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You will also need to consider what time period you'd like to model, because most of the railroads that exist today did not operate under their current names back in the 50's, and the multitude of smaller lines that existed before 1900 consolidated, went bankrupt, changed names, etc. I like "The Historical Guide to North American Railroads" (I think that is the title, compiled by George Drury) because it gives a good sense of what happened to the various railroads over time, and as a compendium of interesting railroads it's great source material. It won't have a lot of pictures, so you may need other references to get your interests narrowed, but once you do gain an interest in one particular road (or maybe two or three or ...) there are tons of books that can be found, specific to your interest, whatever it may be. Go to a local train show and you'll find dealers with tables full of books. <br /> <br />You might also consider subscribing to Kalmbach's various magazines, especially Trains, and start scouring them for geographic info. Old magazines are frequently sold at train shows for cheap, and you could sink a few dollars into a few years' worth of back issues.
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