Historical Archives - Southern Pacific Railroad History Center

Railroads of Nevada Volume1 and 2 by David Myrick W-9A

Chip Savoye — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:08:21 +0000

Valuable as these volumes are in relation to railroad operations in Nevada and California, their usefulness as authoritative reference sources embraces a much broader scope. Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California is as much a history of the region as it is a study of the railroads. The principal mines and mills and their production are scrupulously detailed, together with the personalities who created them.

A map has been provided in Volume I to orient the reader to the locales described. It is an accurate and reliable travel aid for readers who choose to wander the region’s historic railroad routes. In this volume, Myrick begins his history with coverage of the sprawling network of the northern railroads.

The setting for Volume II is the varied and spectacular geography of southern Nevada and eastern California—from Death Valley and the Mojave Desert to the hard rock tunnels of Goldfield and the isolated communities of Rhyolite and Pioche. This volume also contains a handy index and an updated locomotive roster.

Price is for the set of both Volumes. Please write for individual pricing.

The post Railroads of Nevada Volume1 and 2 by David Myrick W-9A appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

Union Pacific The Reconfiguration: Americas Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present, by Maury Klein W-14

Chip Savoye — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:28:08 +0000

Praised by the Chicago Tribune as “thoroughly and compellingly detailed history,” Volumes I and II of Maury Klein’s monumental history of the Union Pacific Railroad covered the years from 1863-1969. Now the third and final volume brings the story of the Union Pacific–the oldest, largest, and most successful railroad of modern times–fully up to date.

The book follows the trajectory of an icon of the industrial age trying to negotiate its way in a post-railway world, plagued by setbacks such as labor disputes, aging infrastructure, government de-regulation, ill-fated mergers, and more. By 1969 the same company that a century earlier had triumphantly driven the golden spike into Promontory Summit–to immortalize the nation’s first transcontinental railway–seemed a dinosaur destined for financial ruin. But as Klein shows, the Union Pacific not only survived but is once more thriving, which proves that railways remain critical to commerce and industry in America, even as passenger train travel has all but disappeared. Drawing on interviews with Union Pacific personnel past and present, Klein takes readers inside the great railroad–into its boardrooms and along its tracks–to show how the company adapted to the rapidly changing world of modern transportation. The book also offers fascinating portraits of the men who have run the railroad. The challenges they faced, and the strategies they developed to meet them, give readers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of America’s great companies.

A capstone on a remarkable achievement, Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration will appeal to historians, business scholars, and transportation buffs alike.

The post Union Pacific The Reconfiguration: Americas Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present, by Maury Klein W-14 appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods. The Story of the North Pacific Coast-Railroad and San Francisco Bay Paddle Wheel Ferries by Graves and Dickinson W-14

Chip Savoye — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:13:00 +0000

The post Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods. The Story of the North Pacific Coast-Railroad and San Francisco Bay Paddle Wheel Ferries by Graves and Dickinson W-14 appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

Union Pacific West from Leavenworth: A history of the Leavenworth, Kansas & Western Railway by I. E Quastler W-14

Chip Savoye — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 20:15:02 +0000

The history of the rail line that ran from Leavenworth to Miltonvale, Kansas is told. Initially constructed as narrow gauge Kansas Central Railway, this line later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad system. A few years after converting from narrow gauge to standard gauge, the Union Pacific-controlled Kansas Central was purchased at a foreclosure auction for $200,000 and rechristened the Leavenworth, Kansas & Western, with plans to expand the line to the western border of Kansas and northward into Nebraska. Converted to standard gauge in 1890, the 166-mile route extended west from Leavenworth to Miltonvale. But financial woes dogged the line and in 1908 it was sold to the Union Pacific. Improved highway transportation and losses spurred by the Great Depression caused the UP to abandon nearly all of the LK&W line in 1935.

Paperback. Very good condition

The post Union Pacific West from Leavenworth: A history of the Leavenworth, Kansas & Western Railway by I. E Quastler W-14 appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

Railroads of Yosemite Valley Johnson – Law (W-14)

Chip Savoye — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:26:31 +0000

206 pages. This 2nd edition is from 1966 and is much improved and much larger than the first edition. With many photos in B/W of the historic trains. This copy is tight – looks used and it looks like a small front cover corner-tip area got chewed off by a dog and was subsequently trimmed straight at an angle -: the book – not the dog! It does not have the words “short line” in the title. Scarce in this edition.

