num_pages: 203
description: The story of American railroads is the story of the growth of a nation. Towns mushroomed, industries flourished, and the country boomed along the new routes of travel and commerce that linked cultural groups as well as geographic regions. "For most of our history, railroads have been a vital part of American life," writes Ogburn. "However different we may have been ... we were all parishioners" of what became for a time the nation's most important industry. Relive a glorious age in The Great American Adventure, from the first belching "tea-kettle-on-wheels" to the highly efficient diesel-electric locomotives of this century.
language: English
title: Railroads: The Great American Adventure
publisher: Natl Geographic Society