My American Railroad Dream is the first of two pictorial books from John Davies, a retired railway manager who over many years has travelled and recorded the railway scene all over Europe and North America.
It celebrates John’s travels in the USA and Canada over 22 years (1978-2000) and nine unique visits with over 170 colour photos. The period was one of great transition which saw the revival of passenger trains under two corporations, Amtrak and VIA Rail; and massive changes in the freight railroad scene following deregulation.
John’s first and last journeys on USA trains were the Adirondack between New York and Montreal, transformed from a European-style Turbotrain in 1978 to a Genesis diesel hauled consist in 2000. Commuter Rail where extant used clapped out diesels and rolling stock in due course transforming into modern networks. Amtrak though rather homogenous nevertheless remained interesting and in Canada, John managed to travel in the last year of transcontinental travel operated by Canadian Pacific.
Freight consolidated into ever-larger companies at the same time as new ‘short lines’ mushroomed providing great variety in operations and liveries. All of this caught John’s eye to provide this record of a kaleidoscope of colours and a fascinating range of images.
Photographs are arranged in chapters, each covering a line or railroad company. These are presented in two-per-page format, with extensive captions accompanying each photograph. 88 pages.