Railtown

The familiar image of Los Angeles as a metropolis built for the automobile is crumbling. Traffic, air pollution, and sprawl motivated citizens to support urban rail as an alternative to driving, and the city has started to reinvent itself by developing compact neighborhoods adjacent to transit. As a result of pressure from local leaders, particularly with the election of Tom Bradley as mayor in 1973, the Los Angeles Metro Rail gradually took shape in the consummate car city. Railtown presents the history of this system by drawing on archival documents, contemporary news accounts, and interviews with many of the key players to provide critical behind-the-scenes accounts of the people and forces that shaped the system. Ethan Elkind brings this important story to life by showing how ambitious local leaders zealously advocated for rail transit and ultimately persuaded an ambivalent electorate and federal leaders to support their vision. Although Metro Rail is growing in ridership and political importance, with expansions in the pipeline, Elkind argues that local leaders will need to reform the rail planning and implementation process to avoid repeating past mistakes and to ensure that Metro Rail supports a burgeoning demand for transit-oriented neighborhoods in Los Angeles. This engaging history of Metro Rail provides lessons for how the American car-dominated cities of today can reinvent themselves as thriving railtowns of tomorrow.

For all of the steam and diesel locomotives you can't see in person, or the ones you want to remember in all of their larger-than-life glory, this is the book to buy. From the steam age to the modern diesel era, locomotives are marvels of engineering and industrial design, brimming with power, movement, and man's ingenuity even when sitting still. Photographer Ken Boyd's approach to the locomotive is unlike that of any other photographer. Every aspect of his photographs, from bolts and conduits to sheet metal and windows is painstakingly evaluated and then digitally edited until it glows with clarity and brilliance. The results are images of locomotives bristling with details not visible in conventional locomotive photography. The Art of the Locomotive features 150 large-format plates depicting locomotives ranging from the diminutive steam engines of the middle nineteenth century to the steam and diesel behemoths that followed. Each plate is accompanied by a detailed caption describing the locomotive's history and technology. The machines included represent railroads from all over the United States and Canada, from the Great Lakes region to the Gulf of Mexico, from the east Coast to the West Coast. In addition, Boyd offers an appendix describing his photographic process, shedding light, as it were, on the method behind his fantastic imagery. Boyd's images are so incredibly sharp and breathtakingly rich, they have to be seen to be believed.

Explorer's Great Destinations puts the guide back into guidebook. Also covering California Gold Country and the Northern Sierra Nevada, this savvy guide for upscale travels covers world-class ski resorts, casinos, and sought-after destinations and adventurous activities.

The Sierra Railway is one of the most intact steam railroads in the United States. It is operated today by California State Parks to interpret and celebrate the importance of steam railroading in California history. Located in the Gold Rush town of Jamestown, in Tuolumne County, the railway began operations in 1897 and played an important role in developing the economy of Tuolumne and adjoining Calaveras County. While nearly all other steam short-line railroads in the United States were dismantled in the 1950s, the Sierra line has survived in a remarkably complete condition. The railway was a big hit among railfans, who flocked to it as early as the 1930s and in increasing numbers in the 1950s. Now operated as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, the steam operation of the railroad is very much alive.

"What a fabulous idea! This very rich part of our country has so much to offer visitors. This guide will really make their journey so much more interesting." -Joan Lunden, former Good Morning America co-host and Sacramento native "Useful and comprehensive . . . a good reference for any visitor or resident." -Phil Isenberg, former mayor of Sacramento "This excellent guide succeeds admirably . . . a wealth of information." -James E. Henley, executive director, Sacramento History Center and Museum and History Division Rich in history and nineteenth-century charm, the California capital and the surrounding Sacramento Valley offer adventures for every traveler's taste. This guidebook covers virtually every aspect of this fascinating area, including Old Sacramento, highlights of the Gold Country, and Sacramento Valley, as well as a comprehensive restaurant and hotel listing. For an unforgettable vacation in and around Sacramento, take along the Pelican Guide to Sacramento and the Gold Country.