Fall 2008 - The Johns Hopkins University Press

A Railroad Atlas of the United Statesin 1946Volume 3: Indiana, Lower Michigan, and OhioRichard C. CarpenterRailroad Atlas of the United States in 1946 recalls an era when steam locomotiveswere still king and passenger trains stopped at nearly every townAin America. Railroad companies employed over a million workers, on thetrains and along the tracks. Everything moved by rail: travelers, mail, and freight—whether a massive electric generator or a child’s bicycle.Richard C. Carpenter’s hand-drawn color maps recapture the precise details:the various trunk and ancillary railroad passenger lines that served thousandsof towns; long-since demolished steam locomotive and manual signal towerinstallations; towns that functioned solely as places where crews changedover; track pans; coaling stations; tunnels; bridges and viaducts; and other railspecificsites.The third and largest volume in this acclaimed series includes 276 maps anddrawings and focuses on Indiana, Lower Michigan, and Ohio. These statescould be called the crossroads of the national railroad network, where eastwesttranscontinental lines crossed north-south inter-regional lines. Carpenterdepicts the major rail centers of Indianapolis, Gary, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland,and Chicago, as well as every town and rail junction from Mackinaw City,Michigan, to Tell City, Indiana.Praise for previous volumes:“Without exception, I have found these maps to be completely accurate. They have beendrawn in a very clear and appealing manner, so that any reader will understand exactlywhat the railroad plant looked like in 1946—immediately following the peak of World WarII operations.”—Richard B. Hasselman, Senior Vice President of Operations, CONRAIL (retired)“Belongs in the library of every serious rail historian.”—Railfan and Railroad“Surely one of the most appealingly eccentric publishing ventures of the year.”—The New Yorker“A labor of love . . . nothing short of a miracle. I looked at it again last night, and it took mybreath away. It’s the kind of work that only a gang of monks would consider undertaking.It really is fabulous.”—Baltimore Sun“This is a fascinating volume for the railroad buff, those interested in the interrelationshipof railroads and American history, or those merely investigating the bridge or tunnel intheir town from what is now a ghost railroad.” —American Reference Books AnnualNovember 352 pages 8½ x 11276 color maps and drawings978-0-8018-9002-4 0-8018-9002-0$65.00 / £34.00 hcRailroads / HistoryRichard C. cARPENTER is the retired executive director of the South WesternRegional Planning Agency in Connecticut.Creating the North American LandscapeGregory Conniff, Edward K. Muller, and David Schuyler, Consulting EditorsGeorge F. Thompson, Series Founder and DirectorTHE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS www.press.jhu.edu 14