Product Description
A lavishly illustrated engineering history of American railroads--bridges, mountain passes, tunnels, freight yards, docks and terminals--from pioneer times to the present.

American civil engineers were unsurpassed in their ability to build railroads over great distances and across high mountain passes, to erect great bridges, or to bore tunnels of prodigious length. There is a remarkable story of the application of engineering to the building of a transportation system that civilized and settled America, and then supported an industrial revolution and created a world power.Amazon.com Review
England and France may have been the birthplaces of therailroad, but America was its nursery and playground. The need to linkthe already far-flung territory of the United States in the early 19thcentury spurred significant advances in civil engineering,transportation historian WilliamMiddleton writes, especially in the design and construction ofrailroad bridges.

These spans needed to cross great rivers and deep canyons as well asbear weights unknown to earlier bridges. Bridges until that time werebuilt much as they had been in Roman antiquity; to develop safeload-bearing bridges required much trial and error. It also requiredvision and experience, and Middleton's text is populated by a cast ofbrilliant, practical-minded men who figure little in standardhistories of westward expansion but who were as important as anyexplorer or military leader in uniting the country. One such man wasWendel Bollman, a carpenter who developed a patented "suspension andtrussed bridge" that was widely used along the Potomac, Ohio, andMississippi rivers; another was J. E. Schwitzer, who adapted Swissdesigns to the daunting conditions of the Rocky Mountains; stillanother was Theodore Dehone Judah, who built the first railroad alongthe tortuous California coast.

Middleton celebrates these and other bridge builders and theirremarkable creations, many of which are still in use today. His text,illustrated with historic photographs and drawings, will be of muchinterest to railroad buffs. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

wow!
If you have any sense of wonder in you at all, this book should capture it. It is amazing the lengths people will go to to accomplish their goals.The great engineering feats of American history are ample evidence, andmany of those feats were accomplished by private capital via the railroads.The illustrations in this book are excellent and really show how much workand ingenuity went into these projects. This book makes a nice complementto the Routledge Historical Atlas of American Railroads, which is also new.

An outstanding work on railway civil engineering
This is a descriptive history of the major civil engineering projects in the development of North American railroads.Bill Middleton is unusually suited to the task at his hand.He is by academic training a civilengineer (R.P.I.), and a journalist (U. Wisc.).With a career that spansboth military and academic times, he brings a special appreciation for thissubject.

Landmarks of the Iron Road is something to be appreciated bycivil engineers, railway historians, and those with an concern for thehistory of North American economic development.It is a careful collectionof photographs and essays, supplemented with "how to find" thesespecial locations.Middleton's book constitutes a "landmark" inthe literary sense. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Boring and seen it all before
Disappointing.Nothing new over previous books I have bought.Not worth the $s. ... Read more

Product Description
This sweeping account of where and why rail lines were built in various regions and at different times across the continent also explores the railroad's singular role in defining North American space--as lines crossed so varied and undeveloped a landscape. Photos, maps, & diagrams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Why railroads were built where they were
This hefty tome falls under the topic of 'historic geography of transportation,' in which Vance addresses the question of why railroads were built where they were. He examines the 'big picture' of why, for instance, the first transcontinental passed through Cheyenne and Ogden, instead of further north or further south. He also takes a `micro' perspective and explains how a specific railroad route was planned to reach a given mountain pass, while keeping gradients, overall length, and tunnels to an absolute minimum. The reader gains a new appreciation of how difficult it was to plan railroads before the era of aerial surveys, since even a tenth of a percentage point in gradient (an additional rise of a few yards over a mile) can make the difference between profit and financial disaster. The book focuses solely on the planning issues -- look elsewhere for descriptions of operating practices or rolling stock.

Three-fourths of the book cover the US, while one-fourth addresses Canada. Northern Alberta and northern British Columbia receive disproportionately heavy attention, undoubtedly because the author has a summer cabin there. There are over a hundred b&w photos and fifty maps.However, when the author engages in a mile-by-mile description of why a certain route was laid out as it was, the book cries out for even more detailed maps so that the reader can follow the author's description of topography.

