This booklet is full of self-congratulations, and at the time it probably seemed well-deserved. The Pennsylvania Railroad was at one time not only the largest company in the world, it had a bigger budget and employed more people than the … Continue reading
Burlington celebrated its centennial in 1949, but that marked a century since its earliest predecessor was granted a charter. That predecessor was known as the Aurora Branch Railroad, and by 1864, it had changed its name to Chicago, Burlington & … Continue reading
This history booklet isn’t dated, but the last referenced date is to “early in 1958,” when the railway finished Dieselizing. So I suspect it was published in 1958 or possibly 1959. Click image to download a 5.7-MB PDF of this … Continue reading
The first 10 pages of text in this booklet are almost identical to those in the 1963 edition shown here a few days ago. New information has been added to the last page or so. Click image to download a … Continue reading
Unlike the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, and many other railroads, the Great Northern never celebrated a centennial as it was formally created in 1889 and merged into the Burlington Northern in 1970, a mere youngster of 81. However, its predecessor, … Continue reading
In 1925, Great Northern sent out Christmas greetings in the form of a little booklet called Red River Trails. This would be republished in a slightly different form for the 1926 Columbia River Historical Expedition. I’ve already posted a scan … Continue reading
Soon after the Milwaukee went way over budget finishing its Pacific Extension in 1908, it decided to spend even more money electrifying the portions of the route in the Rocky and Cascade mountains. Electrification was all the rage in the … Continue reading
Although the cover says this is a brief history, it is actually pretty in depth. Unlike the Union Pacific histories, which glossed over that company’s nineteenth-century bankruptcy, this one doesn’t skip the financial troubles suffered by the Milwaukee after it … Continue reading
In 1969, Union Pacific celebrated the Last Spike centennial with a lot of different publications. The railroad had probably issued reports to shippers before, as they were common in the 1960s, but this one placed a little more emphasis on … Continue reading
Yesterday’s booklet seemed lavish, but this one is even more so. Though the front covers are identical, this one is 16 pages longer, and that doesn’t count a sheet of tissue paper that is inlaid with images of UP freight … Continue reading
