Train operations, model railroading, building the transcontinental railroad. Books from the 19th century to today.
Trains & Railroad History Books
Hint: When a book you want to borrow at Internet Archive is already checked out, go to the Internet Archive’s ‘Search’ box, check “Search Metadata”, and search for the book’s title. Sometimes they have two or more copies.
Trains & Railroad History Books
Railroad Books – Collection
About 1,300 free online books at the Internet Archive, resulting from a search for books on “Railroads”. Be patient as the page loads. Some books: A Social History of Mexico’s Railroads, Railroads in the African American Experience, Trains: the history of railroads, Virginia Railroads in the Civil War, Pictorial History of North American Railroads, The Men Who Built the Railroads, Model Trains: railroads in the making, History of the Western Railroads, A History of Railroads in Michigan, Historical Atlas of American Railroads, Train-Watcher’s Guide to North American Railroads, The Iron Horse and the Windy City, many more. Free railroad books online
‘Collections’ take longer to appear on your screen than single books. On a phone, only about 25 books in a collection may appear.
Railroad Travel Books – Collection
About 130 books from the Internet Archive free online on the subject of Railroad Travel. Some books: Baedeker’s Rail Guide to Europe, Exploring America by Rail, Trans-Canada Rail Guide, On the Rails around Britain & Ireland, Japan by Rail, Train Journeys of the World, Amtraking: a guide to enjoyable train travel, A Rail Journey Around Australia, North American Train Attractions for Kids of All Ages, Railroads and the American People, many more. Free railroad books online.
Rules Governing Employees of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Co.
in Effect January 1, 1899. Issued in Accordance with the Recommendation of the American Railway Association
Richmond, VA: Mitchell & Hotchkiss 1907 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Rules and Regulations for Conductors and Motormen
Western Ohio Railway Co. 1905 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Standard Train Rule Examination
For the use of Trainmasters, and other examining officers, in the examination of Trainmen, Enginemen, Towermen and Telegraph Operators
Toledo: Collingwood 1914 Dewey Dec. 625.2
9th edition. Contains 700 questions about rules, and the proper answers fully explained. Read railroad history books.
Notes on Railroad Accidents
Adams, Charles Francis Jr.
NY: Putnam’s Sons 1879 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Chapter headings: 1. The Death of Mr. Huskisson, 2. The Angola and Shipton Accidents, 3. The Wollaston Accident, 4. Accidents and Conservatism, 5. Telescoping and the Miller Platform, 6. The Versailles Accident, 7. Telegraphic Collisions, 8. Oil-tank Accidents, 9. Draw-Bridge Disasters, 10. The Norwalk Accidents, 11. Bridge Accidents, 12. The Protection of Bridges, 13. Car-Couplings in Derailments, 14. The Revere Catastrophe, 15. Rear-end Collisions, 16. Novel Appliances, 17. The Automatic Electric Block System, 18. Interlocking, 19. The Westinghouse Brake, 20. The Battle of the Brakes, 21. The Railroad Journey Resulting in Death, 22. The Railroad Death-rate, 23. American as Compared with Foreign Railroad Accidents. Read railroad history books.
See our page on the qualities of a good historian
The Story of the First Trans-continental Railroad …
Bailey, William Francis, comp.
Bailey 1906 Dewey Dec. 385
(title continued) ” …Its Projectors, Construction and History”
The story of the Union Pacific Railroad. Chapter headings are: 1. The Project and its Projectors, 2. The Proposition in Congress, 3. Mostly Financial, 4. Commencement of the Work, 5. Progress Made, 6. Indian Troubles during Construction, 7. The Builders, 8. Completion of the Line, 9. The Kansas Division (Kansas Pacific Ry), 10. The Denver-Cheyenne Line (Denver Pacific R.R.), 11. History of the Line since its Completion, 12. The Central Pacific Railroad, Appendix. Read railroad history books, free railroad books online.
Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad
Bain, David Haward
Viking 1999 Dewey Dec. 385
After the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad was the nineteenth century’s most transformative event. Beginning in 1842 with a visionary’s dream to span the continent with twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures three dramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled in size, fought three wars, and began to discover a new national identity. From self–made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific’s Thomas Durant and era–defining figures such as President Lincoln to the thousands of laborers whose backbreaking work made the railroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons an astonishing array of voices to give new dimension not only to this epic endeavor but also to the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of an unforgettable period in American history. Railroad books online free, railroad history.
Experiments on Rail Roads, in England …
Illustrative of the Safety, Economy and Speed, of Transportation, which this System, as now Improved, is Capable of Affording
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
Baltimore: Wooddy 1829 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Electric Railway Transportation
Blake, Henry W. and Jackson, Walter
McGraw-Hill 1917 Dewey Dec. 621.3
“Few, if any, of the many books on electric railways deal with the transportation methods and practices in such details as this one. Consequently, its field of interest extends beyond that of the engineers interested in the design of electric railway equipment to that of all engineers who have anything to do with electric railways.”
– Standard Catalog for Public Libraries: Science and Useful Arts (1931). Old book on electric trains.
Hear that Lonesome Whistle Blow: Railroads in the West
Brown, Dee A.
Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1977 Dewey Dec. 385
Hear that Lonesome Whistle Blow unspools the history of the beginnings of the American railroad system. By the mid-nineteenth century, settlers in Missouri and California were separated by a vast landscape that dwarfed and isolated them, conquerable only by “the demonic power of the Iron Horse and its bands of iron track.” Although the building of the great railroad is commonly known as a story of romance, adventure, and progress, it also has a dark side, as profiteers decimated American Indian tribes, exploited workers, and destroyed ecosystems. Despite this, by the turn of the twentieth century, five major railroads would span the continent. This account vividly illustrates the railroad builders’ breathtaking skill, ambition, and ingenuity. . Brown compellingly tells a high-stakes tale, an exhilarating history that still holds lessons for today. Free railroad history books online.
Student Course in Railroading
Southern Pacific Company (Pacific System) 1914 Dewey Dec. 385
Sections of the course are: General Course, Operation and Maintenance, Passenger and Freight Traffic, Accounting, General Information, Bibliography
History of the First Locomotives in America …
From Original documents, and the testimony of Living Witnesses
Brown, William H.
NY Appleton 1874 Dewey Dec. 385
When Railroads were New
Carter, Charles Frederick
NY: Holt 1909 Dewey Dec. 385
“Story of railroad beginnings in the United States, giving the genesis of the great lines and the development of the features that are now so familiar, and recalling the romance and vicissitudes of early railroad history.” -A.L.A.Catalog 1904-11
Chapter headings: 1. The Dawn of the Railroad Era, 2. America’s Pioneer Railroad, 3. Early Days on the Erie, 4. Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Railroad, 5. Genesis of the Vanderbilt System, 6. Incubator Railroads, 7. The First Transcontinental Railroad, 8. Through Tribulation by Rail, 9. Romance of a Great Railroad. Free railroad books online, read railroad history books.
Railroad Construction
Crandall, Charles Lee and Barnes, Fred Asa
NY: McGraw-Hill 1913 Dewey Dec. 625.1
Railway Organization and Working; A Series of Lectures delivered before the Railway Classes of the University of Chicago
Dewnsnup, Ernest Ritson, ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago 1906 Dewey Dec. 385
Lectures, all by different people, cover a wide variety of topics. Free railroad books online.
How We Built the Union Pacific Railway
Dodge, Grenville M. (Major General)
Washington: GPO 1910 Dewey Dec. 385
The author was Chief Engineer, Union Pacific Railway, 1866-1870.
All Aboard! The Railroad in American Life
Douglas, George H.
Paragon House 1992 Dewey Dec. 385
America has grown up with the railroads. As they grew, so did the country. From an agrarian land of isolated communities, the railroads linked the vast distances and ushered in the industrial transformation. All Aboard! relates a social history of the railroad.