A comprehensive, scholarly tome which makes one point!
James Vance's knowledge of his subject matter is staggeringly obvious. This thick, academic work proves it. I should recommend this as a useful library addition. However, for the average reader, Vance has made a grevious, common error. His book is simply tiresome to read; Filled with typical university verbage, making it nearly impossible to read more than a few pages at a sitting. Take this example on page 4 in the Introduction: "It is from looking at geographical aspects of railroading that we ultimately become aware of perhaps the most significant of all dichotomies associated with railroad history, that between the spatial aspects of the railway as it emerged in England and Wales in the first quarter of the ninteenth century and those of the railroad as it emerged less than a decade later in North America, particularly the United States." That was one sentence. There are an endless number of those in this book of over 300 pages. At the end of all that, the reader is left with essentially one point. The U. S. did not follow the British is developing its railroads, the U. S. did its own thing! Certainly this is simplistic. If one needs to know how and why this continent built its railroads the way it did, one need look no farther than this book. Just be prepared to take a while reading it ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

A fine overview, though a bit fractured in its narrative.
This is a fine overview of major railroad developments and the principal players (companies) in the history of the railroads in the United States.The approach taken by the book is not a conventional historical narrative, but a series of short one to two page summaries: most devoted to short descriptions of each of the best known Class I railroads, with occassional sections taking up topics of special interest, such as dieselization, steam power, passenger service, cabooses, and the like.It is not an integrated approach, so picking up a chapter on, say, circus trains, can be done without having read any other part of the book.In fact, there is little to no benefit to reading the book straight through, from beginning to end.Rather, it is best taken in pieces, like a series of nicely illustrated magazine articles.

An ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition
Train travel enthusiast and photographer Claude Wiatrowski is a member of the Colorado Midland Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society; The Colorado Railroad Museum; The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad; Friends of the East Broad Top; the Nevada Northern Railway Museum; the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation; and the Lexington Group in Transportation History. He is therefore in a particularly knowledgeable position to create a profusely illustrated history of American railroads, and has done so with "Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History", an amazingly informed and informative 256-page compendium of information and images ranges from the first steam-powered locomotives of the 1800s down to the high-speed commuter trains of today. Enhanced with a descriptive listing of historical societies and other railroad organizations, as well as a section devoted to preserved railways, museums and historic sites, ""Railroads Across North America" also includes a bibliography and a comprehensive index, making it an ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Railroading reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Railroads Across North America
Railroads Across North America is a unique book in this field.it illustrates in great color the historic rail lines that made America great.It also shows the breadth of railroad activites that were a part of operations.This book is just plain fun!

Bill Lock,
Founder Friends
of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Great for pros and newbies
Whether an a railfan for decades or just getting into the hobby, this is a great book. Copy is informative and not overdone. Photos and graphics are outstanding. Although my interest in railroading in the Northeast, I found the collection of schedule graphics, promotional pieces, etc. very interesting and, simply, just fun to look at. I lent my copy to a few of my buddies and was happy to see they didn't glance over the pages, but were caught by photos and info. (Hats off to the graphics people). And these are former railroaders and modelers who are "rivet counters," so for the book to get their attention says something about it. A few commented on the price, and thought the book was a real bargain.

Great coffee table book!
As a general book on railroading, this is an excellent book. The photos are excellent, and it covers all the major railroads (and most minor ones) across the USA.There are many chapters on various aspects of railroading, and it is very informative for those who are learning or new to the hobby. ... Read more

Product Description

The American Railroad Passenger Car recaptures the lost, but not-too-distant past when 98 percent of all intercity travel in the United States was by rail. It documents in extraordinary detail the ingenuity and splendor of the classic trains as well as the rattle and clatter, the dust and cinders of early rail travel.

An unparalleled record of changes in taste and technology

With clarity and precision, White explains the methods of construction of wood, iron, steel, and aluminum cars. He traces the evolution of wheels and brakes, dining cars and sleeping compartments. And he follows the revolutions in taste and technology that dramatically altered the appearance of the railroad passenger car over the century and a half that it dominated American travel.

