American Railroad History Archives - Southern Pacific Railroad History Center

Snowbound Streamliner – Rescuing the 1952 City of San Francisco – Church

Chip Savoye — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:45:27 +0000

A thorough history of the 1952 City of San Francisco which became buried in an Avalanche high in the Sierras stranding passengers and Crew

Used Very Good condition

W14

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South Pacific Coast – MacGregor W-16

Chip Savoye — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:35:16 +0000

Fascinating history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad, a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz and Alameda, California with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. Built by James G. Fair who made his fortune on the Comstock Lode, the railroad was a gamble that paid off well. This book describes the origins, construction and operation of the railroad, its clashes with the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific, its positive economic impact on the previously isolated areas around San Jose and Santa Cruz that it served, and the railroad’s demise in 1908. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos. With schematic diagrams and several maps. End papers show vintage ads for the railroad. 280 pages with index

Very good Conditi0n

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Ships and Narrow Gauge Rails by Gerald Best (JD)

Gene Harmon — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:20:34 +0000

Best, Gerald M., Ships and Narrow Gauge Rails, The Story of The Pacific Coast Company, 1964. Jacket intact, some shelf wear, some fading along spine.

Locator Box JD

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Narrow Gauge Railways in America; signed by the compilers and editor, limited edition (JD)

Gene Harmon — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:16:44 +0000

Fleming, Howard, Narrow Gauge Railways in America, first edition, 1949. 5-1/2 by 9 inches. Sound binding, light wear on dust jacket. A 1963 house fire covered the jacket’s spine and page edges with soot; front and back covers and page surfaces are unsooted. This is a facsimile reproduction of the 1875 book by Fleming. It was published in 1949 by Grahame Hardy. Editors were Hardy and Paul Darrell. The facsimile has 101 pages and numerous illustrations. Brian Thompson compiled a comprehensive 21-page directory of American NG railroads 1875-1949. A page before the title page reads as follows: “This is number 516 of a limited edition of nine hundred and fifty copies, signed by the compilers and printed by El Camino Press on El Camino Real in September 1949.” Below this are Hardy, Darrell, and Thompson’s original ink signatures. Cover, endpaper, and spot illustrations are by rail artist E.S. Hammack.

Locator box JD

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Back On Track American Railroad Accidents and Safety 1965-2015 by Mark Aldrich (W 32)

Gene Harmon — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 16:36:25 +0000

This is a comprehensive history of American railroad safety. This 284 page, expertly research treatise, includes B&W photos, graphs, tables and a comprehensive index. Published in 2018 by the Johns Hopkins University Press, this exception book is is like-new condition.

Locator box 32

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The Hook & the Eye – History of the Iowa Central Railway – Don L. Hofsommer (2005) (E-2)

Rick Barton — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 00:32:37 +0000

From the Dust Cover: Fearing the rapacious power of Chicago’s railroad system in the mid-1900s, Iowa Central Railway supporters fought for a north-south route across the state that would link Minneapolis and St. Paul with St. Louis. Such a route would put the needs of Iowa’s citizens first and provide transportation for the state’s agricultural and industrial trade.

Analyzing the origins, growth, and eventual dismantling of the Iowa Central Railway, which traversed the state from Ackley to Zearing and Mason City to Marshalltown, Don Hofsommer examines how this unremarkable, “plain vanilla” railway was an example of the life cycle of the American railroad industry. The Hook & Eye demonstrates its symbiotic relationship with its customers. Born in ambition but never rising far above its obscure origins, the Iowa Central eventually fell to outside competition from railroads based in greater metropolitan areas and was made part of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway in 1912.

Drawing the story from station records, annual reports, newspaper articles, and interviews with former employees, The Hook & Eye brings both the industry and human sides of railroading into sharp and memorable view.

Don L. Hofsommer is a native Iowan and professor of history at St. Cloud State University.

The book is in Excellent Condition. No marks or tears and virtually no shelf wear.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Univ Of Minnesota Press; First Edition (August 25, 2005)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0816644977
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0816644971

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Mile-High Trolleys (1965) (E-1)

Rick Barton — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 23:54:57 +0000

This is a very good hardback book on the trolleys that served Denver beginning in the late 1800s or general interest for anyone interested in transportation and railroadiana. The book is an easy read and has stories and detailed information about the trolleys that once connected the Mile High City.

The book is in very good condition. There are no marks or writings in the book, the binding is strong. The dust jacket shows some minor tearing and shelf wear.

Also includes some great extras including a large timetable for the Denver & Intermountain Railroad from 1943.

Library of Congress #65-27723

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Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific -Stuart Daggett (1966) 1922 Book (E-2)

Rick Barton — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 19:50:19 +0000

In “Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific,” Stuart Daggett delves into the fascinating history of one of the most influential and iconic railroad companies in American history. This classic book provides a comprehensive overview of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s rise to prominence, its expansion across the western United States, and its significant impact on the region’s economic and social development. Daggett’s meticulous research and engaging writing style make this book a must-read for railroad enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone interested in the story of American transportation and industry. Through insightful analysis and detailed accounts of key events and figures, “Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific” brings to life the challenges and triumphs of one of America’s most legendary railroad companies. See photo for book chapters.