From the pioneering efforts of the first steam engines to the magnificent iron horses of the gilded age, the railroad played a decisive role in the settlement and civilization of the West, the Civil War, suburbanization, the creation of a national economy, and even the standardization of time zones. The railroad was also America’s first big business and had its seamier side. Free railroad books online, read railroad history books.
Freight Terminals and Trains
Droege, John A.
McGraw-Hill 1912 Dewey Dec. 385
Subtitle: “Including a revision of “Yards and Terminals”.
“A clear and comprehensive presentation based on experience, from the viewpoint of officers and constructional engineers.”
– A.L.A. Catalog (1926)
Passenger Terminals and Trains
Droege, John A.
McGraw-Hill 1916 Dewey Dec. 385
“A somewhat technical work describing various types of way stations and terminals for passenger use, with train operation, baggage and other service.” – A.L.A. Catalog (1926)
Locomotive Catechism
Grimshaw, Robert
Henley 1905 Dewey Dec. 621.1
Subtitle: “A complete treatise on the locomotive, containing 1,600 questions and their answers, covering the design, construction, repair and running of all kinds of locomotive, being intended as examination questions for engineers, firemen, and all other railroad men.”. Old steam power engineering book, locomotives book.
Railroad Transportation, its History and its Laws
Hadley, Arthur T.
Putnam 1886 Dewey Dec. 385
Thorough exhaustive discussion. – A.L.A.Catalog 1904
Efficient Railway Operation
Haines, Henry Stevens
NY: Macmillan 1919 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Chapter headings: 1. Evolution of the Railway, 2. Railway Efficiency, 3. Motive Power, 4. Rolling Stock, 5. Roadway. Part I: Substructure, Part II: Superstructure, 6. Traffic, 7. Transportation, 8. War Time, 9. Operation, Appendices, Bibliography, List of Railroads and Railways
Electric Railway Engineering
Harding, C. Francis and Ewing, Dressel D
McGraw-Hill 1916 Dewey Dec. 621.3
“Designed as a college text and as an electrical railway instruction and reference book. Authors are [1926] respectively professor, electrical engineering and professor, electric railway engineering, Purdue University.”
– Standard Catalog for Public Libraries: Science and Useful Arts (1931). Old book on electric trains.
Letters from an Old Railway Official …
To his Son, A Division Superintendent
Hine, Charles DeLano
Chicago: Railway Age 1904 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Read magazines online free PDF here at Century Past
Boys’ Book of Railways
Howden, Joseph Russell
Stokes 1910 Dewey Dec. 385
“Comprehensive survey of railway history and management, treating passenger and freight matters in separate sections. illustrations cover the whole range of rolling stock, from famous American “fliers” to a Chinese coal-car. Though written for older boys, of equal interest to men.” – A.L.A.Catalog 1904-11
American Railway Transportation
Johnson, Emory B.
Appleton 1903 Dewey Dec. 385
Describes existing system, discussing questions of ownership, management, monopoly and competition, rates, fares, relations with state, etc. Bibliographic references. – A.L.A.Catalog 1904
Practical Treatise on Railways, explaining their Construction and Management…
With numerous woodcuts and ten plates: being the article “Railways” in the seventh edition of the Encylopedia Britannica
LeCount, Peter (Lieut.)
Edinburgh: Black. 1839 Dewey Dec. 385
This book is about trains and all aspects of railroad operations in Britain rather than America, but is a useful guide to railroad operations as they were in the 1830s. Chapter headings are: -Preliminary observations – arrangements before commencing the works., -Preparation of working drawings, and specifications for contracts., -Mails, carriages, waggons, horse-boxes, etc., -Buildings at stations, and apparatus., -Duties of Engine-men, and necessary regulations along the line., -Description of engines, and methods of working them., -Annual expenses of railways., -Great western railway reports., -System of direction and management., -History of locomotive engines., -Explanation of the plates., -List of railways, when Act was passed, and amount of money raised, or authorized to be raised.
