Bøger af Mark Klingel

By the 1970s, the diesel locomotive was the king of the American Railroad mainline, and the age of steam had ended almost a decade prior. America's railroad scene was changing rapidly and the railroads that served Buffalo, New York, were at the center of it. Between the formation of Amtrak, the increasing popularity of transportation through airplanes, automobiles, buses, and trucks, increasing labor costs, declining industrial business, and the resulting formation of Conrail, the writing seemed to be on the wall for these railroad lines that were deemed unprofitable. Despite being abandoned or sold off by their former owners, some of these railroad lines got a second chance at economic prosperity under the ownership of smaller companies known as "the short line railroads." Operating in a modern world where business practices and core values have changed, and big business caring little for the little guy, these short line railroads have forged a legacy of their own connecting the small communities they serve to the outside world.

In Northern California, there are four tourist railroads that have established themselves as go-to destinations for railroad enthusiasts and tourists alike: Niles Canyon Railway, Napa Valley Wine Train, California State Railroad Museum, and the Western Railway Museum. All four of these tourist attractions opened in the 1980s and have had over four decades to leave their mark on the local and state economies. This book showcases fire breathing steam locomotives, classic diesel locomotives, and silent but impressive electrically powered interurbans contributing to the economy even after their revenue service lives came to an end many years ago. From a narrow canyon that is home to a working remnant of America's transcontinental railroad to the endless vineyards and wineries of California's world-famous wine country, the role that these tourist railroads play remains the same: keeping history alive.