Construction began in vallejo in december 1866 and was complete to davis in august 1868. All known common carrier steam powered operations of ten or more miles are included, plus numerous logging companies, electric traction and diesel operations. Union pacific in southern california golden west books. If you are interested in railroads, these books with give you a general idea of their history in california. An informal history of the black river and utica railroad boonville, ny. Discover the best history of railroads in best sellers. The impact of the railroad california state university. History of rail transportation in the united states wikipedia. With 50 fullcolor original maps, and a keen and perceptive text, the preeminent historian of us railways has created an illustrated atlas that will delight general history readers and railroad fans alike.
The book starts with a history of the railroads of california starting with the central pacific. History of trains in america by christian wolmar, railroads and the. The iron horse linked california with the rest of the nation and ushered in an era of economic consolidation. The railroad s agents scoured the towns of california for chinese laborers. Nothing so changed nineteenthcentury america as did the railroad. However, there are other types of railways, including those whose units consist of single selfpropelled cars, cabledrawn railways used to ascend steep grades, and monorails whose cars. Stanford, hopkins, huntington, crocker rode railroads to. Zoellner ends back in california, which occasions a brief account of the.
List of books and articles about railroad history online research. Its a train lovers celebration of the great epic story of rail travel itself. Sketch map of the first railroad in california, with projected extensions to san francisco, sonora, and tehama, made by the engineer who built the sacramento valley railroad. Timeline of united states railway history wikipedia. Some materials in the collection are housed off site. In 1864, a tracklaying crew from the central pacific railroad came eastward across the plain from sacramento, building the western half of the nations first transcontinental railroad. Though small in geographic size, placer county is large in its rich history of railroading in california. Collis huntington, charles crocker, leland stanford, and mark hopkins. We have plucked from obscurity 30 fascinating books most of them outofprint about railways from cairo to new south wales to yosemite encompassing engineering, history, industry, photography, policing. It continues to discuss the history of the big four railroads of california, the southern pacific, santa fe, union pacific, and western pacific. Ground breaking for the california central railroad took place on june 1, 1858. In 2015 construction began on the california highspeed rail line. In 1862, the central pacific and the union pacific railroad companies began building a transcontinental railroad that would link the united states from east to. Railroad maps, 1828 to 1900, available online, california.
The following rare books are available from the california state library. Learn more about railroad history with this selection of books available in the museum store. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. From the construction of the first us railroads in the 1830s to the advent of amtrak, this outstanding work explores the. History of rail transportation in california wikipedia. Other railroads were constructed to provide passenger and freight service to other parts of the sacramento valley area. Most important, it offers full text access to the linda hall librarys. The linda hall library transcontinental railroad website was created with generous support from the bnsf burlington northern santa fe foundation.
Railroad crossing is the story of what happened to that friendship, particularly in california, and it illuminates the chaos that was industrial america from the middle of the nineteenth century through the first decade of the twentieth. Distributed by the university of nebraska press for caxton press this 352page, triple indexed reference book covers nearly 500 names in the two north pacific coast states. The routledge historical atlas of the american railroads 2001 stover, john. California central railroad and other connecting lines. Read more about the pioneer railroads in the east and early california railroads. Following that is a discussion of the historic shortlines which have served the golden state. Railroads of placer county by arthur sommers and roger. Wp history books and videos feather river rail society. By fall of that year there were 3,000 on the payroll. Chicago milwaukee st paul railway 1908 ledger okoboji iowa car service record. Irene phillips, the railroad story of san diego county, south bay press, 1956.
The railroad ran from sacramento to vallejo, connecting with a passenger ferryboat to san francisco. Here are carefully selected articles, photographs, and art. Cslrailroads in california california state library ca. Encyclopedia of western railroad history volume iv california. The site offers visitors a brief history of the building of the transcontinental railroad as well as information on the history and technology of 19th century railroads. Final 15 minutes of the ring of fire movie is now on the site. History of the illinois central railroad 1975 stover, john.
Hiltons book, american narrow gauge railroads, it was organized in 1854 by. The california pacific railroad company was incorporated in 1865. In 1887 it was sold to the southern pacific which operated the narrow gauge railroad until 1909. West side lumber and other california logging railroads. In 1845, asa whitney presented to congress a plan for the federal government to subsidize the building of a railroad from the mississippi river to the pacific. Edmondson and franceviglia, railroad station planbook, kalmback books, 1977. Santa fe railroad 1945, along your way, rand mcnally, chicago, illinois. Railroads history united states western, railroads. Alaska midland railroad, the a brief history of the alaska midland railroad. Everything was by the book, and increasingly complex set of rules told. Ward mcafee, california s railroad era, 18501911, golden west books, 1973. List of books and articles about railroad history online. Here you can read about the fascinating history of california railroads, the.
American railroads in the 1850s 1978 turner, george e. Trains author tom zoellner takes readers on a historical. It continues to discuss the history of the big four railroads of. It began operations in 1900 as the west side flume and lumber company, started by thomas bullock, and william and henry crock who purchased a ranch near tuolumne. California state railroad museum library and archives, online. They crossed a small rail line the california central railroad that linked the young towns of lincoln and folsom, and gave the spot the imaginative name of junction. California state library, california history room california state railroad museum library center for sacramento history sacramento public library, sacramento room all locations. Linking california with the east by rail became possible with the passage of the pacific railroad act in 1862, chartering the central pacific to build from the west, and the union pacific to build from the east. Theodore dehone sacramento valley railroad judah, theodore d.
The account covers their histories from inception until sale or. Association of american railroads 2003, railroad service in california. He got the backing of a group of sacramento businessmen who would later become known as the big four. This railroad website was created in december, 2003. This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series. These promoters intended to make colton the railroad center of southern california. Railroad history books thousands of new, used, and outof. The california state railroad museum library provides public access to the museums documentary collections.
There were narrowgauge and standardgauge, long transcontinental, and short pointtopoint railroads. Stanford, hopkins, huntington, crocker rode railroads to big profits how 4 barons used political, economic pull and made a fortune. Growing up together, the iron horse and the young nation developed a fast friendship. Rare central pacific railroad books at the california. Browse maps, pictures and histories of abandoned railroad lines in the state of california. Railroads, the pioneers building americas transportation backbone, and more. The chicano barrio, the southside of colton, is also synonymous with railroads and with the southern pacific, which brought in mexican labor in the 1890s to build, repair, and maintain the rail lines. In 1854 judah came to california where he built the states first railway. The railroad stations of san diego county san diego. Railroad history, railways, locomotives, entrepreneurs.
By october, 1861 the railroad connected lincoln to the sacramento valley railroad. American railroads in the 1850s 1978 american railroads 2nd ed 1997 good, brief overview. In 1857 he published a pamphlet calling for a railroad to connect the east coast and west coast. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 was a major event in california history. This book covers 14 different railroads that did or still do exist in some association with placer county.