Pocatello Railroad Featured in New Book

April 11, 2012 - PRLog -- New from Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of Rail series is The Railroad at Pocatello by local author Thornton Waite. This pictorial history boasts more than 200 vintage images and provides readers with a unique opportunity to reconnect with the history that shaped their community.

Pocatello was founded as a station on the narrow-gauge Utah and Northern Railway in 1878 and it has been a railroad town ever since. Passenger and freight trains arrived and departed in all four directions of the compass, 24 hours a day. The Union Pacific also built extensive shops at Pocatello where railroad equipment was serviced, maintained and repaired.  In addition, refrigerator cars were iced from a large icehouse and railroad ties were treated with preservative at a tie plant.

The advent of the automobile, improved roads, new technologies and the introduction of the diesel-electric locomotives all combined to change the railroad industry, affecting Pocatello in many ways. Passenger trains were discontinued, the steam-locomotive-servicing facilities were closed, and shop buildings were torn down. However, the railroad in Pocatello remains a vital part of the local scene today with freight trains continuing to run through the city day and night.

Highlights of The Railroad at Pocatello include:
•   This book chronicles the growth and expansion of the railroad in Pocatello from 1878 to the present time with an emphasis on the pre-depression era.
•   Chapters cover the history of the Pocatello railroad stations, the tie plant, and the Pacific Fruit Express facilities in addition to the railroad shop facilities.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

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With more than 7,500 local history titles published to date, Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Widely recognized sepia books feature hundreds of vintage historical images.