Railroads were pivotal to our history for more than one hundred years.

They were one of the most important change agents by which our lives have
been shaped. Railroads spread immigration throughout most of North
America and essentially brought everything into town; food, heavy
machinery, the mail, grandma on a visit, dad back from a business trip, and
most things on a store shelf. Railroads became the first big business North
America has ever seen.

Unfortunately, as some historians have noted, we have yet to grasp the role
of railroads in the growth and development of our nation.

One of the strangest mysteries in our cultural history is that the golden age
of railroads have come and gone, and we have yet to grasp fully what it
meant to our civilization. Many summary histories of the American story
largely ignore railroads and railroad people, except for the often repeated,
nineteenth century tale of the first transcontinental railroad line and the
"golden spike".

And that is unfortunate because steam railroading represents more than
nostalgic history. In fact it was a human tool that radically transformed a
continent, affecting everyone to this day.

Head of the Class is my homage to these magnificent machines and their
place in our history.