WHAT'S NEW
Recent additions and changes to this site.
Recently verified information, on transit route histories in major U. S. cities. This is how present transit routes evolved from private transit companies, including conversions from streetcars to buses. (added January 10, 2017)
Track diagrams for most railroads in Chicago and vicinity have been recently verified using Google satellite imagery. (added December 30, 2016)
More detailed histories of commuter railroads in Boston New York and Philadelphia areas since 1930, including years which marginal branch routes were discontinued. Most recently enhanced with information for the New Bedford and Fall River area south of Boston, and for the commuter railroads connecting Philadelphia and Camden with southern New Jersey. Also recently, Google Maps showing present and past commuter routes were enhanced, to more completely show past interlocking towers and locations. (November 3, 2016).
Included is more accurate information, when the most obscure commuter operations in the country were discontinued. (added October 6, 2016).
This section has been expanded from its original focus on streamliner trains, with the addition of brief histories of most of the named passenger trains operating in the United States from the 1940's, up to the 1971 formation of Amtrak. Including trains which generally were not fully equipped as streamliners. Added more recently is information on diesel locomotives in passenger service, most notably the E-units. And added most recently is information on steam locomotives which were streamlined with shrouding. (added September 16, 2016).
Sample departure and arrival times have been added for medium size cities, in addition to larger cities previously included. Section had earlier been enhanced to provide greater emphasis on the larger and grander stations. Including more details on the grandness of those stations, including number of tracks, whether through or stub, and interlocking control. A grandness unfortunately no longer necessary at stations in most U. S. cities. (added July 16, 2016).
This section forms a contrast with the recently enhanced "Great Union Stations" section. Unlike in the United States, passenger rail systems in Europe and much of the rest of the world were never allowed to deteriorate. This section illustrates how these progressive national railway systems can operate on regular hourly memory patterns, with services interconnecting at numerous multi track stations. Included are maps and links for stations, track numbers at each station, and the routes or services typically departing from each track. This section covers all countries in western Europe with standard gauge railways. (added May 3, 2016).