Railroad Freight Transportation
Loree, Leonor Fresnel
Appleton 1926 Dewey Dec. 385
“Deals with all phases of loading, distribution of cars, movement of engines and trains and handling of men as related to transportation.”
– A.L.A. Catalog (1926)
The Working of the Railroads
McPherson, Logan G.
NY: Henry Holt 1907 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Chapter headings are: 1. The Transportation Function, 2. Construction and Operation, 3. Traffic, 4. Accounting and Statistics, 5. Financial and Executive Administration, 6. Correlation, 7. Integration, 8. Relations to the Public and the State
See our energy engineering books
Train Operation …
A Treatise on Train Rules, train orders, change of time table, automatic block signals, interlocking, examination questions and answers
Nichols, William
Rochester, NY: Brown 1916 Dewey Dec. 625.2
Selected Articles on Government Ownership of Railroads
Phelps, Edith M., comp.
H. W. Wilson 1914 Dewey Dec. 385.1
In the first decades of the 20th century publisher H.W. Wilson produced many volumes in its Debaters’ Handbook Series on social and political issues that were under discussion at the time. Each book contains the full text of selected articles and documents representing opposing views on the issue, along with a substantial bibliography of books and articles.
Most of the books mentioned in these guides are likely to be freely available online. Search by title; first at the Internet Archive (archive.org), then at HathiTrust.org. Referenced magazine articles may also be available online at the same sites, with HathiTrust the preferred site for magazines.
Selected Articles on Government Ownership of Railroads Vol II
Phelps, Edith M., comp.
H. W. Wilson 1919 Dewey Dec. 385.1
See the description under the first volume with this title, above. Free railroad books online.
Every Boy’s Book of Railways and Steamships
Protheroe, Ernest
London: Religious Tract Society 1911 Dewey Dec. 380
Collection of Railroad Timetables
Rails and Trails.com
Various publishers and years of publication Dewey Dec. 625.2
“Trains were governed by timetables. Public timetables listed passenger train schedules. Employee timetables had detailed information necessary to operate a train on that section of railroad.”
– Rails and Trails.com
This webpage has href=”https://archive.org/details/municipalruralsae4ehle”s to a number of timetables in each of these categories. Descriptions are quoted from the webpage.
– Employee Timetables
“Detailed information needed to work on a division of the railroad.”
– Public Timetables
“Schedules of passenger trains, usually for the complete system. Often includes map, ticket prices, travel and railroad information.” Read railroad history books.
Collection of Track Charts and Diagrams
Rails and Trails.com
Various publishers and years of publication Dewey Dec. 625.1
“Railroads published track charts and diagrams showing track details including stations, switches, crossings, bridges, tunnels, signals, elevation and curvature. These are helpful in understanding and modeling specific railroad lines.”
– Rails and Trails.com
This webpage has href=”https://archive.org/details/municipalruralsae4ehle”s to numerous examples of diagrams in each of these categories. Descriptions are quoted from the webpage.
– Straight Line Track Diagrams – Grade Profiles The railroad as the engineer sees it. Often includes bridges, sidings, stations, grades and curvature. Sometimes includes maintenance and signaling information, orientation map of areas covered.”
– Side Track Charts/Diagrams “Covered areas with sidings in greater detail. Often labeled with their use, construction and abandonment dates.”
– Locomotive, Car and Building Diagrams
– Property/Valuation Maps
“Very detailed drawings of the railroad, buildings and property. Often submitted to the Interstate Commerce Commission for valuation or notification/approval of changes.”
– Documents Describing Diagrams
– href=”https://archive.org/details/municipalruralsae4ehle”s to other websites with extensive online diagrams
The Railway Builders: A Chronicle of Overland Highways
Skelton, Oscar D.
Toronto: Glasgow, Brook 1920 Dewey Dec. 385
Chapter headings: 1. The Coming of the Railway, 2. Early Travel in Canada, 3. The call for the Railway, 4. The Canadian Beginnings, 5. The Grand Trunk Era, 6. The Intercolonial, 7. The Canadian Pacific – Beginnings, 8. Building the Canadian Pacific , 9. The Era of Amalgamation, 10. The Canadian Northern, 11. The Expansion of the Grand Trunk, 12. Sundry Developments, 13. Some General Questions, Bibliographical Note. Free railroad history books.
