The New York; Ontario and Western Railway was the first class-one railroad in the United States to be abandoned in its entirety. Whereas other rail lines were closed gradually; the federal government closed down the railroad on March 29; 1957; for its failure to pay employee withholding taxes. The railroad went into bankruptcy in 1937 after its main shipping commodity; coal; was rapidly replaced by oil for home heat. As time passed; the interest in this abandoned railroad grew; and much of the companys records have been recovered and preserved. Today; with 750 members; the Ontario and Western Railway Historical Society Archives Center houses this unique corporate record collection. In addition; there are extensive private collections of everything from locomotives; passenger cars; lanterns; and tools to company passes and railroad police memorabilia.
#2970090 in eBooks 2008-06-09 2008-06-09File Name: B0099HTTUW
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Daniel E. KriegerExcellent quality at reasonable prices with speedy delivery!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A veritable treasure of information and photographsBy Michael L. BairdI am a great admirer of the Arcadia Images of America series. and "Point Piedras Blancas" by Carole Adams and John Boqacki does not disappoint. I have worked with Carole Adams as a docent in several of her many volunteer capacities. and the Piedras Blancas lighthouse gig had to be her favorite and most passionate. and it shows in her work product here. She would coax volunteers to pull non-native ice plant on the Piedras Blancas lighthouse site for hours in return for a treasured rare tour to the top of the lighthouse and a brief history lesson. The history of Piedras Blancas has been captured in these 127 pages most magnificently. A veritable treasure of information and photographs is assembled here to preserve forever an interesting history that might have otherwise dissipated with the passage of time. Clear and logical writing is a strength of the authors in making this report unambiguous and as complete as possible. If you pick this book up and have any knowledge of or interest in this historical site. it is most likely that you will read every page from cover to cover before putting it down. Three cheers and 5-stars to a job well done. I might note that Carole Adams and her husband Phil are authors of another essential local natural history book - "Elephant Seals" (of Piedras Blancas) ISBN 978-0965877695. Comments by Mike Baird editor morro-bay d o t comElephant Seals1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Nicely done: well above average for the series. RecommendedBy Peter D. TillmanI look at a lot of the Arcadia history guides. and theyre all over the map in quality. This is one of the good ones. I wondered if the topic might be too narrow -- a single lighthouse on the central California coast -- but the authors. both active in preserving the old lighthouse. do not disappoint. The book opens with a nice. detailed map -- after the cool 1931 cover photo. and the White Rock photo frontispiece -- and runs through area history. construction photos. the glory years. the earthquakes -- the lighthouse lost its top in a major quake circa 1949 -- the automation around 1975. the biological research station. and the change to BLM administration in 2001. with big plans for restoration and better public access. Very cool stuff. nice photos. crisp text. Bravo!Incidentally. one beef with all the Arcadia books -- no index! Cmon Arcadia -- spring for a few extra bux. and a few extra pages. for a much more valuable reference book. How hard can it be? You charge enough for the things....Highly recommended for area residents and lighthouse/history buffs. And public tours are available.... see link at first comment.Happy reading--Peter D. Tillman
