North American Railroads

North American Railroads
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN)
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2014-10-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0760347360

This richly illustrated encyclopedia of classic and contemporary railroads features histories of 101 U.S. and Canadian railroads past and present. It is the go-to resource for railfans of all stripes.

The Majesty of Big Steam

The Majesty of Big Steam
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2015-11-01
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1627888047

Relive the romance and power of the steam locomotive era, the product of a century of continuous research and development. In the United States, the final decades of steam power were characterized by very large and capable locomotives. Beginning in the 1920s with Alco's three-cylinder types and Lima's "Super Power" concept, steam locomotive design crossed new thresholds of power and efficiency. A host of new wheel arrangements combined with innovative technology and new materials to create a final generation of refinement. Lima's Berkshire of 1925 demonstrated the value of the four-wheel radial trailing truck in its ability to support a firebox large enough to supply high power and fast running. Within a few years the 2-10-4 Texas, 4-6-4 Hudson, and 4-8-4 Northern had led the way, and by the late 1920s, large modern articulated types were taking shape. The Majesty of Big Steam is full of these late-era locomotives, the last generation of steam power before the diesels took over. Dramatic photos show Berkshires, Hudsons, and Northerns at work, as well as massive articulateds at their finest. Witness New York Central's Great Steel Fleet being whisked along behind some of the most refined American-designed engines. See Southern Pacific's cab-forward oil burners crest the California Sierra, and Baltimore & Ohio's EM-1 war babies lift tonnage over the Appalachian mountains. Norfolk & Western continued to refine 4-8-4s and articulated types, even as the rest of America was buying diesels, and ran these well-oiled machines longer than any other line. Don't miss a single one!

North American Railroad Family Trees

North American Railroad Family Trees
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN)
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2013-10-20
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0760344884

"Illustrated history of the North American Railroad industry's mergers and acquisitions illustrated with historical photography and 50 specially commissioned maps and line diagrams charting that evolution"-Provided by publisher.

North American Locomotives

North American Locomotives
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN)
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2012-12-30
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0760343705

Spanning more than one and a half centuries, this treasure trove examines the steam, diesel, and electric locomotives that have have kept North American commerce on the rails since the middle of the nineteenth centuty. Prolific rail author Brian Solomon takes an encyclopedic approach and describes every major type. And because locomotive-building has long been a made-to-order business, the book is arranged alphabetically by railroads from across the United States and Canada to show the variant technologies that railroads ordered to best suit their specific needs, whether for freight or passenger operations. The 75-plus railroads covered range from the best known historical lines such as Canadian Pacific, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and Baltimore & Ohio, to today’s giant Class I roads, commuter lines, and selected short lines. The result is a profusely illustrated and beautifully presented reference guide that features more than 400 locomotive gems from throughout the ages, including historic machines such as New York Central’s J3a Hudsons, Pennsylvania Railroad’s GG1 electrics, and EMD’s classic E- and F-Units, to today’s most powerful modern diesels. All the major builders—past and present—are represented, including such heavyweights as Baldwin, Alco, Lima, EMD, GE, and more.

Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals

Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2015-10-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1627887784

From the railway's beginnings, the station building, itself, had civic importance greater than ordinary structures. Let historian Brian Solomon show you how beautifully it filled that role. Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals is a unique book about some of the finest, most interesting, and most famous railway stations. Contemporary photographs, historic images, and postcard views provide an in-depth look at the architectural gems that dot the railroad landscape. The railway station has a special role in people's lives. Stations have served as the gateway to the world's great cities and the point of contact for remote towns. The inherent nature of the station is different from that of other buildings; it is an entrance, an exit, a place to rest, and a stop along the way. It can be the first thing a traveler sees and the last memory of a favorite city. Facing both the street and the tracks, the station is naturally a point of departure and a face of the city it serves. Brian Solomon, one of today's most accomplished railway historians, leads you through a one-of-a-kind exploration of the history and architecture of depots, stations, and terminals.

Coal Trains

Coal Trains
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2009-07-15
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1616731370

From the first, U.S. railroads have carried coal from mines to docks, steel mills, and power plants across the country. In this authoritative book spanning the whole of that history, from the mid-nineteenth century to present, noted rail author Brian Solomon explores the railroads and hardware that have transported the fossil fuels that made America work. Brilliant period and contemporary photographs convey the drama of the enterprise: the very long—and very heavy—trains powering up mountain grades and thundering across barren prairies. At sites from the eastern and western U.S., past and present, readers see giant double-headed Norfolk and Western steam locomotives moving Appalachian coal in Virginia; modern CSX diesels dragging unit coal trains over the well-groomed former Chesapeake & Ohio main line; BNSF’s SD70MACs with more than 100 hoppers in tow; Rio Grande locomotives snaking through the Rocky Mountains; and coal trains working full-throttle up Colorado’s Tennessee Pass, cresting the Continental Divide at 10,000 feet above sea level. Taking up topics ranging from the colorful but now-defunct “anthracite roads” of eastern Pennsylvania to today’s AC-traction diesels that work Wyoming’s thriving Powder River Basin, Solomon reveals how for 150 years the unique demands of coal—and America’s demand for coal—have prompted new railroad technologies.

Chicago: America's Railroad Capital

Chicago: America's Railroad Capital
Author: Brian Solomon
Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN)
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2014-10-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0760346038

"A history of the development of Chicago as a railroad hub, from its earliest days to the present, illustrated with color and black and white photographs, maps, and railroad memorabilia"--