Of Passenger Trains on the High Iron; The Northwest Passage: Passenger Trains to the Northwest

Until the later part of the 19th Century, much of the Northwestern United States lacked good railroad service. Empire Builders, such as James J. Hill and Henry Villard changed that. Seeking a dependable transportation outlet from the Midwest to the shores of Puget Sound, they both built over a thousand miles of railroads through very open lands and those high in the Rocky Mountains. Along with the Milwaukee Road and the Union Pacific, railroad arteries were opened where commerce commenced and travel to these places opened yet another market. The market of moving people from the Windy City and Midwestern United States to the Pacific. Four Railroads fought for travelers by offering smooth, clean and comfortable transportation across a land only years before would have been only a dream. Shown here in these pages are locomotives of many types, and passenger cars which made the journey along their routes departing daily for many years. Roster information is given for the locomotives and general specifications for each. Schedules from the great era of the Streamliners are displayed for each railroad, listing the names of the towns in which they stopped. Of also mention are the railroads which ferried the trains from Chicago to either the Twin Cities or Omaha as in the case of the Union Pacific's City of Portland. Vintage ads are displayed showing some of the creature comforts of the trip. This book makes a great gift for any railfan.