An extraordinary resource for railroad hobbyists

Detailed plans and diagrams accompanying the text make it possible for model-builders to reconstruct many famous passenger cars themselves. Appendixes contain biographies of coach builders and designers; numerous tables comparing models, materials, and prices; a chronology of passenger cars; and an annotated bibliography.

Customer Reviews (4)

More information than one can digest
This has to be the ultimate publication on passenger cars. Everything you want to know and more. Information overload at its best! THE books for the person interesting in railroading in any age.

fantastic reference book
I have done passenger car restoration for several years and this book is a must. The book has tons of detail and answers so many questions about design, material, and then backs it up with great research.

2 Volume Set
Just to clarify -- this item is a 2-volume set, ISBN#0801827434.Part 1 is also listed individually as ISBN#0801827221.Part 2 listed individually as ISBN#0801827477.

settting a standard for railroad history writing
These books are unusual in their focus on the history of technology, explaining how it works, and how it changed over time. It gives a comprehensive account of the development of these cars with many finepictures. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Book with a Few Flaws.
A very informative book with many facts on US railroads during WWII. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that most of the pictures used in the book were not from the WWII era. Photography of railroads during WWII was not allowed, which made pictures of trains during that time scarce, but there are still many quality photographs taken during that era that could have been used. The captions describing the photos were vague and inaccurate and became distracting. This book would have been good without the pictures at all.

Recommended! Tells about the part railroads played in WWII
This book is a wonderful pictorial review of the U.S. railroads during World War II. Tells about the part the railroads played in the movement of men and materials, the efforts and cooperation of the railroads duringthese trying times following the Depression. Has lots of photos, a vividstory, maps of the rail lines, and even shows some of the newspaper andmagazine advertising. Highly recommended for anyone interested in WWII andrailroads. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Pennsylvania Railroad Passenger Trains,Consists and Cars - 1952
This is an excellent book for the PRR enthusiast and modeller,and
very competitively priced

Essential for the PRR modeler or anyone with a Pennsy interest.
This book is exactly what the title says: it describes the PRR's principal trains, their consists, and the passenger cars that comprised them during 1952 and to a lesser extent previous or subsequent years.

This period is a very interesting one for modelers since it was just before the precipitous decline in the Pennsy's passenger services, just after the widespread dieselization of PRR passenger service, but just before the end of steam operations.

It's illustrated with photographs of the cars used, either from the same timeframe or later.Most of the pictures appear to be new; I don't recognise them from previous works. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

The LIRR brought Up To Date
I agree with other reviewers of this book that too much space was devoted
to the 1950 wrecks and that photos of tickets and brochures seem filler
material. The book however,is a fine introduction to one of America's oldest(pre-dating the P.R.R.) and innovative
railroads.The author's concentration on the west end of Long Island, is refreshing. This is the railroad's origin and remember, Brooklyn and Queens are geographically Long Island--Nassau County was created from
eastern Queens in 1898. Fischler gives us a synopsis of the road's financial woes and bankruptcies leading to the MTA becoming its new boss. Good coverage of the East River tunnels is discussed as isthe role of DD1s. Text relating to photos is either below or to the side of the picture, making hunting for text specific to a photo unnecessary. Color photos of the new West Side railyards, new Penn Station interior, and for railfans, GP38-2s, MP15ACs out East and in LICity, and the new DM30ACs are stunning--some are full page spreads. With the dual-mode diesel locomotives, M7 electrics and discussion of bringing the LI into Manhattan's East Side,
Fischler takes the Road into the twenty-first century.

A Disappointment
Having been raised on Long Island, I have been waiting for a good illustrated history of the Long Island Rail Road.After reading this book I am still waiting for one.

