Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives and History - Tapa dura

Railroad buffs, historians and casual readers alike will be delighted by the reappearance of Richard E. Prince's "Seaboard Air Line Railway". First published thirty years ago, Prince's book has been in great demand for its thorough examination of one of the South's pre-eminent railroads. It provided a pleasant ride - for all but the owners. Wedged between Henry Walters' wealthy Atlantic Coast Line and J. P. Morgan's Southern Railway System, the 'Seaboard Air Line Railway' lurched from one financial crisis to another, with the depression years of the 1930s proving particularly difficult. Boasting subsidiaries dating back to 1832 and routes 'Through the Heart of the South', the Seaboard reached the pinnacle of its prosperity during the 1940s, when war traffic kept its lines in constant demand. In 1967, the Seaboard merged with the Atlantic Coast Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line RR. Richard E. Prince's "Seaboard Air Line Railway" tells the story, in words and pictures, of 'The Progressive Railway of the South'. This classic book covers the both the Seaboard and its various predecessors and subsidiary lines. The Old Bay Line (Baltimore Steam Packet Company), Norfolk County Ferries, and the Seaboard's tugs are included in the marine section of the book. Over twenty pages of steam locomotive rosters and diagrams supplement the historical and technical written material and the several hundred photographs of steam engines, boats and trains. Included among the various companies covered are the Florida Central and Peninsular RR, Georgia and Alabama Ry, GF&A Ry, MD&S Ry, and the Gainesville Midland RR.