In 1899, thirteen car-building companies combined to form American Car & Foundry Co. This book is the story of a century of work by that company. This sweeping view of the work and products of American Car & Foundry celebrates the company's Centennial in 1999. Author Edward S. Kaminski covers corporate history and product development, but emphasizes the immense variety and extent of railcar production over the past century, from the original thirteen firms which formed ACF, down to the facilities of today. Chapters cover, in addition to manufacturing plants and company history, tank cars; box, stock and refrigerator cars; flat cars; open-top hoppers and gondolas; covered hoppers; passenger cars; and miscellaneous railcars and equipment. With fully 1260 photos, the great majority never before published and of considerable historic value, together with a detailed appendix on tank car specifications and drawings, as well as a complete index, this is an essential book for anyone who is a railroad enthusiast or is interested in American railroads and rolling stock.

The book presents a sampling of many thousands of freight, passenger and other railcar equipment produced by ACF, as well as other products ranging from busses and trucks, to military vehicles and yachts. Accordingly, a rich slice of railroad history is here, in the varied equipment and its owners, down through the decades in which wood construction gave way to steel, rivets to welding, and cars became far larger in capacity. The numerous plants and facilities of ACF are here too, along with a summary of company history.

The book represents a selection from the enormous and superb collection of historic photographs taken throughout its history by ACF to document new cars as they were produced. As such, it is a window into earlier decades as well as into quite recent ACF output. The great majority of these photographs, 260 of them in color, have not been published previously, and many are newly discovered in ACF archives. This book is sure to take its place in libraries of railroad and rail equipment history.

The painting used for the dust jacket of this book was painted by ACF employee Aurion M. Proctor for the ACF headquarters building; it is now at the Milton, Pennsylvania manufacturing plant of ACF.

Central California Traction had its origins in 1902 as a streetcar service in Stockton, California. Conceived by Howard H. Griffiths as an improved system to compete against Stockton's venerable narrow-gauge line, the Stockton Electric Railroad, Griffiths' vision became reality in 1905 with the incorporation of the Central California Traction Company. Modern, standard-gauge electric cars began serving the San Joaquin Valley's inland port city, offering connections to the steam trains of the Southern Pacific, the young Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and the forthcoming Western Pacific lines. As fate would have it, these three companies would become controlling owners of the CCT in January 1928.
Electric interurban passenger service to nearby Lodi began in 1907 as ownership of the CCT was passed on from Griffiths to wealthy entrepreneurs Herbert and Mortimer Fleishhacker of San Francisco. Further expansion to Sacramento was completed in 1910, with both passenger and freight services offered over the 53-mile line. Soon, 48 daily passenger trains were listed in the timetable, all propelled by a 1,200-volt dc third-rail power distribution system, the first installation of its kind in the United States.
Although the Stockton streetcar service was a financial failure, a similar service operated by CCT in Sacramento proved successful and ran from 1910 until 1946. Interurban passenger service ended in 1933, even as freight business grew substantially. Modernizing the line in 1946, diesel locomotives replaced the "juice jacks." Now 101 years after its groundbreaking, the CCT continues to operate as an important freight carrier, and retains its corporate identity.
The complex story of this road's history has been thoroughly researched through the last decade by noted historian Jeff Moreau and by photographer/historian Dave Stanley. They collected a superb set of historic photographs and other materials, and John Signor prepared maps for the book. Stanley also used extensive interviews with employees as well as recollections from his own years as a CCT trainman to complete the story. John Signor created the painting shown on the jacket, depicting a CCT train in street running in Lodi.
The 626 photographs, along with 23 maps, numerous ephemera and graphics, equipment drawings and rosters, and numerous sidebars richly document the story. The company's interaction with its parent railroads as well as with the Sacramento Northern, Stockton Terminal & Eastern, and Tidewater Southern Railways will be of interest to both historians and fans of not only electric railroads but California railroading in general.

The Great Northern Railway was among America's most distinctive and noteworthy railroads. Though its most spectacular scenery was in the western half of the line, called Lines West, there was a very busy network of trackage, and considerably more traffic, in the Lines East, essentially including the states of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and extensions into Wisconsin, Iowa, and Manitoba.

This book presents the history, operational characteristics, and equipment which lay at the heart of GN Lines East, with an emphasis on the latter 40 years of Great Northern's history. Both passenger and freight operations were complex and interesting, as was the motive power. An extensive photographic presentation of steam and diesel locomotives, along with passenger and freight equipment, is at the heart of this edition.

This book, the first edition of which was published in 1989, is a companion to Charles R. Wood's Great Northern Lines West.  But this new edition contains far more than did the first edition. Photographic reproduction is greatly improved with better paper and printing. The text has been revised, corrected and expanded where needed, and the book is now 70 pages longer. Also, the book now contains an outstanding collection of 621 photographs (54 of them in color); fully 231 of the photos here are new or enlarged from the previous versions.

The most distinctive addition to the book is an entirely new chapter on Great Northern freight equipment, by experts Richard H. Hendrickson and Staffan Ehnbom. Starting about 1910 and extending to 1970, coverage is included for all types of freight cars. This chapter alone contains 142 new photos, along with a few from the previous edition. There is no comparable resource anywhere for detailed coverage of GN freight cars over this span of time.