The book provides a poorly balanced and integrated view of the LIRR.The text and illustrations appear to have been assembled and laid out by different people, and the organization of the book does not result in continuous and reasonably complete coverage of the material.There is a heavy treatment of the LIRR in Brooklyn and New York City with an overemphasis on multiple unit trains to the detriment of major aspects of the remainder of the railroad.There is very little coverage of the transition from steam to diesel, when the LIRR fielded a facinating variety of locimotives from different manufacturers.Almost nothing of the stations found throughout Long Island, which were known for their architecture, is seen, and virtually nothing about freight operations, which formed a small but interesting part of LIRR operations can be found. Large aspects of the LIRR in Nassau and Suffolk counties are not covered well, if at all.Instead, one finds pages wasted with entire chapters on the Atlantic Avenue tunnel, disasters, and Pennsylvania Station along with two pages dedicated to "Mile-a-Minute Murphy" and his bucyle race with a train.

The selection of illustrations is at times random with poor linkage to the immediate text.Pictures of time tables and tickets are inserted in a way that makes them appear as filler, and no maps showing the evolution of the rail road are provided to support the text.

The fact that the author is from Brooklyn and apparently has a strong interest in subways, appears to have biased the contents of the book.I do not recommend this book.

Long Island Rail Road
Great book. Stan Fischler is a great storyteller to begin with (his "Confessions of a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger" are a grat personal reminiscence of his childhood growing up in Brookly as well as of the trolleys of the area). The LIRR was a essential element to the growth of Long Island and even the acceleration of its population right after WWII. Great photos and story of the struggles and the sometimes "love-hate" relationships between the Long Island RR and its customers and the Pennsy (which held control till the early 50s). Brings the story of the Railroad closer to the present. Is of the same quality of the other MBI Railroad Books.

Neither Color nor History
The MBI Railroad Color History series has provided concise histories ofselected railroads and a nice selection of photographs, mostly in color. This book on the LIRR is disappointing. The majority of photographs are black & white, although this is not a drawback as the 19th century b&w photos presented are nicely reproduced in a size and quality not previously seen. The history, on the other hand, is disjointed and woefully incomplete. The author spends far too much time on sidebars and anecdotes (although warning that historians have refuted the stories that he is about to relate, he then goes on to include them anyway). A section of photographs on the 1950 wrecks is much too long and includes a completely unnecessary graphic photo of bodies inside a wrecked car. The only maps are on the endpapers and are very nice, but depict the 19th Century system (one is undated, the other is about 10 years off), with no additional maps showing the railroad as it matured. In conclusion, the reasonable price justifies buying the book for the early photographs alone, but don't expect any kind of cogent history of the LIRR.

For Railfans only
The LIRR is here because they have always been here, not because they deserve it.If you have a romantic attachment to trains, this book is OK.For any other reason skip it.

Books like this are great at telling only one side of the story, the LIRR's spin side.Not told here are the years of ridership losses, how the LIRR is fast becoming the 2nd busiest RR "on the continent" and all the corruption that takes place on every major project.

Any LIRR commuter has a vastly different perspective on the LIRR and that story seems to never be told.

... Read more

Product Description
A highly entertaining and richly illustrated railroad history, with a new introduction by Courtney B. Wilson.

Railroad travel in the nineteenth century was often dangerous, dirty, uncomfortable, and uncertain. Yet at the same time, most of the inventions associated with the luxury of a later era—from sleeping cars and dining cars to streamlining and even an early form of air conditioning—had already made their appearance by the time of the Civil War. In The Railroad Passenger Car August Mencken offers a fascinating look at the achievements and contradictions of this key period in railroad history.

Drawing on a wide assortment of materials—including a wealth of drawings from the U.S. Patent Office, first-hand accounts of contemporary passengers, and his own experience as a young civil engineer active in railroad construction—Mencken presents the roster of cars in which nineteenth-century travelers rode and suffered. Here are the weird and ingenious inventions designed to increase both the passengers' comfort and the owners' revenue; and here are the passengers' own comments, both angry and humorous—thirty-five accounts written by passengers from 1831 to 1891 and bearing such titles as "An Inhuman Conductor," "The Baggage Smashers of Omaha," and "Cows on the West Chester Line."

