The New York Central System

A quick, 128 page soft-cover history of our namesake railroad. Using more than 200 B&W images, author and historian Michael Leavy takes readers on an exciting journey beginning in the 1850s to the railroad's undignified end in the 1970s. The New York Central System grew from an amalgamation of smaller lines stretching from Albany to Buffalo in the 1830s. Twenty years later, the lines were gathered into a single company. Its phenomenal success did not go unnoticed by Cornelius "the Commodore" Vanderbilt. In his late sixties, when most men retire, he methodically started acquiring railroads in the New York City and Hudson River region. He then acquired the New York Central and merged it with his Hudson River Railroad. The Commodore and his son William, the foremost rail barons of their age, forged one of the most dynamic endeavors in the world-a railroad empire that traversed 11 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Be aware that the accuracy of some of Arcadia’s home-spun histories is sometimes questionable. Hence, your NYCSHS directors would be interested in reviews by knowledgeable members. Published by Arcadia Publishing, this softcover retails for $22, with NYCSHS members paying only $17.60. Shipping is extra and Ohio residents must add 8% Ohio sales tax.