ABSTRACT
Although railroads remain a dominant presence on the industrial landscape, they have undergone substantial evolution in recent years. Semaphore signals are gone, wooden railroad ties have vanished in many places. Myriad buildings and structures have been demolished as railroad lines become increasingly automated and switching is done from central control locations on many lines. The older features of the railroad landscape may still be found both adjacent to abandoned lines and on lines outside of the principal rail corridors. This chapter contains a guide to some of the buildings, structures, and objects that may be encountered in studies of rail corridors.