Author Patrick Dorin has 15 previous railroad books to his credit; he welcomed the chance to improve and expand this one. Noted railroad artist J. Craig Thorpe has created a painting of the Stone Arch Bridge between Minneapolis and St. Paul to enhance the dust jacket. This new edition is a fitting companion to Great Northern Lines West and completes the detailed story of the Great Northern Railway.

The Great Northern was among America's most distinctive railroads. Though not the earliest of the transcontinental roads, it traversed scenery as varied and spectacular as any. Its operations over the years, in every kind of weather, were similarly diverse, from plains to mountains, from the Great Lakes shore in Minnesota to Pacific tidewater in Seattle.
     The style instilled in the Great Northern by its builder, James J. Hill, persisted well into the twentieth century. From its characteristic designs of large steam locomotives and its electrified operations over the Cascade Range, to its superb streamliner after World War II, the Empire Builder, and its unique fleet of diesel locomotives, the Great Northern was always a railroad apart.
     The book tells the story of the Great Northern Railway, concentrating on its western half, the Lines West, which conquered both the Rocky and Cascade Mountains. From its earliest beginnings in 1857, to the completion of the line to the Pacific Coast in 1893, to the modernization of the railroad, first with heavy steam locomotives and then with diesels, and to the merger into Burlington Northern in 1970, the sweep of this great history is here.
     Noted Northwest railroad historian Charles R. Wood has combined extensive research and a superb collection of photographs to produce an outstanding history of this noteworthy railroad. With the deftness of a writer who knows his subject, Wood presents a wide-ranging description of the life and times of the western half of the Great Northern. This book is a detailed and complete account of one of America's most fascinating roads, the Great Northern Railway.
     The first edition of Lines West was published in 1967. Subsequent printings were in some cases unfortunately of poor quality, which has damaged the reputation of this fine book, and it has now been "out of print" for a number of years This new edition, made with the original page negatives, restores the quality of the first edition while updating and replacing some photographs and adding a color section and an index. Newly revised with numerous new photographs and a superb new painting by Northwest artist J. Craig Thorpe on the dust jacket and frontispiece, this edition will take its place in the literature of the Great Northern Railway.

"The classic returns, in an expanded edition. Photo quality is as good as, or better than the original Superior edition."
-- The Goat,Great Northern Historical Society.

First edition published, June, 1992; out of print since January, 1997. Widely acclaimed in its first edition, not only for its complete and detailed coverage of the PFE car fleet, but also for its corporate history and extensive description of harvesting and shipping of Western perishables, the book has in recent years brought $200 and more per copy on the used book market. (A description of the original edition is available.)

The product of six years of research by each of the authors, this book is a must for the historian and serious modeler. Covered in detail are company history, management organization, turn of the century predecessor refrigerator cars, all classes of wood and steel ice refrigerator cars, mechanical refrigerators, trailers, flat cars and containers, car repair shops, natural ice and manufactured ice plants, western agricultural development and produce shipping, and an album of PFE in action across America, along with an Appendix of 34 pages, a fully detailed bibliography, and an index.
The book has been re-issued as a second edition. A number of corrections and additions were made in the text, and improved photographs were included in some cases; the total number of corrected pages is about 100. Furthermore, 56 new color images, as well as tabular equipment summaries, were also added, bringing 32 new pages to the book. In all, about a third of the pages in the new edition are new or revised. There are now 744 total photographs in the book (64 in color), along with 52 drawings, maps, and other graphics. A triple-width foldout map of the PFE system by cartographer John Signor is retained. Publication date was August 15, 2000

Comments on the First Edition

"This book is comprehensive, carefully researched, and abundantly illustrated. It is an indispensable resource for scale modelers as well as historians." -- Richard Hendrickson, in Railroad Model Craftsman magazine

"Thorough research has yielded much information and is well synthesized into a whole. The company, operations, and freight cars have been given their due. This is the finest book of its kind ever published."
-- Al Westerfield, freight car historian

"Here is a superb illustrated history of the company whose name is synonymous with perishable freight. Rounding out the work is the most complete bibliography and index I have ever seen in a rail history book."
-- Jim Hediger, in Trains magazine

"A giant subsidiary of two major railroads, usually only referred to as a sidelight, has been thoroughly researched and accurately presented. An exceptional book."
-- William Kratville, railroad historian

Comments on the Second Edition

"...impressively complete and well-executed history of the company that [details] every aspect of PFEs far-flung empire...this highly-regarded book is back in a second, and expanded, edition." -- Carl A. Swanson, in Trains magazine

For more than 150 years, railroads have been an important part of the life and landscape of North America. An extensive photographic record of these railroads exists, as this book shows, for every part of the country, over a broad span of time. Many individual railroads are represented.
But this is much more than a collection of photographs. Extensive and informative captions bring to life the varied images of locomotives, rolling stock, trains and structures. Diesel locomotives down to the present day are included along with 100 years of steam locomotive history; the same is true for passenger cars and freight cars.

These photographs are drawn from the collection of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, whose 75th anniversary takes place in 1996. The book is part of the anniversary celebration of the R&LHS, and is published by Signature Press in association with the Society. The R&LHS is the oldest organization in North America devoted exclusively to railroad studies, history, and preservation.

The fourth volume in this acclaimed history of Arizona railroads, covering the construction and operation of the Santa Fe main line across northern Arizona, is a fitting addition to this fine series.

