Railroads and the American People

The author explores four fundamental topics–trains and travel, train stations, railroads, and community life, and the legacy of railroading in America–illustrating each topic with carefully chosen period illustrations. Source: Sn3 Modeler

Read this book slowly, allowing the wealth of detail―which is the book’s great strength―time to sink in. You will find yourself thinking about certain details after hours, each reader resonating with some different aspect of the map Grant creates. Re-reading, some other aspect will surface. . . . Grant’s book leaves you wishing for more. Source: Indiana Magazine of History

Consisting of hundreds of vignettes containing a wealth of detailed descriptions and remembrances, Grant’s work is highly recommended to train buffs and others in love with early railroading. Source: Library Journal

Grant very successfully identifies the countless ways that railroads have touched the lives of ordinary Americans and rail enthusiast communities such as ours as well. Source: Michigan Railfan

With its wealth of vignettes and more than 100 black-and-white illustrations, Railroads and the American People does a fine job of humanizing the iron horse. Source: Wall Street Journal

With plenty of detail, Grant brings a bygone era back to life, addressing everything from social and commercial appeal, racial and gender issues, safety concerns, and leaps in technology. But Grant never loses sight of the big picture and the essential role the railroads played in American life. He writes with authority and clarity in a work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts. Source: Publishers Weekly (starred review)