From the Golden Arrow Pullman Service to the Royal Scot and the Flying Scotsman, this book celebrates the most luxurious, fastest and most famous train services from the great age of steam.
After the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad was the nineteenth century's most transformative event. Beginning in 1842 with a visionary's dream to span the continent with twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures three dramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled in size, fought three wars, and began to discover a new national identity. From self--made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific's Thomas Durant and era--defining figures such as President Lincoln to the thousands of laborers whose backbreaking work made the railroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons an astonishing array of voices to give new dimension not only to this epic endeavor but also to the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of an unforgettable period in American history.
Trains, Culture and Mobility: Riding the Rails goes beyond textual representations of rail travel to engage an impressive range of political, sociological and urban theory. Taken together, these essays highlight the complexity of the modern experience of train mobility, and its salient relation to a number of cultural discourses. Incorporating traditionally marginal areas of cultural production such as graffiti, museums, architecture or even plunging into the social experience of travel inside the traincar itself, each essay constitutes an attempt to work from the act of riding the train toward questions of much larger significance. Crisscrossing cultures from the New World and Old, from East and West, these essays share a common preoccupation with the way in which trains and railway networks have mapped and re-mapped the contours of both cities and states in the modern period. Bringing together individual and large-scale social practices, this volume traces out the cultural implications of "Riding the Rails."
Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives there, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring. "Magical glowing double spread pictures . . . an original and memorable book." - Guardian "Evocative, realist pastels and atmospheric text." - Sunday Times "A thrilling tale." - Independent
How do maglev trains work? What makes mountain railroad tracks different? Why do express trains have a special shape? This book looks at types of trains that are used for carrying cargo and passengers. Many trains in busy cities run underground. Shuttle trains carry cars and buses through tunnels. Special luxury trains provide beds and meals for their passengers.
From the late 1800s to the 1960s, the railroad industry faced a unique challenge: What was the best way to ship fresh produce across the U.S. to prevent spoiling? Produce Traffic & Trains looks at the development of refrigerator cars and how their development led to wide-scale growing and shipping of produce. Covered topics include: The development of refrigerator cars, car fleets, and produce terminals. Harvesting, loading, shipping, and delivering fresh produce, and later frozen products. Running express trains, making ice and icing stations, and carrying out perishable operations.