From the beginning of construction as the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1881, when northern Arizona was a remote and lightly settled part of the Territory, through the transition brought on by Santa Fe's bankruptcy in 1897, and finally to incorporation into the Santa Fe Railway in 1902, the story of the pioneer days is here.
 Towns from Winslow to Flagstaff to Kingman had their origins and early growth with the coming of the railroad. Their initial histories revolved around the doings of the Santa Fe, as did the histories of towns in the surrounding territory of the rail line. This rich lore of local history along the Santa Fe in northern Arizona is an important part of the book.

During the twentieth century, additional construction and improvements took place along the Santa Fe. This topic is covered, as is the transition from steam to diesel locomotives, passenger as well as freight operations, and the transition to Amtrak and the modern era.

The distinguished Western historian David F. Myrick has authored three previous volumes about the railroads of Arizona, as well as two volumes about the railroads of Nevada and eastern California, and a volume on railroads of New Mexico. He has also written local histories of San Francisco's Telegraph Hill and Santa Barbara's Montecito. Following the pattern of previous books, he brings meticulous research, numerous maps, and a superb collection of rare and historic photographs to this new volume of the Arizona series. As always, his writing is clear and readable. This is an outstanding book of railroad history, of interest to Western and Arizona historians and rail enthusiasts as well as to those focused on the Santa Fe. A superb painting of Santa Fe trains passing in the high country of central Arizona, as shown above, was prepared by railroad artist Rod Aszman for the dust jacket of this book.

This is a new volume in David Myrick's acclaimed series of books about Arizona railroading. It is a history of efforts to construct a north-south railroad connecting Phoenix with the Santa Fe main line in northern Arizona, as well as the operations of that and connected lines, such as the route to California with a Colorado River bridge at Parker. The various mining roads tributary to the "Peavine," as the Santa Fe line was known, are also here, along with the rich mining history and associated railroads of the area around Prescott.
Prescott, capital of Arizona Territory, had no railroad until 1887, despite active mining in the nearby Bradshaw Mountains and the tantalizing completion of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad across northern Arizona in 1881, only fifty miles to the north. Emergence of a railroad to Prescott was to be an important factor in the development of central Arizona.
Prescott's first railroad, the Prescott & Arizona Central, only lasted six years, and was succeeded by the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix (the "Peavine"), a road which eventually became part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Later construction of the Parker line, a direct route from the Phoenix area to Southern California, is also described.
The history of these and associated railroads, such as the Bradshaw Mountain Railroad, is presented in this book, from early construction and operation through a rugged and arid territory, to the coming of modernization in the twentieth century. During much of this history, railroads were powered by steam locomotives, and both passenger and freight operations are described here. In addition, the book features numerous images of mines, mills, and mining camps throughout the book's territory. Enthusiasts of mining history will also find much to enjoy in this book.
The distinguished Western historian David F. Myrick, as in his previous books, brings meticulous research, numerous fine maps, and a superb collection of rare and historic photographs to this new volume of the Arizona series. As always, his writing is authoritative, clear and readable. Railroad artist John Winfield provided a dust jacket painting of a Santa Fe perishable freight train crossing Hell Canyon, north of Prescott, in the early 1950s. This book is a fitting companion to Volume 4, The Santa Fe Route,and is sure to take its place in libraries of railroad and Western history.

During the first days of 1952,the Southern Pacific found itself battling a series of fierce winter snow storms that threatened all train operations. Eventually, even the huge rotary snowplows could not keep ahead of the record snowfall. The railroad's famed Sierra crossing at Donner Pass became blockaded and train movements were brought to a standstill.

On January 13 one of the lines was cleared and it was decided to run a few priority trains across the summit. One of these trains was the flagship of the Overland Route, the streamliner City of San Francisco.

As the engineer approached Yuba Pass, he hit an avalanche that had just occurred off the sheer granite escarpments of Smart Ridge. The engineer attempted to back the train out but could not break loose. The Citywas frozen in the icy grip of a horrific Sierra blizzard. It would be three long and frustrating days before the railroad could reach the train and rescue passengers who endured the ordeal under conditions of no power, no heat, and low food supplies.

This is a railroaders' story. It is an accurate and detailed account developed from numerous interviews and reports from railroad personel which describe an incident that now stands alone in the annals of railroad history, and is supplemented by numerous unpublished photos from SP files.

The story is of the massive and heroic efforts to get to the snowbound train, It's the story of crew that were actually manning the rotaries and of the officials directing the rescue. It provides an hour by hour detailed chronology of events and actions attempted from both Norden and Colfax. Also related are the experiences of those on the train.

The account covers a 17-day period, starting a few days prior to the stranding of the streamliner, to the rescue efforts which disabled five rotary plows, one being swamped by an avalanche that killed an engineer. The narrative continues with the removal of the passengers, then the train, and finally all that was required to get both rail and communication lines back into service. It is a fascinating story of a Sierra winter at its worst and dedicated railroaders at their very best.

Among Southern Pacific's most capable steam engines were the 4300-series Mountains. Most were built in SP's own Sacramento Shops. They were workhorses in fast passenger and freight duties.

Here is the complete story of these locomotives, from their design, through construction and maintenance, to their extensive service assignments. A rich collection of technical data, drawings, and photographs complements the detailed and thoroughly researched text.

Newly revised from the first edition, The 4300 4-8-2's has 24 new pages, 40 new photographs (9 in color), an expanded chapter on tenders, an index and references, and numerous additions and enhancements throughout, making it even more authoritative and complete than the original version.

