The advance of Union Pacific Railroad tracklayers across Nebraska was part of America's great adventure of the 19th century. It marked the beginning of the era of the "iron horse" in Nebraska-a time when the whistle of an approaching train became synonymous with prosperity and contact with the outside world. Historic Railroads of Nebraska takes a photographic journey down the tracks of the five major railroads and various short lines that helped Nebraska progress into a national center of agriculture and business. The trip begins with the formative years of Nebraska towns that were established along railroad lines in the 19th century. It then travels through the 20th century and documents the major changes and challenges that the railroad industry faced. Through over 200 photographs, this book chronicles the era of streamlined passenger trains, rustic steam locomotives, and a bustling Omaha Union Station. The journey makes stops at railroad landmarks, significant cities, the state's only railroad tunnel, and the legendary North Platte Canteen.

"Keith L. Bryant Jr. and Fred W. Frailey present a comprehensive history of the financing, construction, growth, and management of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway"--

The story of the men who build the transcontinental railroad in the 1860's.

Well into the 20th century, the railroad industry implemented a series of great technological changes that revolutionized rail transit in America. The twin cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs, serving as Union Pacific headquarters and the nation's nucleus of continental train travel, witnessed the bulk of these changes. Through a collection of captivating photographs, Railroads of Omaha and Council Bluffs documents the transformations that took place in the railroad industry and the impact those changes made on these two cities, as well as the rest of the country. The creation of the "streamlined" passenger train, the transition from steam to diesel power, the golden years of Omaha's Union Station, and the revolution of railroad freight service through mergers and government deregulation are just some of the events explored in this fascinating book.

First published in 1999

By the time it was merged into the Union Pacific in 1995, the Chicago & North Western was one of the nations oldest surviving railroads, a testament to the Midwestern stoicism with which it had gone about its business since 1859. This illustrated history chronicles how C&NW emerged from a collection of regional carriers to become a strategic link between eastern railroads and the West. Author Tom Murray traces the railroads expansion as it extended secondary lines throughout the Midwest. He also explores C&NWs joint ownership of UP passenger trains and describes how the railroad answered challenges from regional rivals with the "400" series of passenger trains. As fascinating as the story are the hundreds of accompanying illustrations--historical photographs, archival images, route maps, and period print ads. The result is an entertaining and informative history of an iconic Midwestern railroad--a narrative that spans the decades from the 1850s to the 1990s and takes in steam and diesel motive power, freight and passenger operations, and all the key characters, events, and deals that figured in the Chicago & North Westerns rise and eventual demise.