Published in 1957 and long out of print, The Railroad Passenger Car supplies a detailed and highly entertaining narrative richly illustrated with working drawings, cutaway images, and early photographs. New to this edition is an introduction by Courtney B. Wilson, executive director of the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A complete and superbly illustrated history
August Mencken's The Railroad Passenger Car offers the reader a complete and superbly illustrated history of the railroad passenger car during the first hundred years of its invention and development. This unique and scholarly presentation is based upon meticulous historical research and is enhanced with personal accounts by contemporary passengers, as well as illustrations with period photographs and line drawings. The Railroad Passenger Car is very highly recommended reading for both the railroad buff and students of 19th century railroading history and development, including the sleeping car and dining car. ... Read more

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Product Description
Over 300 railroad museums, restored depots, and special, nostalgic excursions available to the general public here. Each entry provides a comprehensive description. Also given are the hours of operation and the cost of the event, along with addresses and phone numbers needed for further information. ... Read more

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How do maglev trains work?What makes mountain railroad tracks different?Why do express trains have a special shape?This book looks at types of trains that are used for carrying cargo and passengers.Many trains in busy cities run underground.Shuttle trains carry cars and buses through tunnels.Special luxury trains provide beds and meals for their passengers.

... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Overview History of Southern Railway
This is an excellent overview type history of the Southern Railway.While not an exhaustive history, this book is easy to ready and clearly explains the different railroads that came to form the Southern.The book is full of excellent photographs from all over the system; of course the captions provide generous detail to explain what is going on the picture.My only complaint is there was no map at the end of Southern showing the final consolidated system.This book is a must have for SOU fans! ... Read more

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From Library Journal

"This hefty volume, edited by Middleton (Metropolitan Railways: Rapid Transit in America), George M. Smerk (The Federal Role in Urban Mass Transportation), and Roberta L. Diehl (Indiana Univ. Pr.), traces the intertwining historical and cultural narratives of North American railroads. Five insightful essays on railroad development, social history, and shifting technology written by various historical specialists provide a strong informational preface to the specialized entries of varying length and subject matter that follow, in which everything from intermodal traffic to women in railroading is covered. Straightforward and rich with detail, each entry is written by a different expert and concludes with references. The editors have included period illustrations, photographs, and cartoons that underscore the concepts presented. Sure to interest both laypeople and scholars, this is highly recommended for public libraries and American history collections."--Library Journal, May 15, 2007

From Trains

"To distill all of North American railroading into 1,312 pages is a feat in itself; the the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads does it so remarkably well is nothing short of phenomenal. This could be the most ambitious railroad book to appear in 100 years!And that's just what the editors wanted." -Trains, June 2007 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Monumental Railroad History
Had no details on my major interest--the accident of January 1853 that was fatal to President-elect Franklin Pierce's only surviving son, Benny. Accident was not included in table of significant accidents. Accidents were too numerous and routine in effect, for all to be included. As Middleton points out accidents later became more common and more deadly as the speed of passenger trains increased in the 1870s.

Accidents are only a small part of the encyclopedia. The long, compresensive index better summarizes the scope of the encyclopdia. If you have limited interest in specific aspects of railroading, read a copy in a library. If you want a comprehansive view of railroading from its beginning in North America to its modern status, buy this 1,281 page, size c. 8 inch by 10 inch. 48 pp, 3-column wide index. Numerous illustrations.

Railroad Encyclopedia
Very good for a lot of things, but a random sampling of railroads shows that that listing, at least, is not comprehensive.Valuable for most people with an interest in American railroading.

Not quite what I wanted
The good news is that this is the most comprehensive reference book I've seen on North American railroad practices and history.

The bad news is that this was a bit off the mark, for being dubbed the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads.

My expectation was that this would be the ultimate guide to North American railroads, from A to Z. I anticipated exceptionally thorough coverage of the railroads, their histories, and maps, maps, maps.

What this volume is, is an anthology of topical entries that vary in length and subject. Included are abbreviated railroad histories, biographies, terms, social commentary, and technical aspects of railroading. In that regard, it is hard to imagine a topic about railroading practices that this volume doesn't touch on.

