Through letters and photographs, profiles teenagers who hopped the freight trains during the Great Depression in order to find adventure, seek employment, or escape poverty.
Hopping a freight in the St. Louis rail yards, Ted Conover0́4winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award0́4embarks on his dream trip, traveling the rails with "the knights of the road." Equipped with rummage store clothing, a bedroll, and his notebooks, Conover immerses himself in the peculiar culture of the hobo, where handshakes and intoductions are foreign, but where everyone knows where the Sally (Salvation Army) and the Willy (Goodwill) are. Along the way he encounters unexpected charity (a former cop goes out of his way to offer Conover a dollar) and indignities (what do you do when there are no public bathrooms?) and learns how to survive on the road.But above all, Conover gets to know the men and women who, for one reason or another, live this life. There's Lonny, who accepts that there are some towns he can't enter before dark because he's black, and Pistol Pete, a cowboy who claims his son is a doctor and his daughter a ballerina, and Sheba Sheila Sheils, who's built herself a house out of old tires. By turns resourceful and desperate, generous and mistrusting, independent and communal, philosophical and profoundly cynical, the tramps Conover meets show him a segment of humanity outside society, neither wholly romantic nor wholly tragic, and very much like the rest of us.
Preachers railed against it: "Traveling at speeds up to 20 miles per hour went against the Lord's plan!" Doctors told their patients that traveling on it would cause serious physical and mental ailments, including the boiling of the blood. Newspapers cried out, "It is a topsy-turvy, harum-scarum whirligig!" But it didn't matter: America loved the train and the freedom of movement that came with it. Riding the Rails in America traces the dynamic relationship of America with the train, showing how the railroad was the single largest influence on the development of the nation's history and economy as it became possible to move freight and people farther and faster than ever before.
A charming mix of how-to, RR love and operation. Short of the "bible," Armstong's The Railroad--What It Is..., this is the best work on the history, development, use and function of track, rolling stock, signals that we've found outside the textbooks. Jargon is explained (including a 45 p. glossary). Fine, fun, informative book. Published by Sand River Press, 1319 14th Street, Los Osos, CA 93402. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
An Economist and Financial Times “Best Book of the Year” “Harrowing” true stories from two years of immersion reporting on the migrant trail from Chiapas to Arizona—an “honorable successor to enduring works like George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier” (New York Times) One day a few years ago, 300 migrants were kidnapped between the remote desert towns of Altar, Mexico, and Sasabe, Arizona. A local priest got 120 released, many with broken ankles and other marks of abuse, but the rest vanished. Óscar Martínez, a young writer from El Salvador, was in Altar soon after the abduction, and his account of the migrant disappearances is only one of the harrowing stories he garnered from two years spent traveling up and down the migrant trail from Central America and across the US border. More than a quarter of a million Central Americans make this increasingly dangerous journey each year, and each year as many as 20,000 of them are kidnapped. Martínez writes in powerful, unforgettable prose about clinging to the tops of freight trains; finding respite, work and hardship in shelters and brothels; and riding shotgun with the border patrol. Illustrated with stunning full-color photographs, The Beast is the first book to shed light on the harsh new reality of the migrant trail in the age of the narcotraficantes.
An epic and revelatory narrative of the most important transportation technology of the modern world In his wide-ranging and entertaining new book, Tom Zoellner—coauthor of the New York Times–bestselling An Ordinary Man—travels the globe to tell the story of the sociological and economic impact of the railway technology that transformed the world—and could very well change it again. From the frigid trans-Siberian railroad to the antiquated Indian Railways to the Japanese-style bullet trains, Zoellner offers a stirring story of this most indispensable form of travel. A masterful narrative history, Train also explores the sleek elegance of railroads and their hypnotizing rhythms, and explains how locomotives became living symbols of sex, death, power, and romance.
American transportation has undergone many technological revolutions: from sailing ships to steam ships; from passenger trains and urban rail transit to airplanes and automobiles. Normally, the government has allowed and even encouraged these revolutions, but for some reason the federal government is spending billions of dollars trying to preserve and build obsolete rail transit and passenger train lines, including high-speed trains that cost more but are less than half as fast as flying. O'Toole asks why passenger trains have been singled out -- and whether this policy makes sense. -- adapted from jacket
Fully updated to take into account route and timetable changes, this is the only book specifically designed for US train travel. Rugged charm sets the train apart from more mundane means of transport and its low environmental impact is of particular current interest. Pampered by helpful attendants, you can travel from coast to coast, explore the Rocky Mountains and ride directly alongside two oceans. Less expensive than flying and more comfortable than the bus, the train keeps you relaxed and in touch with an ever-changing landscape as the world becomes a framed but moving picture.
From a journey through the Alps on the Bernina Express to a ride from Colombo up to Sri Lanka's tea plantations, there are endless possibilities to explore the world through fabulous train rides. Train Journeys will provide inspiration and practical tips for people who want to experience the joys of traveling by rail. The book features descriptions and details of 50 amazing rail journeys across the globe, from short trips that last a few hours to multi-day, cross-continental journeys, ranging from budget-friendly trips aboard local transport to iconic luxury liners.
Experience 60 of the worlds greatest and most unforgettable train journeys, from classic long-distance trips like Western Canadas Rocky Mountaineer and Darwin to Adelaides The Ghan, to little-known gems on regular commuting lines. Weve always had a soft spot for trains. We know the moment a train pulls out of a station bound for somewhere fantastic is when the adventure truly starts. Amazing Train Journeys is the culmination of asking more than 200 travel writers for their absolute favourites. Some are epic international adventures, others short suburban routes along stunning coastline. There are incredible feats of engineering, trains that snake their way through mountain peaks, and even those which have achieved Unesco World Heritage status. Each profile contains practical information including ticket options, timetables and stops, plus inspiring photos and illustrated maps. Journeys include: Africa & the Middle East: Johannesburg to Cape Town (South Africa) Andimeshk to Dorud (Iran) Bulawayo to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) The Americas: The California Zephyr (USA) Perurails Lake Titicaca Railway (Peru) The Serra Verde Express (Brazil) Asia: The Darjeeling Toy Train (India) The Reunification Express (Vietnam) Beijing to Shanghai by High-Speed Rail (China) Europe: The Glacier Express (Switzerland) Belgrade-to-Bar Railway (Serbia & Montenegro) London to Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper (UK) Oceania: South Coast Line (Australia) The TranzAlpine (New Zealand) The Northern Explorer (New Zealand) About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the worlds number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, weve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. Youll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.