Little now remains of the vast network of passenger and freight railroad lines that once crisscrossed much of eastern and midwestern America, but in 1946, the steam locomotive was king. This is a record of a time when traveling out of town meant, for most Americans, taking the train.

Containing 202 hand-drawn color maps of every railroad line in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, this book provides a unique record of a time when passenger trains still made stops in every town and freight trains carried the bulk of the nation's cargo. Drawn at a scale of 1 inch to 4 miles, the maps include main and branch passenger and freight lines, former steam locomotive and manual signal tower stations, towns that functioned as crew change points, track pans, coaling stations, and a variety of indexes of railroad features. Carpenter is a longtime observer and collector of railroad history. This is the first volume in a series that eventually will provide the first comprehensive atlas of the U.S. post-World War II railroad system. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

In 1869 the east and west coasts of the USA were at last linked by rail, launching what is now known as the “golden age of the railroad.” Within twenty years several other major transcontinental routes had been opened, and the railroad companies who had invested millions of dollars need to attract both freight and passengers. To celebrate these pioneering routes, the railroad companies, enterprising publishers and even the United States Geological Service, produced a large quantity of colorful literature, including souvenir books, foldout postcards and illustrated maps. This exciting volume, packed with rare railroadiana and expertly-written text, brings those wonderful days back to life!

A completely updated and expanded edition of the cult bestseller, featuring subway, light rail, and streetcar maps from New York to Nizhny Novgorod. Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historical and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. In glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the cartographic history of mass transit—including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication. Now expanded with thirty-six more pages, 250 city maps revised from previous editions, and listings given from almost a thousand systems in total, this is the graphic designer’s new bible, the transport enthusiast’s dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who’s ever traveled in a city.

"Transit Maps of the World" was an unexpected success and is now a cult favorite. In his irresistible follow-up, Ovenden has produced a mesmerizing compendium of historical and contemporary railway maps and posters from around the world.