Download or read book Transcontinental Train Odyssey written by Tim Fischer and published by Allen & Unwin Academic. This book was released on 2005-05-01 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This book is both highly educational and a damn good read.' - Sam Burgess, OAM, former chairman Zig Zag Railway 'A fascinating view of railways throughout the world by an Australian railway do-er.' - Mike Mohan, formerly of US Railroader, Southern Pacific Railways and now ARG, Perth Join Tim Fischer, former deputy prime minister of Australia and one of the country's best-known (and most energetic) train enthusiasts, on an entertaining and informative journey to the great railways of the world. From the early days of train travel to the heady international race to develop new railways to the inaugural journey of Australia's new Ghan, Tim explores the successes and the disasters of a mode of transport that still captures the imagination today. Here are tales from Tim's many hundreds of train trips around the world, colourful anecdotes about the characters he's met and the far-flung places he's visited, and descriptions of his twelve greatest stations in the world - as well as enough rail history and technical information to satisfy the most ardent trainspotter.
Download or read book Rocky Mountain Railroad Odyssey written by Nils Eriksen and published by Edition Svanen. This book was released on 2023-09-29 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Embark on an unforgettable adventure across the heartland of America and the breathtaking landscapes of the Canadian wilderness with Erik, a wanderer whose soul finds solace in the rhythmic cadence of train wheels. "Rocky Mountain Railroad Odyssey" weaves a tale of more than just tracks and stations-it's a story of human connection, love, and the unbreakable bond forged on the rails. Erik's passion for train travel takes him through the Midwest, the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains, and along the picturesque West Coast. Yet, amidst the stunning vistas, he grapples with a persistent loneliness that shadows his every mile. It isn't until a chance encounter with the vivacious Candice in Reno, Nevada, that his journey takes a dramatic turn. Together, Erik and Candice embark on thrilling escapades, tracing the historic route of the legendary "Olympian Hiawatha" through the rugged mountains, and find themselves ensnared in the perilous world of the casino mafia. As Erik navigates treacherous terrain, the promise of true love seems distant, leaving him to traverse the solitary roads of his heart. However, fate has other plans. In the town of Jasper, Erik's path intersects with Amelia, a radiant spirit from Edmonton. With her, the sun rises anew in his life, illuminating a path that winds along the Pacific, from the vibrant streets of Vancouver to the sun-kissed shores of San Diego. Their love story blossoms amidst the rhythmic symphony of wheels against tracks. Little do they know, a shadow looms over their idyllic world-a shadow that threatens to eclipse their newfound happiness. "Rocky Mountain Railroad Odyssey" is a captivating blend of travelogue and romance, where the grandeur of legendary trains like the California Zephyr, The Empire Builder, The Canadian, and even the Milwaukee Road become the backdrop for a love story that defies all odds. "Step aboard, and let the journey of a lifetime begin."
Download or read book Making Tracks written by Terry Pindell and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 1990 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author relates his journey across America aboard passenger trains, recalls the tales of noted figures in the history of American railroading, and highlights adventures and passengers he met along the way
Download or read book An American Cycling Odyssey 1887 written by Kevin J. Hayes and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documents the record-setting, cross-country cycling trip by George Nellis in 1887.
Download or read book Railway written by George Revill and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2013-06-01 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the nineteenth century, railways were viewed as a symbol of progress and confidence in technological modernity. In the twenty-first century, the frustrations of gridlocked traffic, record-high gas prices, and the looming fears of climate change have transformed the railway system once again into a symbol of hope that provides the possibility of an environmentally sustainable future. In Railway, George Revill examines the technology and politics of railway history, as well as related themes such as mobility, identity, design, marketing, and sustainability. In both practical and symbolic senses the cultural meanings of railways continue to play a role in how people organize and respond to modern environments, social problems, and technologies. Revill draws from art, literature, music, and film to illustrate how the railway carries meaning for all of us—creating connections and separations, detachment and involvement—from the routine commuter to the enthusiast. As Revill shows, railways inform our everyday language—from fast-track to side-track to going off the rails—and continue to fascinate us today. In this wide-ranging and well-illustrated look at railways across the globe, Revill ultimately reveals how central they are to our understanding of modern everyday life.
Download or read book Eden Altered an Odyssey in Double Time written by Edgar Erdman and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2014-02-11 with total page 643 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Book of Andrew takes a young boy named Andrew Engleman from the summer of 1938 through World War Two and the Cold War, including the hot intervals in Korea and Vietnam and the swift expansion of terrorist activity on a global scale that led to punitive incursions into the hotbeds of the Middle East by coalitions of Western powers under the leadership of the United States. It also provides the reader with a glimpse of what the world may be like a few decades hence. The author hopes to promote greater understanding of the historical significance of the Korean War, which has been labeled "The Forgotten War". It was an undeclared war for which none of the belligerent parties, excepting North Korea, was fully prepared at the start. Close to 4.5 million human beings, less than half of whom were in military service, were killed, injured or reported missing during the 37 months and two days of its duration. North Korea, South Korea and China suffered the greatest number of casualties, both military and civilian. The total for the United States alone was 136,826 combatants. The Korean War brought us perilously close to a third world war that almost certainly would have been nuclear. It was the first war in which American infantry units were fully integrated, blacks and whites serving harmoniously together. And it was the only real war to have been fought under the aegis and flag of the United Nations. It stands out as a chapter in the annals of warfare that contains many important lessons for us all. And in this book it is the constant backdrop against which the protagonist's experiences and thought processes are highlighted as they unfold before our eyes.