Hardcover. Good Condition

The post Railroads of Yosemite Valley Johnson – Law (W-14) appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

The Milwaukee Road 1928-1985 By Jim Scribbins 2001 (JD)

Chip Savoye — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:41:20 +0000

This huge deluxe 312-page, 8 1/2 x 11” hardbound book tells the history of The Milwaukee Road in 10 chapters of authoritative text, and numerous quality black and white and color photographs! Special Locomotive and Passenger Train chapters are included.

The book covers this transcontinental granger railroad between the years of 1928 and 1985. The Milwaukee was a proud line that faced many challenges during its lifetime including transportation rivals, overtaking five mountain ranges and staying afloat financially.

Author Scribbins is an authority on The Milwaukee Road, having worked in the passenger, public relations and other departments, starting with the line in 1948. This is his fifth railroad book.

Very good condition

The post The Milwaukee Road 1928-1985 By Jim Scribbins 2001 (JD) appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

Chicago Northwestern Railway MBI Color Book Series Tom Murray (JD)

Chip Savoye — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:27:13 +0000

By the time it was merged into the Union Pacific in 1995, the Chicago & North Western was one of the nations oldest surviving railroads, a testament to the Midwestern stoicism with which it had gone about its business since 1859. This illustrated history chronicles how C&NW emerged from a collection of regional carriers to become a strategic link between eastern railroads and the West.

Author Tom Murray traces the railroads expansion as it extended secondary lines throughout the Midwest. He also explores C&NWs joint ownership of UP passenger trains and describes how the railroad answered challenges from regional rivals with the “400” series of passenger trains. As fascinating as the story are the hundreds of accompanying illustrations–historical photographs, archival images, route maps, and period print ads.

The result is an entertaining and informative history of an iconic Midwestern railroad–a narrative that spans the decades from the 1850s to the 1990s and takes in steam and diesel motive power, freight and passenger operations, and all the key characters, events, and deals that figured in the Chicago & North Westerns rise and eventual demise.

The post Chicago Northwestern Railway MBI Color Book Series Tom Murray (JD) appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

Rails in the Shadow of Mt. Shasta by John Signor

Chip Savoye — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:21:36 +0000

Describes the construction, development, passenger operations, and history of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Shasta Route, which links Portland, Oregon, to San Francisco

The post Rails in the Shadow of Mt. Shasta by John Signor appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

The Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis, A History of the Dixie Line By Dain L Shult (JD)

Chip Savoye — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:14:18 +0000

A fascinating railroad stretching from Memphis to Atlanta, the NC&St.L has a history beginning in 1840, and stretching through the Civil War to a merger with its parent line in 1957. The photos, diagrams, and maps presented in this book will help you understand the development and operation of the line as a key link between Memphis and the Appalachians. The railroad used Mikados, Pacifics, and Mountain types, as well as the first 4-8-4s in the South. Leading the way were the bullet-nosed, semi-streamlined J3 class 4-8-4s known as the “Yellow Jackets”. Also featured in the book are model railroads that use the NC&St.L as a prototype. Written in an easily readable style, this book will interest all fans of railroading in the South. (JD)

The post The Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis, A History of the Dixie Line By Dain L Shult (JD) appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.

The Milwaukee Road Motorbooks Railroad History by Tom Murray (JD)

Chip Savoye — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 20:08:14 +0000

The true grit and glory days of one of America’s greatest railroads come to dramatic life in this full-scale illustrated history by industry veteran Tom Murray. Words and pictures carry readers across the vast tracts of land and time traversed by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific-better known to history as the Milwaukee Road. Ranging from the railroad’s late-nineteenth-century beginnings to its purchase by onetime rival Soo Line in 1985, the book looks at The Milwaukee Road’s famed streamlined Hiawatha passenger trains, the “Little Joe” electric locomotives, and the sprawling fabrication and repair facilities in its namesake city. Whether surveying the railroad’s routes and the trains that plied them, and the people who worked behind the scenes, or focusing on the line’s motive power, rolling stock, passenger and freight operations, The Milwaukee Road provides a broad-scale, brilliantly detailed portrait of a great railroad, an industry, and a bygone era.

The post The Milwaukee Road Motorbooks Railroad History by Tom Murray (JD) appeared first on Southern Pacific Railroad History Center.