Merging Lines: American Railoads, 1900-1970

by Richard Saunders Jr. and Richard Saunders

Book Overview

Why did American railroads decline from the glory days of the early twentieth century? Why did so many railroad mergers in the 1950s and 1960s, intended as a panacea for the ills of an outdated system, go sour and, in fact, make a bad situation worse? Saunders addresses these and many other issues in this authoritative history of US railroads and their corporate mergers.

Beginning with a wide-ranging analysis of the role of railroads...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875807356
• ISBN13: 9780875807355
• Release Date: February 2016
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
• Length: 505 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book

This is an excellent book covering a large portion of railroad history in the US. The author Saunders does an excellent job of avoiding being turgid while offering the reader loads of in depth research. He touches on all the complex issues facing railroads of the time in an unbiased manner.

Outstanding

This book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in how the rail industry weathered the regulatory and managerial storm of the mid 20th century. Author Saunders brings together both the 'rail' side of the picture and the financial and more human side of the players involved. The writing is such that it is literally a page turner. I have read it cover to cover many times, and I enjoy the tale each go. I would say a few of the maps need improved editing, but this is a minor aside. There is no work that comes close to matching the scope and value this book provides. To those who love the rail industry but did not live through this particular time, read this book, and you will have a crystal clear picture of the times.

Mid-Century Consolidation of American Railroads

This is an academic history of the evolution of the main corporate identities in the American railroad industry in the last century. It gives good coverage of the consolidation proposals in the wake of WW1 federal administration and of the moves to consolidation in the post WW2 years. It is an essential reference for the serious rail historian rather than the average railbuff. It would have benefited from a little more editorial care, especially for the maps.

An excellent railroad history

I liked this book so much I have read it twice. It is highly readable and very informative. I would recommend it to all train buffs as well as those interested in American history. The author does an excellent job of explaining the trends and events in American railroading for the time period stated and does it in a way which made it hard to put the book down. The author is soon coming out with a sequel and I will buy it as soon as it is available.

Excellent if dry in parts

Saunders revises and expands his earlier work on the origins of Conrail. As such it is an interesting and useful overview of the problems of American railroading. He is, in my view, properly hard on management and government's failures. I think his treatment of labor is evenhanded, avoiding the cliches that are rife in railroad studies. A rewarding book for the railroad enthusist looking for something beyond picture books. Holds up well with the work of Middleton (which is high praise).