James Porterfield

James Porterfield

James D. Porterfield is Director of the Center for Railway Tourism at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va., and a contributing editor of Railfan & Railroad magazine.

Related Posts

History Happened Here: How the Switchback Railroad Inspired the Invention of the Roller Coaster

September 12, 2014

The Switchback Gravity Railroad, built in 1827, was only the second railroad built in America. It ran nine miles, hauling coal from Summit Hill down to the town of Mauch Chunk and the Lehigh Canal in east central Pennsylvania. As the name implies, it relied on gravity, with mules hauling the empty cars back up the […]

Photo © Switchback Gravity Railroad Foundation, Inc.