RAILROADS IN THE GOLDEN STATE

Before the transcontinental railroad was constructed, traveling to California meant making a long, dangerous journey to the end of the earth. The coming of the railroad made it possible for Easterners to reach California not in weeks or months but in days, and in turn gave Californians the ability to share bountiful harvests with all of America. This issue begins with the story of building the railroad across the Sierra Nevada--the last great construction project done by hand in America. Readers are introduced to two specialized trains that revolutionized California commerce--the ice-cooled refrigeration trains that first brought mass quantities of California produce to the rest of the country, and the rough-and-ready logging locomotives that chugged through California's forests. Readers also take a look at California's trolley and interurban train systems, extensive before the age of automobiles and now growing again. Then, fast-forward into California railroading's high-speed future--and wander back into its past, with a visit to the California State Railroad Museum.

Paperback  32 pgs.  Full Color
Suggested for ages: 9-14
Product Code: CCR9901

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