When people think of trains, many conjure up visions of Amtrak, with dining cars and sleeper cars. Some think of the song "The Train They Call the City of New Orleans". Plenty remember counting railcars as children, and some probably still do that as the cars clickety-clack past a railroad crossing with its flashing red lights, all along pondering what might be in those massive teetering railcars as they snake slowly through the city or across the wide-open prairie on slivers of steel. But Amtrak did not exist until May 1, 1971, when Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, establishing the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Railroads were not created for the purpose of moving people. Railroads were created more than a century ago for transporting goods. Today, there are 48 separate railroads operating throughout just the state of Illinois. Initially, railroads were built a few miles at a time, connecting with waterways and primarily for the transportation of coal. It took decades for these railroads to interconnect. For decades, railroads have been disappearing from the American landscape. The trains that do exist are faster, fewer and a whole new breed. Trains are unlikely to disappear across Illinois, even though mile after mile of railroad track continues to be converted to hiking trails. The reason? Coal. The Illinois Railroads: The History and Construction of the Rails that Connect the Heart of the Midwest looks at the building of the state's rail system and its importance.