Presents the history of the railroad in North America, from its origins in Britain in the 1820s and short lines connecting Eastern Seaboard rivers in the 1830s to Amtrak and the modern intermodal freights driving railroad revival. This book covers a range of topics and offers different types of railroad maps.

“Makes such a valuable contribution to United States and Canadian history generally, and railroad history specifically, that I found it hard to put down.” --Carlos A. Schwantes, author of Just One Restless Rider: Reflections on Trains and Travel and The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive History (Revised and Enlarged Edition)

America's long romance with the train has been the subject of many books, but none has used contemporary maps to comprehensively illustrate the story. Until now. Here the latest of Derek Hayes' historical atlases delves into the history of the railroad in North America, from its origins in Britain in the 1820s and short lines connecting Eastern Seaboard rivers in the 1830s to Amtrak and the modern intermodal freights driving today's railroad revival. Colorful and informative, the book covers a vast range of topics and offers an impressive array of types of railroad map, from the purely utilitarian to the gorgeously promotional. Nearly 400 old railroad maps, most in full color, plus many historical photos, brochures, and posters, combine to provide a new perspective on the North American railroad. "Historical Atlas of the North American Railroad" also explains how the railroad transformed the economic and social life of a continent, fundamentally changing the two North American nations it linked from the Atlantic to the Pacific.