and the scholar. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Perhaps because of its relative brevity, this compendium by a team of recognized railroad authorities--Ron Ziel, Jim Dilts, John Hankey, et al--fails to do full justice to "one of the great American adventures." There is only a terse nod toward the Asian and African Americans who laid the tracks, and a cursory glance at the Canadian rail system. In a chronological format, this handsomely illustrated work covers the history of railroads from the first steam trains of the 1820s to the high-tech marvels of the 1990s. The text may seem superficial to fervent rail buffs, but the 200 color photos, sketches, maps and reproductions of railroad memorabilia are eye-catching. Particularly poignant is a Depression-era scene of hoboes swarming over a line of boxcars.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This pictorial history of U.S. and Canadian railroads clarifies the effect of the rail system on the growth of the nation from the early 1800s to the present. Information is presented chronologically, with each chapter written by an expert. Railroads in America allowed people and goods to be moved quickly and efficiently. New regions were settled, and the economy changed its base from agriculture to manufacturing. The railroads facilitated these changes by giving easier access to the country's natural resources. Railroads were primarily responsible for the quick growth of the country and remained the major means of transporting people and goods until the late 1950s, when highways were improved and trucking became faster and cheaper. Deregulation gave the rail companies a fighting chance, and they are no longer in danger of extinction. This book is well written, and the photos and illustrations are extensive and very well done. Recommended for public libraries.
- Lisa J. Cochenet, Rhinelander Dist. Lib., Wis.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.