Numerous photographs enhance this history of railroading in the southern Appalachians. Famous engines such as Tweetsie, Spot, and the Clinchfield Railroads Santa Claus Special are featured, along with rail lines large and small of the Carolinas, East Tennessee, and southwest Virginia. The economic impact of the railroads on the logging and tourism industries is also discussed.

Build realistic bridges and tunnel portals, from simple culverts and wood beam bridges to majestic stone arches and steel viaducts. Discover how different types of bridges and trestles are used, with historic and contemporary prototype photos, and strategies for modeling, painting, and weathering scale models.

Once there was an endless redwood wilderness, populated by only the hardiest of people. Then, the sudden blast of a steam whistle echoed across the canyons and the valleys-the iron horse had arrived in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Driven by the need to transport materials like lumber and lime to the rest of the world, the railroad brought people seeking out new ways of living, from the remote outposts along Bean and Zayante Creeks to the bustling towns of Los Gatos and Santa Cruz. Bridges and tunnels marked the landscape, and each new station, siding and spur signaled activity: businesses, settlements, and vacation spots. Summer resorts in the mountains evolved into sprawling residential communities which formed the backbone of the towns of the San Lorenzo Valley today. Much of the history of the locations along the route has since been forgotten. This is their story. Third Revision (February 2016) Addenda available at http://www.whaleyland.com/downloads/addenda1.3.pdf Exclusive CreateSpace Discount: Enter MU236Q6V into the coupon code field and get this book for $5.00 off! Offer only valid through CreateSpace. Review this book at GoodReads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25144919)

Describing and detailing the boring of major railroad tunnels throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico, this book covers the period from the creation of Virginia's Blue Ridge Tunnel in the 1850s to Copper Canyon's Continental and El Descanso tunnels in the early 1960s. Other notable tunnels featured here include Massachusetts' notoriously expensive and slow-progressing Hoosac Tunnel; Colorado's rail and water Moffat Tunnel; Montana's Flathead Tunnel; and several major tunnels along the Canadian Pacific's main line. In addition to providing details on the tunnels, the author considers the reasons they were created, their engineers, and their use. The book includes more than 50 period and contemporary photos. A glossary explains concepts related to railroad construction and maintenance.

Guangdong -- Gold Mountain -- Central Pacific -- Foothills -- The High Sierra -- The Summit -- The Strike -- Truckee -- The Golden Spike -- Beyond Promontory.

Surveyors called the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) "The Impossible Railroad" because of its jagged, mountainous, and brutal desert route. The financier and driving force behind building this binational 148-mile rail connection to the east from San Diego, California, was businessman John D. Spreckels. Because of his perseverance, the jinxed 1907-1919 construction overcame a series of disasters, including the Mexican Revolution, a prolonged lawsuit, floods, World War I, labor shortages, a tunnel cave-in, and a lethal pandemic. Once up and running, the line was intermittently in and out of service and later sold and renamed the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway. While "The Impossible Railroad" still faces constant challenges and partial closures, freight and trolley service currently operate on its right-of-way, and tourist excursions are offered at its Campo, California, depot.

Presents the story of the Natural Tunnel in Scott County, Virginia. This work includes images and accounts that span from its geological beginnings to its role as a premier state park.