American Journey by Rail

Everything to please an armchair traveler is here: sure-fire topic, plenty of photographs and a tightly written text which is more than just a link between photos. Railroads have always fascinated Americans, and this journey with Witney ( Railway Country ) and Jacobson, editor of Chicago Times magazine, should satisfy all but the most technically oriented railroad buff. From Niagara Falls to San Antonio and from Cape Cod to San Francisco, the reader is treated to scenery, history, railroad trivia and a good deal of nostalgia for the trains and routes that existed in the heyday of American rail travel. Tribute is paid to the grand old terminals that now mainly provide commuter service or are being converted to other uses. As to the present state of the industry under the nationalized railroad, Jacobson gives Amtrak passing marks for operating a reasonably efficient passenger system, but adds a note of regret at the passing of amenities such as real china in dining cars and the spaciousness of the hand-built Pullmans. An eminently browsable and attractive book. (Nov.)