From its origins in the 1870s, through its completion in 1901 and its flowering in the late 1930s, to its ultimate development in the years after World War II, Southern Pacific's rail line along the Pacific Ocean coast typified both the railroad itself, and the railroad's role in growth and development of California communities. The history of this line encompasses much more than rail history; it is also bound up in the geography and the people of the coast. As the railroad aided in development of towns, agriculture and industry, so the territory provided traffic for the railroad. Any history of the Coast Line is also in part a history of California, for the railroad and its territory were and are inextricably joined.
 

John R. Signor, well known for his six previous books on western railroad topics and on Southern Pacific in particular, has included all these aspects of the Coast Line in this new book. Drawing on many historical resources, but most dramatically on the extensive files of the Southern Pacific itself, he has produced a broad history of the SP in coastal California, liberally illustrated with hundreds of photographs, the majority of them previously unpublished. Signor's fine maps also enliven and enrich the text, as do the railroad graphics and ephemera included.

This outstanding treatment is a welcome and very fitting addition to the history and lore of this part of the Southern Pacific, and indeed of the entire railroad. It will also enrich understanding of the history of California and the West.

Among the most scenic and storied parts of the far-flung Southern Pacific system was the Coast Line between San Francisco and Los Angeles. First completed in 1901, it was witness to every aspect of the evolution of the SP in the twentieth century. Large cities and small towns, rich agricultural fields and rugged mountain passes, and mile upon mile of line right along the shore of the Pacific Ocean, all typify this route. It was as characteristic and distinctive a portion of the SP as existed anywhere.

In 1995, a book about the Coast Line was published by John Signor. That work presented a broad account of history and development of the line, but inevitably much had to be omitted. The present volume enlarges and extends the story of this fascinating stretch of the SP.

This volume is pictorial in nature, and nearly 600 photographs, 140 of them in color, and few ever published previously, enrich its pages. The book includes the work of many prominent photographers, but none is more eminent than Richard Steinheimer. Among the most respected American railroad photographers and particularly known for his superb images of the Southern Pacific, his 85 photographs of the Coast Line in this book form its visual heart.

This outstanding treatment is a welcome and very fitting addition to the history and lore of this part of the Southern Pacific, and indeed of the entire railroad. Anyone will value this book who is interested in the history of California and the West.

Among the signature steam locomotives of the Southern Pacific was surely the Daylight 4-8-4. From the earliest unstreamlined GS-1 Class, to the famous GS-4 (and preserved member of the class no. 4449), and including the Cotton Belt engines which came west in the 1950s, these were all distinctive SP power of the late steam era.
Southern Pacific steam locomotive authority Bob Church has prepared an entirely new book; this is far more than a revision of his 1967 volume of 130 pages, Those Daylight 4-8-4's. The new 436-page book updates or replaces some previous photos and adds many new ones, both black and white and color; the old book had 174 photos, the new one has 731. Much new information regarding mechanical design, problems and improvements, and operations over each route, has come to light and has been included in this new book. Official diagrams of each class, and HO scale drawings of all locomotives and tenders are also included, as are color drift panels. Arnold Menke has contributed another of his magisterial chapters on tenders.

The late Ted Rose created the cover painting, entitled "In the Clear," showing the Starlight trains meeting at Chorro siding on the Coast Line. Complete, detailed and authoritative, this book will appeal to all enthusiasts of the history of Western railroading and of Southern Pacific in particular.

This is the first volume in a planned series on Southern Pacific freight cars. It covers gondolas and stock cars, and the era is approximately 1900-1960, though with some coverage before and after those years. The book contains an extensive array of rosters, photos and, where possible, drawings of the major car classes, along with other material as available, such as construction photos, publicity photos, lettering drawings, and so forth. Survival of the cars over the years is presented, as are numerous photos of the cars in service.
     Included are not only work (ballast) gondolas, but such signature cars of the SP as the 1920s GS gondolas from Enterprise (often called "Ulrich" cars), the 1940s GS gondolas, including a chapter on side extensions for wood chip, sugar beet, and other services, 1950s solid-bottom cars, and ore cars. Stock cars, from the CS-11 cars of the 1890s, through the standard Harriman cars, to the various late conversions of other cars to stock cars, are also given a full treatment.
    Freight car history has a number of dimensions. Built dates, car numbers, car charactistics are only the bare bones. A complete history would also include reasons for construction of a particular car class and exploration of its design heritage; indications of the service to shippers to which a car class was assigned; and indications of the longevity of the class, culminating in rebuilding or scrapping. Though it is not possible to provide all this detail on every car class, this book does offer much of this type of history.
    The large number of photographs, particularly in-service images showing the cars at various times in their lives, make this a truly comprehensive volume. Complete roster information, including car specialties such as trucks and hand brakes, are presented in a nod to the modeling community. A few color photos are included among the 537 total tally of photographs, to show the appearance of these car types, though SP freight cars such as gondolas and stock cars were overwhelmingly painted boxcar red throughout the period covered.
     Noted rail artist John Signor has created for the book the painting shown here, depicting a Southern Pacific yard scene containing the subjects of this series of books.

