The 1970 merger of Northern Pacific; Great Northern; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle created a new super railroad spanning the northern and central United States over a 25,000-mile network. For twenty-five years, BN was one of United States' premier railroads. In its first decade BN had its hands full, paring down duplicate lines and forming a cohesive system from all the predecessor railroads, as well as investing in the explosive growth of Powder River Basin coal shipments. By the early 1980s though, BN had clearly become its own railroad, decked out in uniform Cascade green and black paint. The BN of the 1990s experienced continued growth in intermodal, grain and coal traffic, along with adding more hues to the company colours. With wonderful original photographs, Mike Danneman takes a look at the last dozen years of the Burlington Northern before the merger with Santa Fe to form BNSF in 1995.

The Midwestern state of Illinois, known as the Prairie State, is not known for its varied topography, but this mostly flat land was indeed very conducive to the construction of railroads. It is located at a place where east meets west as railroads interchange huge amounts of traffic at Chicago, the railroad capital of the nation. Because it hosts smaller industrial cities and huge agricultural areas in the northern and central parts of the state, combined with coal, petroleum and other natural resources in the south, it's no surprise that today the 'Land of Lincoln' is criss-crossed by 7,151 miles of rail lines. Illinois is also at the centre of the nation's rail network, and an incredible variety of railroad companies can be seen traversing the state. Through a collection of incredible colour photos, Mike Danneman takes the reader on a tour of the railroads of Illinois - from Chicago to Chester, and from the tunnel at East Dubuque to the high bridge at Metropolis.

Electro-Motive Division of General Motors was North America’s leading locomotives builder from 1945 to 1983. After the early years of custom-built locomotives and trains, EMD took to the rails in a big way when it built its first freight locomotives in 1939. The FT locomotive put the future of steam locomotion on notice, and the classic bulldog nose styling became an icon of locomotive design. In 1949, the GP (for general purpose) was born of functionalism, with the Geeps morphing into a whole line of purely utilitarian freight locomotives that became staples on nearly every railroad in North America. Railroading’s desire for more horsepower introduced further refined series of locomotives with four-and-six-axle (and traction motor) versions available. Over the years, EMD locomotives have worn just about every colour of the spectrum. Within these pages is a vivid survey of thirty-five years of Mike Danneman photographs illustrating the EMD locomotive.

The mountains of Alberta and British Columbia in western Canada have always challenged the resolve of the railways that worked their way west, opening up the country. It was a new frontier that soon tested man and locomotive as trains crossed through a rugged and unforgiving territory. Even today, the task continues as incredible amounts of tonnage are hauled over arduous mountain passes and through spectacular river canyons, powered by modern diesel locomotives. With a stunning collection of previously unpublished photographs, Mike Danneman showcases these marvellous machines amid the splendour of some of the best mountain scenery in the world.

As days get shorter and seasons change, winter arrives with snow and ice. No matter how brief the day or severe the weather, railroads continue to haul tonnage and passengers through landscapes cloaked in snowy white. Scenery takes on an added dimension when mercury plunges to uncomfortable temperatures. A crisp winter setting with a train running through it, beautifully lit with low winter sunlight, is just as captivating as a scene of heavily falling snow muffling sights and sounds of a massive train following a white pathway of hidden rails. Even when travel gets tough and the snow gets deep-and it hurts to breathe and your face and hands sting-hardy men and mighty machines keep the tracks clear. Snow season isn't for everyone, but this stunning collection of original photographs will delight any railway fan whether they be warm at home or braving the elements.

Windswept vistas. Scorched canyons. Glorious scenes of snow and ice. This book shows the North American landscape in all its breathtaking glory, cleaved by the continent's powerful locomotives and captured in a series of stunning original photographs by leading railway artist Mike Danneman. Evoking the romance, drama and beauty of the railways, this wonderful collection of images presents the full breadth of jaw-dropping backdrops offered by this vast expanse of land. The contrast between raw motive power and bucolic peace creates scenes that will delight anybody who wants to enjoy the full majesty of North America from their own home.

Long before Wyoming was officially part of the union, the Wyoming Territory played a crucial role in westward expansion of the United States as the first transcontinental railroad was built into the area by Union Pacific in 1862, bound for a meeting with Central Pacific in Utah in 1869. Modernised, this 'Overland Route' today bustles with traffic, as trains thunder across the state on main lines destined for California and Pacific Northwest. More recently, Wyoming's expansive Powder River Basin has provided gargantuan amounts of coal tonnage for both UP/Chicago & North Western and Burlington Northern/BNSF. Even though it appears that this prodigious coal traffic has peaked, there is still plenty of trains to be seen moving out of the basin. Additionally, BNSF has a secondary main line that traverses through some extraordinary scenery as it heads north and west toward connections in Montana. All in all, railroads crossing the wonderful Rocky Mountains and High Plains of the 'Cowboy State' are certainly a beholder's delight.

In his 1914 ode to Chicago, Carl Sandburg referred to the city as the ‘Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation’. What was true over a century ago is still true today—Chicago is the heart of America’s railroads. A dizzying array of rail lines radiate out of Chicago serving as vital gateways for goods from the Midwest to the rest of the nation and the world. An amazing variety of railroads also interchange huge amounts of tonnage at many yards surrounding the city. Amtrak uses Chicago as its national hub, and Metra commuter trains convey over a quarter million people from home to work-and back on weekdays. On average, over 500 freight trains and 700 passenger trains travel through Chicago every day. This colourful tour, lavishly illustrated with Mike Danneman’s stunning photographs of Chicagoland, offers highlights of the exciting Midwestern city.

At one time, it seemed as though every canyon and pass leading into Colorado's high country was a path laid with 3-foot gauge narrow gauge railroad. Dreams of tapping the riches of mining discoveries in mountain locations made this almost true. But mining can be a fleeting adventure, and as the state matured, so too did the railroads that crisscrossed it. Many railways succumbed to disappearing tonnage, becoming trackless trails among the mountainsides. But on many routes, the railroads of Colorado have flourished and provide necessary transportation avenues for a modern economy. In addition, tucked away in several corners of the state are remnants of Colorado's narrow gauge past, still steam-powered and now lively to the tune of tourist dollars. Popular state slogan 'Colorful Colorado' describes this incredible place well, and is assuredly most appropriate while viewing the wonders of railroading in the spectacular Rocky Mountains of the West.

Wisconsin, known affectionately as America's Dairyland, is in the upper Midwest, bordered by Lake Michigan on the east and the Mississippi River to the west. By nature of its geography, Wisconsin has a variety of secondary and branch lines serving an interior of forests and farms, as well as main lines connecting cities like Milwaukee and Minneapolis/St Paul. Trains traverse 3,253 miles of rail lines in Wisconsin hauling everything from agricultural products, ore, and coal to finished goods in containers. Probably best known as the home of the Milwaukee Road, the state's railroads have continued to go though some amazing transformations over the last few decades. Colourful railroads like Milwaukee Road, Soo Line and Chicago & North Western have transformed into today's Canadian Pacific, Canadian National and Union Pacific, with some dazzling spinoff railroads along the way. Wisconsin may be well known because of its cheese, beer and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but with a stunning selection of photographs Mike Danneman ensures the reader doesn't forget about its fascinating railroads.