Waiting on a Train

Waiting on a Train PDF

Author: James McCommons

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2009-11-06

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1603582592

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During the tumultuous year of 2008--when gas prices reached $4 a gallon, Amtrak set ridership records, and a commuter train collided with a freight train in California--journalist James McCommons spent a year on America's trains, talking to the people who ride and work the rails throughout much of the Amtrak system. Organized around these rail journeys, Waiting on a Train is equal parts travel narrative, personal memoir, and investigative journalism. Readers meet the historians, railroad executives, transportation officials, politicians, government regulators, railroad lobbyists, and passenger-rail advocates who are rallying around a simple question: Why has the greatest railroad nation in the world turned its back on the very form of transportation that made modern life and mobility possible? Distrust of railroads in the nineteenth century, overregulation in the twentieth, and heavy government subsidies for airports and roads have left the country with a skeletal intercity passenger-rail system. Amtrak has endured for decades, and yet failed to prosper owing to a lack of political and financial support and an uneasy relationship with the big, remaining railroads. While riding the rails, McCommons explores how the country may move passenger rail forward in America--and what role government should play in creating and funding mass-transportation systems. Against the backdrop of the nation's stimulus program, he explores what it will take to build high-speed trains and transportation networks, and when the promise of rail will be realized in America.

The Golden Age of Train Travel

The Golden Age of Train Travel PDF

Author: Steve Barry

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-05-10

Total Pages: 109

ISBN-13: 0747814937

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For the century after 1865 all the largest railroad companies had flagship luxury trains, spectacularly appointed steamliners offering unrivaled standards of service and thoughtful amenities including ladies' perfume and carnations for gentlemen. These luxury trains transported well-heeled passengers in grand style across spectacular American landscapes in an atmosphere of privilege and elegance. Including the iconic Super Chief of the Sante Fe Railway and New York Central System's fabled 20th Century Limited, they became legends in their day and for decades after their last runs. This beautifully illustrated book allows readers to experience the exhilarating journeys, the exquisitely designed train cars and the vintage advertisements and posters that together made up the passenger's experience during this golden age of train travel – an age still remembered and celebrated today.

USA by Rail

USA by Rail PDF

Author: John Pitt

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781841620695

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Ever since they came on the scene, American trains have had a strong hold on the popular imagination, inspiring countless stories, songs, scandals, films, and legends. Attracted by the pace of life and an ever-changing view, more and more people are discovering the joys of taking to the rails to cross this vast continent in comfort. This new edition of a best-selling Bradt title provides up-to-date timetables, information on rail passes, and background travel information for 25 long-distance rail journeys in the United States plus an additional 12 routes in Canada. Over 500 destinations are covered, including attractions such as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone Park, and Disney World--all accessible by rail--and details of 100 steam railways and museums. Sightseeing and attractions in 38 major cities on rail routes are also provided for the complete traveler's companion.

All Aboard!

All Aboard! PDF

Author: Jim Loomis

Publisher: Prima Lifestyles

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13:

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Longtime rail enthusiast and travel writer Jim Loomis has assembled a practical guide that lauds the joys of stress-free train travel. With information about booking, schedules, on-board etiquette, and more, the book also features a fascinating history of railroading in North America. Maps.

Romance of the Rails

Romance of the Rails PDF

Author: Randal O'Toole

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781944424947

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American transportation has undergone many technological revolutions: from sailing ships to steam ships; from passenger trains and urban rail transit to airplanes and automobiles. Normally, the government has allowed and even encouraged these revolutions, but for some reason the federal government is spending billions of dollars trying to preserve and build obsolete rail transit and passenger train lines, including high-speed trains that cost more but are less than half as fast as flying. O'Toole asks why passenger trains have been singled out -- and whether this policy makes sense. -- adapted from jacket

All Aboard

All Aboard PDF

Author: Jim Loomis

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 2023-05-16

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 1641608676

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“ This comprehensive guide will assist the traveler in planning an excursion and executing it with minimum effort and maximum pleasure.” — Library Journal All Aboard— first published in 1995, and here completely revised and updated— is much more than just a mile-by-mile scenery guide for train travelers. It will make any trip smoother and more enjoyable with its insightful travel trips and information about how railroads operate. With trains attracting new riders in record numbers, the time is perfect for a new edition of All Aboard. All Aboard is more than an ordinary travel guide. The author tells us how and why the first railroads came about, describes the building of America' s trans-continental railroad, and explains how individual trains are operated. He also offers advice that can only come from a veteran traveler: booking trips, finding the lowest fares, avoiding pitfalls, packing for an overnight trip, what to do on board, whom to tip and how much. This new, fourth edition includes a new chapter about eight major railway stations, and is updated throughout with new information and photographs. It discusses Amtrak' s new locomotives and Viewliner sleeping cars, changes in rules regarding pets and bicycles on American trains, and much more. Jim Loomis writes frequently about train travel for Sunday newspaper travel sections and has ridden every one of Amtrak' s long-distance trains multiple times, logging nearly 200,000 miles. He is a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

Around India in 80 Trains

Around India in 80 Trains PDF

Author: Monisha Rajesh

Publisher: Nicholas Brealey

Published: 2012-11-08

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1473644518

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Taking a page from Jules Verne's classic tale, Monisha Rajesh embarked on an adventure around India in eighty trains. Indian trains carry over twenty million passengers daily, plowing through cities, crawling past villages, climbing up mountains, and skimming along coasts. Monisha hopes that her journeys across India will lift the veil on a country that had become a stranger to her.