This is the second volume in a series on Southern Pacific freight cars. It covers just one car type, the caboose. The era is from 1871 through the end of caboose construction in 1980. The book contains an extensive array of rosters, photos and, where possible, drawings of the major car classes, along with other material as available, such as construction photos, publicity photos, lettering drawings, and so forth. Survival of the cars over the years is presented, as are numerous photos of the cars in service.
The book opens with an introductory section of background information, then covers the early wood cabooses (1871 to 1917), the massive number of Class C-30-1 cars of the 1920s, additional wood cars, and the all-steel cupola cabooses built from 1937 to 1942.

The coverage continues with the bay-window cars, first the early 30-ton cars just after World War II, then the 40-ton cars of the 1960s and finally the 50-ton cars built up until 1980. A separate chapter describes the various caboose conversions, from box cars, passenger cars, and locomotive tenders (into yard cabooses).

Freight car history has a number of dimensions. Built dates, car numbers, car characteristics are only the bare bones. Also of importance are reasons for construction of a particular car class and exploration of its design heritage, and indications of the longevity of the class, culminating in rebuilding or scrapping. This book endeavors to offer much of this type of history for the caboose fleet of the Southern Pacific.

Cabooses represent an essential part of the history of any railroad. The book's 681 photos (102 in color) of SP cabooses, most from company and museum archives and never before published, together with 17 drawings, extensive rosters, and bibliography, make it unusually complete and authoritative. This book provides a coverage that every railroad enthusiast, and of course Southern Pacific fans in particular, will enjoy.
Noted rail artist John Signor has created for the book the painting shown here, depicting a Southern Pacific yard scene containing the subjects of this series of books.

This is the third volume in a series on Southern Pacific freight cars. It covers two car types, automobile cars and flat cars. The era is from about 1870 until the late 1960s. The book contains an extensive array of rosters, photos and, where possible, drawings of the major car classes, along with other material as available, such as construction photos, publicity photos, lettering drawings, and so forth. Survival of the cars over the years is presented, as are numerous photos of the cars in service.
The first section of the book contains an introductory section of background information, then covers the early furniture and auto cars, the cars of the 1920s, and the steel auto cars built both before and after World War II, until the end of SP auto car construction in 1955. Also included are the "hog fuel" (wood chip) cars converted from auto cars by removing the roofs.
The coverage then turns to flat cars, &Mac223;rst the 19th century cars, then the Harriman and post-Harriman designs, and then the general-service cars after 1940. Separate chapters describe the logging and pulpwood cars, piggyback flat cars, heavy-duty cars, and a variety of modified and specially equipped flat cars.
These two car types make up an essential part of the history of any railroad. The book's 701 photos (27 in color), most from company and museum archives and never before published, together with 59 drawings, extensive rosters, and bibliography, make it unusually complete and authoritative. This book provides a coverage that every railroad enthusiast, and of course Southern Paci&Mac223;c fans in particular, will enjoy.
Noted rail artist John Signor has created for the book the painting shown here, depicting a Southern Pacific yard scene containing the subjects of this series of books.

Among the most scenic and also the most challenging segments of the Southern Pacific was the Shasta Division, connecting California's Central Valley to southern Oregon, both on the Siskiyou Line via Ashland and the Cascade Line via Klamath Falls, all routed through the central point of Dunsmuir. Traffic between Portland, California and the East traveled over this line.

This new book by John R. Signor, a noted SP authority, covers the construction, operations and history of this line, from its beginnings in the 19th century, to the end of the Southern Pacific in 1996. A rich trove of rare and historic photos enhances the history, while dramatic images highlight more recent operations.

Signor's previous book on this topic, entitled Rails in the Shadow of Mt. Shasta, was first published in 1982, and has long been out of print. Since that time, he has gathered substantial amounts of additional information and photographs, so much so, that a mere revision of the 1982 version could not have encompassed the material in hand. Accordingly, an entirely new book has been prepared, with new page layouts and a revised and expanded text, and a great many new photos. The new book is 70 pages longer, contains well over 50% more black-and-white photos (now totaling 568 photos), and 24 completely redone maps. It also features 39 color images, none of which were in the older book.

In keeping with the tradition of Signor's books, numerous maps, timetables and railroad graphics enrich and inform the text. A considerable number of photos from the files of the Southern Pacific are included, along with the work of many outstanding amateur photographers. A new jacket painting by Signor completes the new book.

Author Signor is well known for eight previous books on Western railroad subjects, and this latest effort will only add to his fine reputation. Once again, a strong contribution to the history of the SP and of the West has been accomplished. Enthusiasts of those subjects will find this a superb book.

The Oakland Pier, hub of the Western Division, was among the most recognizable Southern Pacific locations, and activities across the Division were directed from headquarters at the Pier. This book by noted SP historian John Signor describes the construction, history, and operation of this vital part of the SP.
 
