The American Freight Train Author:Jim Boyd As quickly as the first American railroads could lay tracks, enterprising businesses began utilizing them for their most obvious application-hauling freight. This extensive history examines the development and use of freight trains in America from the early 19th century to the present. A large selection of archival color photography depicts an a... more »rray of rolling stock-boxcars, flatcars, hoppers, refrigerator cars, gondolas, tank cars, ore jennies, auto-rack transports, and more-as well as the steam and diesel engines that have pulled them across two centuries and countless miles. A thorough text describes the evolution of the various forms of rolling stock while describing how the freight train became the backbone of the American shipping industry, moving everything from minerals, lumber, and liquids to livestock, grains, automobiles, and even the occasional hobo. A variety of railroads are depicted in scenic locations across the nation.« less