The American Passenger Train

Plot

Before the jetliner connected both coasts in a matter of hours, the train embodied the zenith of passenger travel. This sprawling photographic history rambles though two centuries of passenger trains, presenting a wealth of archival imagery and modern and period color photographs that depicts everything from East Coast steam operations in the 1830s to modern Amtrak and high-speed inter-city services. The variety featured ranges from the swank Santa Fe Super Chief that connected Chicago and Los Angeles to the no-frills, single-car Zephyrette that ran daily between Oakland and Salt Lake City. From the New York Central's famous 20th Century Limited to the Eastern Illinois Railroad 's obscure Meadowlark, the plethora of railroads and regions featured is staggering. And because passenger trains were the most important public relations tool of any railroad, special focus is given to the locomotives, customer service and passenger amenities offered by passenger railway operations.