American Railway

The United States was crisscrossed by a vast network of railways -- more than 150,000 miles of tracks, trestles, great suspension bridges, cantilevers, tunnels, and steep mountain gradings. They stretched from the placid, cultivated New England landscape to the lusty wilderness of the Far West. Giant steam engines pulled endless strings of parlor cars, luxurious Pullmans, and freight wagons (some even refrigerated) through sleepy hamlets, weary stretches of prairie farmlands, and the haze of industrial metropolitan centers, many less than 2 decades old. Multitudes of immigrants, bedded down in sparse but eminently practical railway cars specially constructed for them, were sped to new homes and a new life halfway across a continent. In less than 50 years after the introduction of the first practical railway engine into the United States and a short "amusement" run near Baltimore, the railroad had revolutionized the daily lives of millions of Americans who could now travel at amazing speeds. The average train travelled at an incredible 40 miles per hour and some engines could even hit 75! Is it any wonder that a group of contemporary railroad professionals collaborated in a collection of articles, both descriptive and critical, that reflected a justifiable pride at what technical skill and scientific inventiveness could create in little over half a century? The American Railway is an exciting description of the railroad industry in the 1880s, as well as an historical chronicle of how this industry developed. - Jacket flap.