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The Strategy of Great Railroads
Spearman, Frank H.
Scribner’s Sons 1906 Dewey Dec. 385
“A volume illustrating the field of railroad competition. The various subjects treated are the Vanderbilt lines, the Pennsylvania system, the Harriman lines, the Hill lines, the fight for Pittsburg, the Gould lines, the Rock island system, the Atchison, the big Granger lines (St. Paul and Northwestern), the rebuilding of an American railroad, the first trans-continental railroad, the early days in railroading. – Bookman. Free railroad books online.
One Hundred Years of American Railroading
Starr, John William Jr.
NY: Dodd, Mead 1928 Dewey Dec. 385
The book consists mostly of brief histories of numerous railroad companies.
The Transcontinental Railroad
Streissguth, Thomas
Lucent 2000 Dewey Dec. 385
Completed in 1869, the transcontinental railroad fulfilled the long-held vision of a single transportation and trade route across the North American continent. Skilled engineers and laborers built the railroad, while devious speculators on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts maneuvered to profit by it. This book describes the design, financing, and construction of one of the largest engineering projects in history.
Railway Track and Track Work
Tratman, E. E. B.
Engineering news 1908 Dewey Dec. 625.1
General principles with numerous details of material, appliances and work, and methods of practice, with drawings. Various subjects treated critically and descriptively. – A.L.A. Catalog 1904
232 illustrations
The Story of the Railroad
Warman, Cy
NY: Appleton 1906 Dewey Dec. 385
Chapter headings: 1. The Origin of the Idea, 2. Early Explorations nd Surveys, 3. The Building of the Road, 4. The Tombs of the Trail Makers, 5. The Meeting of the Rails, 6. A Brush with the Sioux, 7. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, 8. The Seer of the Santa Fe, 9. Life in a Grading Camp, 10. Peopling the Great American Desert, 11. The Road Reaches the Rockies, 12. The Invasion of New Mexico, 13. The Grand Canon War, 14. Incidents of the Early Days, 15. The Denver and Rio Grande, 16. The Northern Pacific, 17. The Canadian Pacific, 18. Road Making in Mexico, 19. The Opening of Oklahoma, 20. The Railroad Engineer, 21. At the Front, 22. The Railroad and the People, 23. The Beginnings of the Express Business, 24. The West To-day
Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America
White, Richard
Norton 2011 Dewey Dec. 385
This original, deeply researched history shows the transcontinentals to be pivotal actors in the making of modern America. But the triumphal myths of the golden spike, robber barons larger than life, and an innovative capitalism all die here. Instead we have a new vision of the Gilded Age, often darkly funny, that shows history to be rooted in failure as well as success.
A Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize: “A powerful book, crowded with telling details and shrewd observations.” —Michael Kazin, New York Times Book Review
A Brief Review of Railroad History from the Earliest Period to the Year 1894
Wilson, William Hasell
Philadelphia: Allen, Lane & Scott 1895 Dewey Dec. 385
The Economics of Railroad Construction
Webb, Walter Loring
NY: Wiley 1906 Dewey Dec. 625.1
Chapter headings: Part I: Financial and Legal Elements of the Problem, 1. Railroad Statistics, 2. The Organization of Railroads, 3. Capitalization, 4. The Valuation of Railway Property, 5. Estimation of Volume of Traffic
Part II: Operating Elements of the Problem, 6. Operating Expenses, 7. Motive Power, 8. Economics of Car Construction, 9. Track Economics, 10. Train Resistance, 11. Momentum Grades
Part III: Physical Elements of the Problem, 12. Distance, 13. Curvature, 14. Minor Grades, 15. Ruling Grades, 16. Pusher Grades, 17. Balancing Grades for Unequal Traffic