With lines connecting Oakland with Sacramento by way of both the Carquinez Strait via Martinez, and Altamont Pass via Tracy, and lines radiating to the Napa Valley, San Jose, and Fresno, as well as branch lines like the Kentucky House, Winters, and San Ramon branches, this was a highly varied and extremely busy division.
Passenger trains arrived from and departed to such varied destinations as Portland, Chicago, and Los Angeles and beyond, all with ferryboat connections to San Francisco. The freight business was intense, with profuse local industry both shipping and receiving enormous numbers of carloads. Local passenger trains, and local freight switching, handled a great volume of business.
From its beginnings in 1869, through the Oakland "waterfront wars" at the turn of the century, the struggle in the Suisun Sinks, activities of the vast West Oakland yard and terminal facilities, as well as passenger operations on the Oakland Mole (as the Pier was often called), and construction of the magnificent Carquinez Straits bridge, to the final demolition of the Pier facilities in 1960 and to the recent revival of the Western Division with the schedules of Amtrak California, this book covers it all.
This volume joins a distinguished series of works by Southern Pacific authority John Signor, addressing specific geographical segments of the railroad. As with all his SP historical works, the coverage is thorough and detailed, with many specifics drawn from operating personnel. At the same time, the outstanding Signor maps we have come to expect, and voluminous photographic illustration from Southern Pacific files as well as from many amateur photographers, enrich the story.
With 711 photographs, 84 in color, 23 maps (most by Signor), 39 timetable pages, a station list, and bibliography, this is an extensive and complete presentation. Fans of Signor's works, along with those interested in Southern Pacific and in Western railroading history, will be sure to enjoy it.

Tank cars began to be built in significant numbers after the Civil War. There are many thousands of tank car orders and photographs in the archives of American Car & Foundry. Freight car historian Ed Kaminski has assembled a superb sampling of this rich material, in a volume focusing exclusively on tank cars. Many who are interested in freight cars generally will already know Ed's first book, American Car & Foundry, 1899-1999,an extensive history of the company. This book extends and enlarges that legacy.
This book shows many examples of the production of a major builder of these cars, American Car & Foundry, from 1865 until 1955. (In later years, tank car technology underwent major changes.) Covered are the tank cars built for ACF's own leasing company, Shippers Car Line; for private owners and railroads; and for other leasing companies, such as Union Tank Line, Conley Tank Car Company, and others. A chapter on tank car manufacturing and car details, and a collection of drawings of cars and components enrich the volume.
 
The gradual introduction of standards of construction greatly influenced the appearance of tank cars, though in all eras cars were built to customer specifications for specific uses and cargoes. AC&F had its own standards for underframes, named by the year of their design, such as Type 4 (1904), Type 21 (1921), etc. Cars of these types and many custom designs are all shown in this book.

Tank cars carried many cargoes, from water and petroleum to wine, chemicals and solvents, edible oils, asphalt, printing ink, liquid latex, acids, and liqui&Mac223;fid gasses such as chlorine, ammonia, and propane. Special linings for certain cargoes, differing arrangements of domes and outlets, pressurized tanks and insulated jackets, all contributed to the distinctiveness of individual tank cars. Examples of these and many more cargo-carrying types of cars are shown here.
 
With 514 photographs and 31 drawings of complete cars and of car parts, as well as many AC&F ads and graphics, this book provides extensive coverage and information about the tank car from American Car & Foundry. Any freight car enthusiast is sure to enjoy this superb book.

The Magor Car Corporation, located in northern New Jersey at Clifton, was a significant railcar builder throughout much of the twentieth century. It had its origins in a partnership founded in 1899 by Basil Magor and Robert Wonham, which led in 1902 to a manufacturing operation called the Wonham-Magor Engineering Works.

In the first part of the century, Magor concentrated on export railcars, aided by its proximity to the port of New York. Basil's brother, Robert Magor, also became associated with the company, and in 1910 it became the Magor Car Company. It was incorporated in 1917 as the Magor Car Corporation; among its major stockholders was J.P. Morgan.

In 1914, Magor's first freight cars for revenue use on an American railroad were built, and such sales grew steadily thereafter, though export cars continued as the company's mainstay for some years. In 1918, Magor was among the many firms which built cars for the United States Railroad Administration as part of its effort to construct 100,000 standard freight cars.

During World Wars I and II as well as during the Korean conflict, Magor was called on for thousands of export cars for military needs, and was also a principal builder of cars for Europe under the Marshall Plan. In 1959, Magor built its first aluminum-bodied covered hopper cars, which were also the first to be placed in U.S. revenue service, and went on to build more than 5000 aluminum cars.

Magor's sale in 1964 to Fruehauf Corporation marked many changes in its activities, among which was the dissolution of the joint sales operation with National Steel Car Corp. of Canada, an arrangement in effect since Basil Magor founded that firm in 1911. Declining railcar sales during the 1960s led to Magor's closure in 1973. Magor was an important builder of American freight cars, though not one of the larger builders. Its history is a significant part of United States railroad history.

Car builder historian Ed Kaminski, author of American Car & Foundry Company, has assembled a broad and intriguing perspective on this New Jersey company's history, spanning its lifetime,1899-1973. In addition to several hundred photographs, nearly all of them never before published, advertising materials and catalog information make this a fascinating presentation.

The Pacific Coast Company was a fascinating rail-marine operation which served the West Coast from San Diego to Alaska. Its rail components were both narrow gauge and, later, standard gauge railroads, and from its inception in the late eighteenth century, it was an important factor in the growth of California and the West.
The earliest part of the system began as a horse-drawn rail line near San Luis Obispo, from which a full-fledged narrow-gauge railroad developed. Complementing the railroad was a fleet of the coastwise steamers which dominated California's north-south transportation in the 19th century.

Another horse-drawn railroad was in San Diego, and a third rail operation was at Seattle, consolidating a group of small railroads. Later it became a gateway to the city for Northern Pacific, the Milwaukee Road, and Union Pacific, as well as connecting with the company's steamships. The Seattle line, last survivor of the Pacific Coast Co., was finally absorbed into the Great Northern Railway in 1965.

