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The early history of the American railroad by the man the New York Times calls "one of the best-known civil engineers in America." The American Railway provides an exciting look at the railroad industry in the 1880s and how it developed as the business boomed. Originally published in 1889, it contains a thorough history of how railroads were built, the types of railways, the lives of railway workers, the various ways the railway affected political and business economics, as well as the safety precautions of people who rode or worked with the railway system. You'll also find more than two hundred hand-drawn illustrations--visual representations of great steam engines, graceful bridges, life in a Pullman car, railway accidents, views of track construction, and portraits of railroad pioneers and magnates of the times--and stories from real rail workers. Learn how far we've come from such humble beginnings and grow to have a newfound appreciation for the railways that paved our country's future. This edition features a new foreword by Jeff Smith, editor of the NRHS Bulletin, the quarterly magazine published by the National Railway Historical Society.… (more)
User reviews
This summary is divided into 13 chapters; The building of a railway, Feats of railway engineering, American locomotives and cars, Railway management, Safety in railroad travel, Railway passenger travel, The freight -car service, How to feed a railway, The railway mail service, The railway in its business relations, The prevention of railway strikes, The every-day life of railroad men, and Statistical railway studies. Each chapter is authored by a then recognized expert in the field of the chapter title. Each chapter has a byline for the author followed by an outline of chapter contents and each chapter contains illustrations and tables.
While this book is an overview of a technical enterprise it is not a dry read. The attention to detail and the description of events and practices long since vanished from the American scene hold the readers interest. If you know anything of present day railroading just reading the chapter outlines provides an appreciation of how much things have changed. I would recommend this book to anyone desiring a better understanding of the state of 19th Century railroad technology and practice.