USA by Rail Travel Guide - Travel information and holiday tips on everything from US and Canadian routes and timetables to rail transport history and important stops. Also covering accommodation suggestions, practical advice and activities, steam trains, national parks such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, Bryce and the Grand Canyon and coastal routes. This ninth edition of Bradt's USA by Rail guidebook has been fully revised and expanded to take account of changes to Amtrak routes and services, plus the latest Amtrak and VIA Rail pass details, and features over 500 destinations, including Disney World, the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. With 25 long-distance train journeys across the United States and a further 12 in Canada, plus sightseeing highlights for 38 major cities, accommodation options from cheap to chic and everything you need to find your way around unfamiliar train stations, this book has all the practical information required to make the most of a rail pass. There are maps, route plans and photographs, up-to-date security and immigration information, plus vital tips for sightseeing, local transport and accommodation, as well as chapters on VIA Rail, the Rocky Mountaineer and other trains in Canada. The book also includes a history of North American railroads, current steam train operators, tourist railways and museums, as well as sound advice for the visitor from overseas. Hundreds of Internet contacts make it easy to plan and make reservations for any trip you desire.The grandeur of America's scenery – from its never-ending prairies, the Joshua trees of the Mojave Desert and the saw-toothed peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the pounding surf of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans – is one of the continent's greatest attractions and there is no better way to enjoy it than by train. Written by an expert author who has travelled around 80,000 miles by train in North America in the last 25 years, Bradt's USA by Rail is the essential companion for a successful trip. AUTHOR: John Pitt has written about travel and railway journeys for Thomas Cook as well as such newspapers and magazines as The Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Sunday Times and Wanderlust. He has travelled extensively in the United States and Canada, clocking up over 80,000 miles by train, and greatly enjoyed exploring the history and culture of both countries. He is the author of the previous eight editions of USA by Rail and finds that meeting people in the friendly, relaxed atmosphere on board trains gives many interesting and often surprising insights into life in the US and Canada.