Ebook: Great American railroad journeys: historical companion to the BBC series

Section one: The early years: -- Dreams & reality -- The pioneers -- Marvels & machinations in the mid century -- Section two: The American Civil War: -- Modern warfare -- Railroads in the south -- Railroads in the north -- Engine exploits -- Abraham Lincoln -- Section three: Robber barons: -- Cornelius Vanderbilt -- Jay Gould -- A rogues gallery -- Credit Mobilier -- Section four: Reconstruction and the golden age: -- The Transcontinental Railroad -- Regulations and railroads -- The Pennsylvania Railroad empire -- Comfort & safety -- Bridges & tunnels -- Timeline -- Conclusion.;" ... Michael Portillo now undertakes an epic trip by train from New York and Boston on the East Coast down to the Deep South of Atlanta and New Orleans, then onto Chicago, Colorado, New Mexico and ultimately finishing in San Francisco. This lavishly illustrated offical tie-in covers each journey Portillo makes across North America and captures the colour, beauty, history and exhilaration experienced when journeying through this incredible continent. Packed with new maps, as well as originals from Appleton's General Guide, this book explores the construction of rail routes across the continent in the 1800s, as a new nation was built by the immigrant masses ..."--Inside front cover.