This flourishing and extensive transportation empire reached its zenith in 1915, with rail feeders for a fleet of 78 steamships ranging along the California coast and serving Alaska as well.

The book contains numerous historic and rare photographs, as well as roster information on the equipment of both rail and ship operations. Out of print since 1983, the first edition of this book has become difficult to find from used book dealers, so its return to print is welcome. Careful printing and use of the original page negatives has permitted an edition of quality equal to or better than the original.
The story is well written and extensively researched. It's a readable and informative tour through some intriguing Western history. Reviewers' comments on the first printing:

From its beginnings in 1904 until abandonment of most trackage in 1992, the Visalia Electric Railroad had a fascinating history. Built as an electric line which pioneered 15-cycle alternating current in the United States, it operated orange interurban cars along its 30-mile route until 1924. Serving the Sierra Nevada foothill region of eastern Tulare County, the VE became a local fixture as towns and agriculture developed.

From the outset in 1904, the Visalia Electric Railroad had all its stock owned by the Southern Pacific. Primarily serving the growing areas east of Exeter, branches extended eastward toward Sequoia National Park, and southward to Strathmore. After passenger service ended in 1924, electric freight operations continued until 1944. Thereafter, diesels provided service, from GE 44-tonners to handed-down SP Alco and EMD switchers. Loss of perishable traffic finally doomed the line, and the last significant trackage was abandoned in 1992.

In its heyday, the VE carried out a variety of operations, all described in this volume, from passenger excursions and commuting, to electric and gas-electric freight service to numerous packing sheds along the line. Though owned by Southern Pacific, many aspects of operations were locally controlled until 1964. Ownership of locomotives, motor cars, cabooses, and other rolling stock is all presented here, in photographs and rosters. Some 249 photographs, most previously unpublished, and 15 maps, enrich the book.

Phil Kauke has worked many years assembling information and collecting photographs to create this history. That it is now appearing will gratify not only electric traction fans, but also enthusiasts of the Southern Pacific, as this small but vital part of the system was quite interesting in its own right. Every rail-fan who ever saw a photograph of a 44-ton locomotive lettered "Visalia Electric" understands that interest.

Among the best-known of California's many short lines was the Yosemite Valley Railroad. Though several publications have explored aspects of this line, a comprehensive and profusely illustrated book has long been needed. Renowned author and modeler Jack Burgess has now filled this void.
In 1907, the completion of the Yosemite Valley Railroad revolutionized travel to Yosemite: the world-famous park could suddenly be reached in less than a day. Within a few short years, it was even possible for the long-distance traveler to reach the Park without leaving the comfort of a Pullman sleeper. The number of visitors to the Park continued to increase annually in these early years and the railroad advertised heavily to promote tourism even more to the unrivaled Valley.
The YV ran from Merced to El Portal at the entrance to Yosemite National Park, much of the route following the Merced River. Though passenger traffic to the Park was important, lumber mills and other industries along the line were major sources of business. The passenger and freight operations are all included in this book, along with numerous photos illustrating the on-line industries.
The fascinating story of this unique railroad is told by Yosemite Valley Railroad expert Jack Burgess and illustrated through more than 400 photos (including 43 color photos, some of them color slides taken by Al Rose before abandonment of the YV in 1945), 19 maps, and 26 scale drawings. Complete equipment rosters together with numerous timetables, postcards, tickets, and other memorabilia help provide additional insight into the railroad. The narrative is further highlighted with over two dozen anecdotes from railroaders who worked on the railroad over the years. The result is a highly informational and readable history of this wonderful railroad which, for 40 years, transported wide-eyed tourists to Yosemite.
Anyone interested in the YV or California railroads will be particularly enthralled by this book, but its rich railroad flavor and insights into operations and life along the line will fascinate many with more general interests.

The basic story of the Overseas Railway to Key West, an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway, has been told before, from the early dream of Henry Flagler, to completion of railroad construction near the end of Flagler's life, to destruction of the extension in the devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. But there is much more to tell.
The core of this book is the collection of photographs made by William Asa Glass, one of the construction engineers on the project. His views, many never duplicated elsewhere, show both the engineering and human sides of the great project in a unique way. Supplementing it are the recollections of many who were there. In combination, it makes a vivid and engrossing story, rich in unfamiliar details. Also included here is a retrospective of the route today.
Henry M. Flagler conceived the idea of a railway to Key West at least as early as 1895, and after a number of setbacks, the Overseas Railway was completed in 1912. It then served to take tourists to and from the Florida Keys, particularly Key West, as well as to transport freight and passengers en route to and from Havana, Cuba by ship. It was effectively destroyed in the cataclysmic Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, and its route was sold to become part of Florida's Overseas Highway.
The coverage includes a number of views of hurricane damage as well as the construction process, along with the working environment of an engineer on this project. An epilogue provides a brief tour of the route today, with the remnants of nearly all the original Flagler bridges still standing, often alongside today's Overseas Highway.
The book&Mac182;s 166 photos, few ever published, 129 of them by Bill Glass or from his collection, together with 24 views (18 in color) of the route today, along with maps, artwork, and a bibliography and index, make this book unusually complete. Anyone interested in railroad history or Florida history will enjoy this book, but particularly for those whose enthusiasm is railroad construction, the Florida East Coast Railway, or the Florida Keys, this is a satisfying complement to other books on the topic, and a fascinating history in its own right.

