When the Railroad Leaves Town


Book Description

This volume tells of closing rail lines from historic junctions, ageing industrial centres, agricultural villages, and familiar tourist destinations throughout the eastern half of the United States. Joseph Schwieterman takes a look at events that contributed to the demise of railroads in 64 towns and cities distinguished by their notable railroad histories or unusual experiences with rail line abandonment. Rail line abandonment claimed more than half of US rail route mileage during the past 50 years and is accompanied by controversial and unexpected developments -- events affecting communities years after the last train departed. This book is a concise narrative, with contrasting photos of local train stations in their prime and after abandonment.







Nothing Like It In the World


Book Description

The story of the men who build the transcontinental railroad in the 1860's.




Train Time


Book Description

Unlike many United States industries, railroads are intrinsically linked to American soil and particular regions. Yet few Americans pay attention to rail lines, even though millions of them live in an economy and culture "waiting for the train." In Train Time: Railroads and the Imminent Reshaping of the United States Landscape, John R. Stilgoe picks up where his acclaimed work Metropolitan Corridor left off, carrying his ideas about the spatial consequences of railways up to the present moment. Arguing that the train is returning, "an economic and cultural tsunami about to transform the United States," Stilgoe posits a future for railways as powerful shapers of American life. Divided into sections that focus on particular aspects of the impending impact of railroads on the landscape, Train Time moves seamlessly between historical and contemporary analysis. From his reading of what prompted investors to reorient their thinking about the railroad industry in the late 1970s, to his exploration of creative solutions to transportation problems and land use planning and development in the present, Stilgoe expands our perspective of an industry normally associated with bad news. Urging us that "the magic moment is now," he observes, "Now a train is often only a whistle heard far off on a sleepless night. But romantic or foreboding or empowering, the whistle announces return and change to those who listen." For scholars with an interest in American history in general and railroad and transit history in particular, as well as general readers concerned about the future of transportation in the United States, Train Time is an engaging look at the future of our railroads.




Terminal Town


Book Description

Take an historical tour of Chicago's railroad stations, airports, bus depots and steamship wharves. Showcasing great icons of transportation, Schwieterman illustrates why the "Windy City" so richly deserves its reputation as America's premier travel hub.




Railroad History of Winneshiek County


Book Description

The history of the settlement of the West can in many aspects be attributed to the coming of a railroad. To the first settlers, the railroads provided the opportunities to link up with markets across the nation without having to travel far from their farms. The lines brought hope and change, but also brought crime and corruption. The story of almost every town west of the Mississippi can in some way be linked to the story of the railroad that serviced the area. These towns grew over the years in size and economic wealth as the amounts of trade and transport transformed the line into a funnel for economic progress. Though the railroads would eventually be challenged by trucking companies and personal automobiles, the business the railroads had help establish lead the community into the wealth they have today. In the northern Iowa county of Winneshiek, each town holds the perfect example of railroad successes and failures. Each town holds their own heritage, which can uniquely be associated with many other towns across the west. The heritage left by the railroads can be directly linked to the heritage of the western United States. To look at the history of us, we need to look into the founding of the railroads.




USA by Rail


Book Description

The American train journey has always had a strong hold on the imagination. Ever-changing landscapes pass by on the other side of the glass, from the primeval-looking Joshua trees of the Mojave Desert and the saw-toothed peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the pounding surf of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. And in these ecologically-conscious times, rail travel offers a peace of mind that cannot be matched by a stressful domestic flight.Now in its eighth edition, this book covers all the major routes across the United States and Canada. Perfect for the well-planned traveller and the whimsical day-dreamer alike, it contains both practical information and background on the places that you'll see. Whatever the route, sit back, relax and watch a breathtaking continent unfold.37 long distance routes in the USA and CanadaSightseeing highlights for 38 major citiesAccommodation - cheap to chicArea maps and detailed route plansHistory of trains in North AmericaInformation about steam railways and museums










The City Reader


Book Description

The sixth edition of the highly successful The City Reader juxtaposes the very best classic and contemporary writings on the city to provide the comprehensive mapping of the terrain of Urban Studies and Planning old and new. The City Reader is the anchor volume in the Routledge Urban Reader Series and is now integrated with all ten other titles in the series. This edition has been extensively updated and expanded to reflect the latest thinking in each of the disciplinary areas included and in topical areas such as compact cities, urban history, place making, sustainable urban development, globalization, cities and climate change, the world city network, the impact of technology on cities, resilient cities, cities in Africa and the Middle East, and urban theory. The new edition places greater emphasis on cities in the developing world, globalization and the global city system of the future. The plate sections have been revised and updated. Sixty generous selections are included: forty-four from the fifth edition, and sixteen new selections, including three newly written exclusively for The City Reader. The sixth edition keeps classic writings by authors such as Ebenezer Howard, Ernest W. Burgess, LeCorbusier, Lewis Mumford, Jane Jacobs, and Louis Wirth, as well as the best contemporary writings of, among others, Peter Hall, Manuel Castells, David Harvey, Saskia Sassen, and Kenneth Jackson. In addition to newly commissioned selections by Yasser Elshestawy, Peter Taylor, and Lawrence Vale, new selections in the sixth edition include writings by Aristotle, Peter Calthorpe, Alberto Camarillo, Filip DeBoech, Edward Glaeser, David Owen, Henri Pirenne, The Project for Public Spaces, Jonas Rabinovich and Joseph Lietman, Doug Saunders, and Bish Sanyal. The anthology features general and section introductions as well as individual introductions to the selected articles introducing the authors, providing context, relating the selection to other selection, and providing a bibliography for further study. The sixth edition includes fifty plates in four plate sections, substantially revised from the fifth edition.