Library Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Book |
Title |
Waiting for the Light |
Author |
Nils Huxtable |
Published Date |
2018 |
Physical Description |
Hardcover |
Summary |
For some, the "romance" of railroading died with the demise of the Rio Grande Zephyr, the sole remaining streamliner in the U.S. Domes flashing in Utah's desert sun as white-jacketed waiters in the dining car set the tables, the RGZ symbolized the end of an era. After decades of partial de-regulation following passage of the Staggers Rail Act in October, 1980-and the rationalization and modernization it fostered-railroading has been transformed. Today's "freeways for freight" excel at hauling bulk commodities such as coal, oil, ore, potash and grain, as well as intermodal traffic, automobiles, chemicals and aggregates. Competition from the trucking industry and the relentless pursuit of profit leave little room for nostalgia: steam excursions just get in the way. Because of "merger mania" and abandonments, railroads have lost color and variety, older railfans claim-with some justification. Indeed, of the 36 emblems decorating the cover of the 1980 Handy Rand-McNally Railroad Atlas, a mere handful survive. Great names like the Ann Arbor, Bangor & Aroostook, Boston & Maine, Chicago & North Western, Delaware & Hudson, the Frisco, Illinois Central, the Katy, Maine Central, The Milwaukee Road, the Missabe, Missouri Pacific, Rio Grande, Rock Island, Santa Fe, Soo Line, Southern Railway, Southern Pacific and Western Pacific have passed from the scene. Even so, the fascination with trains endures. |
People |
Huxtable, Nils |
Subjects |
Railroad Trains Photography |
Classification |
Book |
Search Terms |
Railroad Trains Photography |
Catalog Number |
2024.021.0005 |
Collection |
adRock Springs Historical Museum Library |