John Luecke 192 pages hardcover
An in-depth history of the Rock Island in Minnesota, this covers the construction and operations of the road_s various lines from 1900 to the present. The Rock Island was the last mainline built in southern Minnesota but until this time little has been written about this important through route. Also included is a study of the Rock Island_s extension through the southwestern part of the State that was slated to be a new connection to the Northern Pacific railroad at Bismarck, North Dakota. More than 225 photographs (90% of which have never been published previously) from a wealth of photographers, ranging from the construction period to steam operations, from mainline to branchline and from freight to passenger. The book includes 16 pages of color photographs. More than a dozen maps highlighting essential aspects of the Rock Island_s Minnesota system.
