The history of the first steam railroad in the United States. It was shipped from England and was used to connect the coalfields to a canal. It now is housed in the Wayne County Historical Society in northeastern Pennsylvania.

This richly comprehensive history by a self-proclaimed "low-brow" historian features more than 100 photographs and contemporary prints of America's railway system. Stewart H. Holbrook presents a dramatic, highly readable chronicle of the development of the backbone of the country's commerce and industry. Abounding in episodes of ingenuity and achievement, the growth of the railway system required constant improvements in techniques, devices, and machines,...