Recent Reads

SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. An amazing and essential resource for any railfan or railroad historian. Each volume covers a different part of the country, which is then broken down into smaller sections for detailed coverage. The atlas attempts to show the route of every rail line constructed, with its original builder and current (or last) operator identified. Railroads currently in operation are designated by solid lines; abandoned railroads, with dashed lines. Indexes help identify specific railroads and guide the user to the pages depicting particular locations. I've noticed a few minor mistakes and omissions of minor and ephemeral operations such as logging railroads, but on the whole it's still a great source of information that can be very difficult to find elsewhere. Any library with any measurable degree of interest in railroad history or local history should consider getting a copy of the volume relevant to its area.