Download or read book The Incredible Transcontinental Railroad written by R. Conrad Stein and published by Enslow Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Civil War, the Union's victory over the Confederacy was largely due in part to the superior Northern railroads, which kept the military stocked with supplies. As a result, the United States realized the great value of a transcontinental railroad and pushed to connect the east with the west. Author R. Conrad Stein tells the stories of those who, whether motivated by money and greed or by idealism and dedication to a lofty goal, played a part in creating a railroad that would unite a country.
Download or read book Landestreu An Odyssey written by Norman J. Threinen and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2017-04-13 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The eighteenth century saw Prussia, Russia, and Austria competing for prominence in Central and Eastern Europe. Each sought to expand its territory by annexing weaker states. This led to the first partition of Poland in 1772 and subsequently to invitations from the three great powers to land-hungry farmers in German territories to move to their recently-acquired territories. Norman Threinen relates the story of one of his ancestors, Magnus Nerbass, who answered Austria's call for colonists for its new province of Galicia. His life and that of his descendants over the following hundred years in the village of Landestreu is the focus of the first part of the book. When Landestreu could not accommodate the succeeding generation, colonists looked to nearby Bukovina for new opportunities. Soon a cluster of colonies arose which centred in Katharinendorf. Also attracted were colonists from central Bukovina, including another of Threinen's ancestors, Philipp Brandt. As news of cheap land in Western Canada reached this cluster of colonies, Brandt and his five daughters and their spouses lead the movement to a new Landestreu in Eastern Saskatchewan, constituted not by a village but a church community.
Download or read book The Last Rail written by Darice Bailer and published by . This book was released on 1996-09 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Railroad Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Lucy tries to take a photograph of her friends only to find she has become Andrew Russell, preparing to take the famous 1869 photograph of the driving of the golden spike into the last rail of the first Transcontinental Railroad. As she works, she listens to amazing accounts of this engineering feat that linked by rail the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Download or read book TOM SWIFT ODYSSEY II written by Daniel Warvelle Harbaugh and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2014-08-23 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reprints three books of Tom Swift books in one volume: Tom Swift and his War Tank; Tom Swift and his Air Scout; Tom Swift and his Electric Locomotive.
Download or read book The Odyssey of a Woman Field Scientist written by JEAN H. LANGENHEIM and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2010-02-22 with total page 541 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here, Jean Langenheim presents her odyssey as a woman field scientist, who crossed boundaries of botany, geology, and chemistry in doing ecological studies. The book includes almost two hundred photographs and maps and uses a unique timeline as context for her story in relation to relevant historical events, significant changes in the status of women, and milestones in ecology from the 1920s to the present. Her research spans five continents and ranges from arctic-alpine to tropical environments. It includes many adventures (such as a forced plane landing in Amazonia and working in the midst of a coup dtat in Colombia) and interactions with diverse cultures, from Alaska Eskimo to Ghanain family life. She tells the story of a rich life of learning and discovery, through difficult and good times, which she has shared with her husband and later with her students, colleagues, and many friends many around the world. INITIAL REVIEW STATEMENTS Anyone who reads this rich and wonderfully interesting memoir will be inspired by what Jean Langenheim has accomplished scientifically and personally during her long and distinguished career at the interface of multiple scientific fields. This is more than a personal memoir by a leading scientist. It is a deeply insightful reflection on how major scientific disciplines have developed over the past half century and how the culture of scientific research itself has changed. John Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Santa Cruz (quoted in UCSC press release http://press.ucsc.edu/text.asp?pid=3771 ) The title of this good read is truly apropos---it is an odyssey of the mind as well as life of a self-confessed adventurous woman, someone always open to the next chapter in an ever-changing life, lived during a period of significant social and technological changes. Theres a solid dose of real scientific research and discovery, tempered by the authors vivid descriptions of her travels, of the wonders of the natural world, and of the cultures she encounters in some amazing places she finds herself. Provocatively, you may recognize and view elements of your own life in ways you never thought about before. Susan Martin, retired researcher US Department of Agriculture, Colorado State University. I liked very much your life metaphor about weaving threads in your life tapestry. It was delightful to read how those threads were constructed and woven. Your life has been very rich, impacting and inspiring many people with your thoughts and action. Francisco Espinosa-Garcia, Professor, National University of Mexico Center for Ecosystem Research, Morelia, Mexico.