Some approximate page accounts include: Amtrak 1 ½, Civil engineering 26, Intermodal traffic 4 ¾, National parks 3, New York Central 3 ½, Norfolk Southern 1 ½, Railroad occupations 17 ½, Sports and railroading 2 ½, women in railroading 4, and World War Two and railroading 4 ½.

Don't throw your reproduction Rand McNally railroad atlases away just yet, because the appendix with maps leave much to be desired.

The first eight maps are Amtrak 2004, Maine area 1945, B&M and NH 1945, New England West (undated), Mohawk & Hudson (undated),Boston (modern I think), Mid-Atlantic railroads (early), and Mid-Atlantic states CA 1945.

The maps are black and white (It's a $100 book, would some color have killed them?), they appear to have most mainlines, though I suspect not all branches. Not all railroads are present in relevant maps. The Pennsylvania and New York Central have their own maps, but a Mid Atlantic states map without either, doesn't really tell a story.

So if you are looking for an authoritative general reference book on North American railroading history and practices, this is it.

If you are looking for the ultimate railroad by railroad reference title, this doesn't replace The Historical Guide to North American Railroads, the Train Watchers Guide to North American Railroads, or the Short line Railroad Guide or the aforementioned Rand McNally reprints.

I ordered the book based on the title. While I was very disappointed with the thrust of the work, this is a well-executed all-in-one reference that I'll probably use once or twice a year.

the best general railroad reference book
This is the best general-purpose railroad reference book I've seen.It's
oversized and 1300+ pages, lots of drawings, maps, and photographs (but
none in color).Other "encyclopedias" I've seen deal primarily with the
major railroads.This book covers major and minor railroads, history,
technology, innovations, equipment and people--from Edison, Pullman, and
Loewy to Gould, Hill, etc.There are things here I have not seen
elsewhere--such as the Lima Locomotive Works promotional specifications,
which also list prices.

This is the kind of book wherein you open it at random--a history of the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad.The following pages list railroad
occupations--engineers, dispatchers, etc--17 double-column pages.Open
the book again to John Jervis, civil engineer who became president of
the Chicago and Rock Island, and John (Casey) Jones whose death inspired
the song.There's a huge amount of material here.

You're not going to get everything in one book.If it's maps you want,
there are some good atlases showing route maps of major railroads, plus
the Rand McNally historical railroad atlases, and more recently, Steam
Powered Video's excellent regional atlases showing all lines that were
ever built. Robert Lewis has an excellent "Handbook of American Railroads"
(1952 & 1956--used copies through Amazon) that show route maps for all
the 127 class 1 railroads at that time, plus narrative, rolling stock,
profit & loss, number of passengers carried, etc.There are books that
cover just steam or diesel locomotives, books just on the C, B & Q, etc.
But if you could have only one source book, and want information that
might otherwise require a trip to a large well-endowed library, this book
will be your definitive source. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Must Have
If you like trains in general, this would be a good book to have.If you are a fan of the Milwaukee Road, there is no question.This is a "must have" addition to your library.I saw this book in a local book store a few years back but didn't buy it because of its condition.Thank God for Amazon.New book, delivered right to my door and in perfect condition.

Well Done
The writer is in the rail industry. He's careful. Both the photos and the text reflect this. This is not an academic history, but it is a first class ticket on a first class story about a first class railroad. Tom Murray is a good writer. It is rare to suggest in the trade that this writer didn't write enough. The selection of photos was done with a finely tuned and patient hand. The result is a book that is not just a pleasure to read; it is a genuine resource about this timeless railroad and its unique story.

The Milwaukee Road by Tom Murray
This is an excellent book about the Milwaukee Road and I am happy to add it to my Milwaukee Road shelf.The photos are excellent and the selection was done very carefully in that there are photos of many types of equipment from the various decades.The history of the railroad is detailed just enough and allows the reader to understand this railroad.I recommend adding this book to your Milwaukee Road or general railroading collection. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This Industry Market Research report from IBISWorld provides a detailed analysis of the Aircraft, Marine & Railroad Transportation Equipment Wholesaling in the US industry, including key growth trends, statistics, forecasts, the competitive environment including market shares and the key issues facing the industry.

