Reproduction of the original: Shadows of Shasta by Joaquin Miller

California's northeastern corner is dominated by the 14,162-foot-tall presence of Mount Shasta. On the southeastern flank of the great mountain lies the picturesque town of McCloud. The McCloud River Railroad established its operational headquarters in the town in 1897. The next seven decades saw the railroad and the affiliated McCloud River Lumber Company carve hundreds of miles of railroad into the pine forests and lava beds east of McCloud, eventually reaching as far as Lookout to the east and the Burney Basin to the south. The McCloud River Railroad eked out a living hauling lumber, diatomaceous earth, and occasional tourists until 1992, when the new McCloud Railway Company purchased the property. In 1996, the new owners launched the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train to supplement the declining freight business. Economic conditions forced the railroad to abandon the entire railway east of McCloud in 2006, but the dinner train has kept rolling, keeping the rails west of McCloud shiny.

This richly illustrated encyclopedia of classic and contemporary railroads features histories of 101 U.S. and Canadian railroads past and present. It is the go-to resource for railfans of all stripes.

Don Hofsommer chronicles the twentieth-century history of a transportation giant. Here is a story of divestiture and merger, Sunset Route, and Prosperity Special. " . . . a treasure house of information about the Southern Pacific Company . . . . This book is a joy to read."--Richard C. Overton, from the Foreword