ISBN: 9780678001813 470 pages

The book is in very good condition. There are no marks or writings in the book, the binding is strong. The book is wrapped in a clear plastic book sleeve and shows virtually no shelf wear.

Library of Congress #66-22621

470 pages

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History of the Union Pacific: A Financial and Economic Survey – (1966) Reprint of 1923 book (E-2)

Rick Barton — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 19:30:48 +0000

Handsomely done 1966 reprint of this early history of the Union Pacific (originally published in 1923). Provides a clear description of the UP’s origins from the Pacific Railroad Acts through the annual report of 1921. Illustrated with black and white photos, maps and numerous charts.

412 pages

Hard Cover

Published 1966 REPRINT (first published 1923)

Table Of Contents

I The Pacific Railroad Acts 3

Ii The History Of The Construction Contracts 23

Iii The Work Of Construction 55

Iv Congressional Scandals: Credit Mobilier; The Mulligan Letters 71

V The Decade From I870 To I880 99

Vi Disputes And Litigation Over The Interest Question I23

Vii The Kansas Pacific Consolidation 147

Viii Auxiliary And Branch Lines 175

Ix The Administration Of Charles Francis Adams . . 198

X Receivership And Reorganization 24.I

Xi The Growth Of The Union Pacific From The Time Of The Reorganization Down To 1905 273

Xii The Harriman System 307

Xiii The Dissolution Of The Union Pacific-Southern Pacific Combination 352

Xiv Recent Operations 373

Xv General Considerations 389

Bibliography . . 40i

Index 405

PREFACE

The railroad situation today constitutes a problem of far greater moment than ever before. Permanent business prosperity cannot exist unless we have a healthy and permanent solution of the railroad problem. The story of the Union Pacific shows the vitality of a rightly located railroad, and its power, under competent management, of working free from the handicaps of financial exploitation, and becoming a source of profit to its stockholders and of service to the entire community.

The Union Pacific together with its western connection, the Central Pacific, was the first and for many years the only transcontinental railroad. The sixty years of its existence saw the opening up of the western half of the country, and in this vast development the Union Pacific bore a chief part. In later years, as a Harriman road, the Union Pacific has been identified with perhaps the greatest of American railway operators. Yet though the road has often been in the limelight, its dramatic story has never been assembled in its entirety. The present work gives a general account of the Union Pacific Railroad from its birth during the Civil War, in 1862, to the annual report of the directors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1921, after the return of the railroads to private control following the World War.

Many important lessons are to be learned from the successive stages of Union Pacific history : the launching of the road with fervid but hasty enthusiasm arid in a peculiar degree with national backing; the profligacy and chicanery of old-time railroad management, by which resources and good will were alike thrown away; the collapse and receivership; the speedy revival and expansion in the hands of a competent management; the final stage of close governmental supervision of private initiative culminating in the Railroad Administration and the Esch-Cummins Law of 1920.

The peculiar relations long subsisting between the United States government and the Union Pacific bring out the bungling, bureaucratic processes of government and the great dangers of uninformed public opinion, often demanding legislation the effect of which is to punish the men of today for the misdeeds of the former generation and, in the process, imposing a heavy handicap on legitimate business development.

The personal testimony of the early promoters, of the Credit Mobilier people, of Jay Gould, Russell Sage, and other speculators of the past generation, and in more recent times of E. A. Harriman, Otto H. Kahn, and their associates, is voluminous and readily accessible among the government publications. There exists also a mass of documentary evidence in the shape of reports, court records, and similar data. This abundant source material makes it possible to present the full financial and economic history of this great railroad company, the character of its relations with the federal government, and the account of the process by which the Union Pacific expanded from a single stretch of main line a thousand miles in length to the great system which the road controls and operates today.

NELSON TROTTMAN. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 25, 1923.

The book is in Very Good condition. There are no marks, writings or tears, the binding is strong. Almost no shelf wear.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0007DNMXM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ A.M. Kelley; First Edition (January 1, 1966)

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Transportation After Deregulation Volume 6 Transportation After Deregulation – B. Starr McMullen (E-1)

Rick Barton — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 01:11:20 +0000

Several of the papers in this volume are concerned with assessing both the timing and the impacts of deregulation and regulatory reform in the US transportation sector. Of increasing interest is the importance of productivity growth and the role played by new technologies in a more competitive market environment. Four of the papers in this volume deal directly with these issues in the context of motor carriers and railroads, two sectors which have been operating under substantially reduced regulatory constraints for the past twenty years in the US. Although the financial condition of US railroads has improved since 1980, there is still some concern regarding their long run viability as private enterprises. Accordingly, one of the papers considers the potential for further reductions in railroad costs through transcontinental mergers, a controversial issue due to the small number of railroads that remain in the industry.

The book is in Good condition. There are no marks, writings or tears, the binding is strong.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ JAI Press; 1st edition (September 26, 2001)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0762307803
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0762307807

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