Industry Definition

This industry wholesales transportation equipment and supplies (except marine pleasure craft and motor vehicles). These products include aircrafts and aircraft parts, boats and marine equipment, railroad cars and railroad equipment, military tanks, and motorized golf carts. This industry does not wholesale motor vehicle related transportation equipment, marine pleasure craft, or electronic navigational equipment (i.e. sonar or radar).

Report Contents

The About this Industry chapter provides general information about the scope of the industry such as an industry definition and a list of the main activities of the industry.

The Industry at a Glance chapter provides a brief snapshot of the key indicators of the industry such as industry revenue and forecast growth rate.

The Industry Performance chapter covers the following: Executive Summary, Key External Drivers, Current Performance, Industry Outlook and Industry Life Cycle. The Executive Summary section is a brief summary of the overall chapter. The Key External Drivers section looks at the key factors outside the control of an individual business that determine the industry's performance. The Current Performance section provides analysis for the industry over the past five years with key performance indicators discussed. The Industry Outlook section is a key analysis section of the report and outlines expectations for the key industry indicators over the next five year period, including forecasts. The Industry Life Cycle section provides a discussion of where the industry is at in its life cycle and how that is affecting industry performance.

The Products & Markets chapter covers the following: Supply Chain, Products & Services, Demand Determinants, Major Markets, International Trade and Business Locations. The Supply Chain section lists the key buying and key selling industries associated with this industry. The Products & Services section lists the products and services the industry provides including percentage breakdowns by key segment. The Demand Determinants section provides an analysis of the determinants behind the level of demand for the industry's products. The Major Markets section gives an analysis of the markets for the industry's products and how these markets may have changed over time. The International Trade section provides a discussion of the importance of trade to the industry. The Business Locations section highlights where the industry operates and why.

The Competitive Landscape chapter is a discussion of the characteristics of an average operator in the industry and who controls the market for the products of the industry.It includes the following sections: Market Share Concentration, Key Success Factors, Cost Structure Benchmarks, Basis of Competition, Barriers to Entry and Industry Globalization. The Market Share Concentration section discusses the level of concentration of the industry.The Key Success Factors section looks at the key internal factors that contribute to the success of an operator in the industry. The Cost Structure Benchmarks section discusses the average costs faced by operators in the industry.The Basis of Competition section is a discussion of the factors that can give a company in this industry a competitive edge. The Barriers to Entry section looks at the factors preventing new companies from entering the industry. The Industry Globalization section provides an indication to which the industry is affected by global operations and trends.

The Major Companies chapter analyses the companies that have the most substantial influence on the industry. Market Share figures and a discussion of the major companies operations within the industry are given where possible.

The Operating Conditions chapter covers the following: Structural Risk Index, Investment Requirements, Technology & Systems, Industry Volatility, Regulation & Policy, Industry Assistance and Taxation Issues. The Structural Risk Index section provides an indicator of the level of risk faced by operators in the industry. The Investment Requirements section is an analysis of the level of capital investment required to operate in the industry.The Technology & Systems section discusses the key technologies used by the industry.The Industry Volatility section looks at the level of in the industry and the factors behind this volatility. The Regulation & Policy section looks in to the regulatory measures the industry is subject to and the corresponding compliance burden faced by operators in the industry. The Industry Assistance section discusses the level of assistance the industry receives from Government. The Taxation Issues gives a comparison between the level of tax burden on this industry compared to other industries and discusses industry-specific taxation measures placed upon it.

The Key Statistics chapter provides the key indicators for the industry for at least the last three years. The statistics included are industry revenue, industry value added (or gross product), establishments, enterprises, employment, exports, imports, wages, domestic demand and any relevant industry-specific data where appropriate. There is also a Historical Performance section that discusses the key past events that have determined industry performance. ... Read more