The Complete Book of North American Railroading

The year 1827 marked the completion of the United States’ first railroad--and the beginning of a transformation of American life. This book, spanning nearly two centuries, offers an exhilarating tour of the railways’ inroads into the economy, society, and culture of North America. 

 

Illustrated with  more than 400 historical and modern photographs and period advertisements, The Complete Book of North American Railroading takes readers back to the birth of the railroads, then travels through the “Golden Age” from 1900 to 1950 and on to the railways of our day. Locomotives, from steam to electric and diesel; passenger travel; freight operations; and infrastructure, including stations, bridges, depots, roundhouse, railyards, and signaling are all thoroughly examined and amply illustrated. Authors Kevin EuDaly and Mike Schafer delve into the history, the culture, and the technology of the railroads as they have carried travelers across the continent, brought goods to market, connected businesses in peacetime and war, and enriched the canon of American folklore and the quality of everyday life.

Kevin EuDaly was born a stone's throw from the Monon in Bedford, Indiana, and grew up "cchasing trains" with his dad, Jim EuDaly, some of whose photographs appear in this book. A childhood move to Kansas City put Kevin in position to witness the many railroads of the 1960s and 1970s before merger mania erased so many names, and frequent treks around KC with his brother, Lon, helped build an early interest in railroad photography. Four years at Southwest Missouri State University (1978-1982) put him in close contact with the MoPac's White River line in southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas, resulting in that road becoming a personal favorite, and netted a degree in environmental chemistry. Many trips to the Chesapeake & Ohio with his dad inspired an interest in all things Appalachia, resulting in the C&O also being a road of interest. In 1992 he founded White River Productions and began publishing historical society magazines, and wrote and published Missouri Pacific Diesel Power that same year. He has authored dozens of articles and had hundreds of photographs published over the last two decades. WRP has grown to become the primary producer of historical society publications in the U.S., and currently produces magazines, calendars, and books for 16 organizations, as well as Railroads Illustrated and Passenger Train Journal under the WRP flag. He resides on the east side of Kansas City near the former Rock Island in Raytown with his wife, Nadean, and four children, Sarah, James, Danae, and Ashley.

Mike Schafer hails from Rockford, Illinois, where he recalls his earliest train-watching experiences on the Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, Burlington Route, and Chicago & North Western. He vividly can recall his first train rides, circa 1952, on IC\u2019s Hawkeye and Land O\u2019 Corn between Rockford and Chicago. Eventually he would declare the latter — America\u2019s railroad hub — his \u201chonorary hometown. Mike and his little dog Archie reside in a house (which includes a 1,600-square-foot model railroad) next to BNSF\u2019s busy Twin Cities mainline in a small town outside Chicago where he also serves as village trustee and occasionally mayor pro tem.

Steve Glischinski was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1957 and has been interested in railroads since he was 10 years old. He began taking photographs of railroads in 1970, at the age of 13. Since that time, his photos of railroads in action have appeared in a number of books and numerous magazines, including Pacific Rail News, Passenger Train Journal, Progressive Railroading, Railfan & Railroad and Trains. His first magazine articles on railroading were published in 1982, and his by-line has appeared dozens of times, mainly in Trains Magazine, for whom he serves as a special correspondent. He is the author of numerous books on railroading, including such topics as the history of the Burlington Northern Railroad, Wisconsin Central, Milwaukee Road steam locomotive 261 and regional railroads.