This is the fourth volume in a series on Southern Pacific freight cars. It covers box cars, the most numerous type in the SP fleet. The era is roughly from 1865 to 1965. The book contains an extensive array of rosters, photos and, where possible, drawings of the major car classes, along with other material as available, such as construction photos, publicity photos, lettering drawings, and so forth. Survival of the cars over the years is presented, as are numerous photos of the cars in service.
The first section of the book contains an introductory section of background information, then covers the early box and combination cars, along with fruit, ventilated and refrigerator cars, and presents the important Huntington-era standard cars. The coverage then turns to the Harriman and post-Harriman designs, and to the World War I era, with several design differences, including USRA cars. The very numerous cars of the 1920s, followed by the all-steel standard designs built before and after World War II are presented in additional chapters. Separate chapters describe modifications to the various classes, the first of the specially-equipped cars, the last of the 50-ton box cars, and finally the box cars of the 1960s.
Box cars, of course, make up an essential part of the history of any railroad. The book's 846 photos (36 in color), most from company and museum archives and never before published, together with 92 drawings, extensive rosters, and bibliography, make it unusually complete and authoritative. This book provides a coverage that every railroad enthusiast, and of course Southern Paci&Mac223;c fans in particular, will enjoy.
Noted rail artist John Signor has created for the book the painting shown here, depicting a Southern Pacific yard scene containing the subjects of this series of books.

Santa Fe steam power in the twentieth century was distinctive and often technologically advanced. This book presents the development of locomotives, from early designs of the nineteenth century, through the "supreme steam" of the 1930, with Santa Fe's superb 4-8-4 and 2-10-4 locomotives, and the simultaneous explorations of pioneer diesel power. The author, Larry Brasher, is a noted Santa Fe historian.
This book will be a welcome treat for anyone who is interested in the history of the Santa Fe, and of course for fans of locomotive development and improvement. The book has 308 pages, 296 photos, and an endsheet map.

Pullman-Standard was for some years the largest freight car builder in North America, though the Pullman name is perhaps more famous for passenger cars. This long-overdue book fills a gap in builder history, and provides an overview showing a selection of the many cars built over a 60-year span. The Pullman Company began to build freight cars in the 19th century. Merger with Haskell & Barker Car Company in 1921, and with Standard Steel Car Company in 1930, greatly expanded the capacity of Pullman, as both those companies already produced many thousands of cars per year. To reflect the latter merger, the name of the car manufacturing company became Pullman-Standard. Pullman-Standard was particularly noted for pioneering the use of welding in freight car construction. Starting with experimental cars in the late 1930s, by 1947 new, standard designs would be introduced. First was the PS-1 box car, which sold in the tens of thousands, then came the PS-2 covered hopper, the PS-3 open top hopper, and finally the PS-4 flat car and PS-5 gondola. All benefited from Pullman-Standard's conversion to assembly-line techniques of mass production. At different times, Pullman-Standard had plants in Chicago; Hammond and Michigan City, Indiana; Butler, Pennsylvania; Bessemer, Alabama; and Worcester, Massachusetts. The book coverage extends to 1960, by which time the heavy freight car construction demands of the post-World War II period were ending. This work accordingly addresses the great bulk of Pullman-Standard's output in the 20th century. Ed Kaminski is well known as an authority on freight car builders, and this book takes its place alongside his earlier work on American Car & Foundry, Magor Car Company, and the Gregg company. It contains a rich trove of some 418 photographs, most never before published, from Pullman and Pullman-Standard, and also from predecessors Haskell & Barker, Standard Steel Car Company, and Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company. Like Ed's previous works, this book is an authoritative historical survey. It will be of interest to anyone who likes railroad history, but it will be of particular value to those whose enthusiasm is freight cars. This is an important complement to other books on this subject, and also stands as a fascinating history in its own right.

More than 500 miles from Ogden, Utah to Reno, Nevada, at the eastern foot of the Sierra Nevada, comprised SP&Mac182;s Salt Lake Division. Although it was a vital and historic part of the Southern Pacific, from the building of the Central Pacific until the end of the SP in 1996, its day-to-day history and operation, with the difficulties of weather, scant water, and steep grades, has remained in relative obscurity.
This is largely due to its remoteness. The Salt Lake Division, located in a sparsely populated interior basin and range country characterized by vast depressions or desert sinks, and the furrowing of innumerable north-south mountain ranges, is one of the least populated regions in the continental United States.
West of the Pequops Range, much of the line is located along the Humboldt River which, from northeastern Nevada, runs west and southwest before finally disappearing into the ground in the Humboldt Sink. And though many improvements have been made to the alignment of the railroad over the years, much of this country even today is much as the pioneers saw it. An important part of this railroad is the Great Salt Lake crossing, which was built during the Harriman era.
The author, master SP historian John Signor, has drawn upon original railroad records, published accounts in early newspapers, trade magazines and periodicals, maps and the recollections of old-timers to make a complex and interesting railroad narrative about this 780-mile line, including its several branches and auxiliary main lines. Supplementing the text are over 60 maps, graphics and ephemera, and over 680 photos (77 in color), most of which have never been published. A bibliography and detailed index round out this volume.
The result is a very fine work which adds to the Southern Pacific canon, treating an important and often overlooked part of the Southern Pacific, from one of its most respected historians. Railroad history buffs generally, and SP and Western railroad fans in particular, will be sure to enjoy this book.