Rails Around Fort Worth (I. Taylor)

Railways played a central role in the development of the American West. The railroad came to Fort Worth in 1876, and with it came the boom that transformed a city into a metropolis. From the arrival of the Texas & Pacific Railroad to the streamliners of the postwar era, Fort Worth has always seen the railroad as a vital part of its character. From transcontinental locomotives to the construction of elegant architectural landmarks and to small but convenient interurban passenger lines, railroad history is central to Fort Worth's development. This is the story of a city's love affair with technology, transportation, and industry. Through its connection to an emerging country via the railroad, the young frontier town of Fort Worth came to offer as much to the nation's development as it benefited from it.

Ian Taylor, a young local historian of the railroads, utilized several local archival collections to bring together the imagery of this story. He has studied the local history of the Dallas-Fort Worth area for many years and has been very interested in the causes for its rapid emergence. The archives of local museums, businesses, colleges, and libraries contributed many of the images found in this book.