Kenneth Springirth 128 pages softcover
Starting in 1831 with the opening of the 16 mile Mohawk and Hudson Railroad between Albany and Schenectady, one by one railroads opened westward across New York State and were consolidated into the New York Central Railroad during 1853. Over the years the New York Central Railroad grew into an over 11,000 mile system that included operations in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia plus in the Canadian Provinces of Quebec and Ontario. This was the first railroad to streamline a steam locomotive. Its handsome Hudson locomotive was used to promote passenger service. Extensively serving the industrial heartland of the United States, the railroad moved a massive amount of freight. The New York Central Railroad disappeared in the 1968 merger into the Penn Central Transportation Company. However, many of its lines are now operated by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway and Amtrak plus a variety of shortline railroads. This book features many vintage photos documenting the history of a unique railroad that appropriately called itself the "Water Level Route" because most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no major grades.