Railroads were the first big business enterprises of America and made possible many other industries. They knitted our expansive nation together and ably transported people, materials, supplies, goods, and mail. Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of railroads were built in the United States during the nineteenth century. Among the more colorful was the New York and New England Railroad, which connected Boston with the Hudson River via the uplands of Connecticut. If ever a company had its share of trials and tribulations it was this firm. Yet its fascinating, topsy-turvy past is today largely forgotten. This work brings to life how the New York and New England Railroad evolved from humble beginnings to becoming a potent transportation force. Meticulously researched with many period images and a lively text, our journey begins in the 1840s and lasts until the late 1890s. Climb aboard for a special trip into this unique chapter of American railroad history!

The 3rd edition of a railroad classic, Lost Railroads of New England comprises a summary of the rise and fall of New England's railroads and a fully annotated directory of all abandoned segments of every common carrier railroad in New England, updated through January 1, 2010. This edition features all new maps showing rail trails as well as abandonments, with detailed city maps for areas of dense railroad activity; new sections on rail trails and lines that have been reinstated; many more photographs of trails and rail artifacts on abandoned lines; and many directory entries rewritten for better clarity and expanded with new information.

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).

New York's Capital District was ideally situated to become one of the nation's earliest and most important transportation crossroads. The Mohawk River was the only water level gap in the Appalachian range to the west, which led to the construction of the Erie Canal. Soon after its completion, the state's first railroad began operating between Albany and Schenectady in 1831. Other pioneer railroads followed, heading north to Canada, south to New York City, west to Chicago, and east to Boston. Over the next century, railroads like the New York Central, Boston & Albany, Boston & Maine, and Delaware & Hudson built extensive passenger stations, freight and classification yards, and repair shops in the tri-city region. Passenger operations continue today at the Schenectady and Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak stations, while the Selkirk Yard is still an important classification point for CSX Transportation.

The most comprehensive book ever written on the subject, "The New England Southern Railroad Volume 1" tells the story of one of New Hampshire's longest-running shortline railroads from its inception in 1981 to the mid- 1990s. Featuring over 200 rare color and black and white photographs from some of New England's best known railroad photographers, nearly every operation the railroad engaged in during that period is covered, including operations on the White Mountain Branch, passenger excursions, freight operations on the Northern Mainline, unusual power, and much, much more. Also included are stories from "Nessie System" employees and information taken straight from those who made the railroad what it was, and is. If you are a die-hard New England Southern fan, a railroad enthusiast, or just a lover of New Hampshire history, this book is for you!