Download or read book A United Nations Family Odyssey written by Roy D. Morey and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2023-02-05 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seventeen of the twenty-two years the author served with the United Nations Development Programme were spent with his wife, Delores, on assignments in Thailand, Samoa, China and Vietnam. The main focus of the book is a collection of vignettes describing experiences of living in these four countries. Some stories are humorous and are to be read just for fun (e.g., living conditions on a small isolated island). Other stories are serious and somber (e.g., retracing major battle sites of the Vietnam War). Some are pure adventure (e.g., the midnight visit to the leatherback turtle beach). Fascinating travel adventures in Malaysia and Burma (Myanmar) are also included. The first two chapters describe the author’s introduction to values, politics and social justice issues. In addition, the author describes his experiences as a congressional staffer and college professor.
Download or read book Blood Iron and Gold written by Christian Wolmar and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The opening of the world's first railroad in Britain and America in 1830 marked the dawn of a new age. Within the course of a decade, tracks were being laid as far afield as Australia and Cuba, and by the outbreak of World War I, the United States alone boasted over a quarter of a million miles. With unrelenting determination, architectural innovation, and under gruesome labor conditions, a global railroad network was built that forever changed the way people lived. From Panama to Punjab, from Tasmania to Turin, Christian Wolmar shows how cultures were enriched, and destroyed, by one of the greatest global transport revolutions of our time, and celebrates the visionaries and laborers responsible for its creation.
Download or read book Steam Australia written by Tim Fischer and published by National Library of Australia. This book was released on 2018-11-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 'Steam Australia', Tim Fischer takes readers into the fascinating story of steam transportation over ten vital decades of transformation in Australia's history. The book also covers the great named express trains hauled by steam locomotives over the decades, such as 'Puffing Billy', Robert Gordon Menzies or 'The Ghan'. Special topics feature things such as Albury's 'break of gauge' platform (where two state track systems met), the Amiens branch line (running through Pozieres and Passchendaele stations in Queensland), some important characters such as C.Y. O'Connor and many more. The book is illustrated with over 300 exciting images from the superb National Library John Buckland collection of photography, many never seen before. Steam locomotives continue to operate as a key part of rail heritage tourism in Australia, demonstrating the ongoing legacy of these engines. The great age of steam in Australia and Fischer's salute to steam locomotion and all that it has achieved for this country is fascinating and captivating to both train novices and enthusiasts alike.
Download or read book Ghosts of Gold Mountain written by Gordon H. Chang and published by Mariner Books. This book was released on 2019 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Guangdong -- Gold Mountain -- Central Pacific -- Foothills -- The High Sierra -- The Summit -- The Strike -- Truckee -- The Golden Spike -- Beyond Promontory.
Download or read book Space Odyssey written by Michael Benson and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, and of director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke—“a tremendous explication of a tremendous film….Breathtaking” (The Washington Post). Fifty years ago a strikingly original film had its premiere. Still acclaimed as one of the most remarkable and important motion pictures ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted the first contacts between humanity and extraterrestrial intelligence. The movie was the product of a singular collaboration between Stanley Kubrick and science fiction visionary Arthur C. Clarke. Fresh off the success of his cold war satire Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick wanted to make the first truly first-rate science fiction film. Drawing from Clarke’s ideas and with one of the author’s short stories as the initial inspiration, their bold vision benefited from pioneering special effects that still look extraordinary today, even in an age of computer-generated images. In Space Odyssey, author, artist, and award-winning filmmaker Michael Benson “delivers expert inside stuff” (San Francisco Chronicle) from his extensive research of Kubrick’s and Clarke’s archives. He has had the cooperation of Kubrick’s widow, Christiane, and interviewed most of the key people still alive who worked on the film. Drawing also from other previously unpublished interviews, Space Odyssey provides a 360-degree view of the film from its genesis to its legacy, including many previously untold stories. And it features dozens of photos from the making of the film, most never previously published. “At last! The dense, intense, detailed, and authoritative saga of the making of the greatest motion picture I’ve ever seen…Michael Benson has done the Cosmos a great service” (Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks).
Download or read book An Obama s Journey written by Mark Obama Ndesandjo and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-09-29 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this revealing and beautifully written memoir, Mark Obama Ndesandjo, recounts his complex relationship with his older half-brother, President Barack Obama, including their first meeting in Kenya over twenty years ago. The book also offers the author's inspiring personal story about identity and multiculturalism. Rare family photos add to the book's personal nature as does the intense recounting of domestic violence in the home of Barack Obama Sr.’s and his third wife, Ruth Baker, Mark’s Jewish-American mother. The book also attempts to set the records straight on several points of the president’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father. In its connection to President Obama, Mark's story takes on an even greater significance because it becomes all the more directly, a story of American identity and a window into the complex figure of the father they share, Barack Obama Sr., their roots in Kenya, their multicultural identities, and their relationships with America.
