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American Railroads
Few scenes capture the American experience so eloquently as that of a lonely train chugging across the vastness of the Great Plains, or snaking through tortuous high mountain passes. Although this vision was eclipsed for a time by the rise of air travel and trucking, railroads have enjoyed a rebirth in recent years as profitable freight carriers.
A fascinating account of the rise, decline, and rebirth of railroads in the United States, John F. Stover's American Railroads traces their history from the first lines that helped eastern seaports capture western markets to today's newly revitalized industry. Stover describes the growth of the railroads' monopoly, with the consequent need for state and federal regulations; relates the vital part played by the railroads during the Civil War and the two World Wars; and charts the railroads' decline due to the advent of air travel and trucking during the 1950s.
In two new chapters, Stover recounts the remarkable recovery of the railroads, along with other pivotal events of the industry's recent history. During the 1960s declining passenger traffic and excessive federal regulation led to the federally-financed creation of Amtrak to revive passenger service and Conrail to provide freight service on bankrupt northeastern railroads. The real savior for the railroads, though, proved to be the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, which brought prosperity to rail freight carriers by substantially deregulating the industry. By 1995, renewed railroad freight traffic had reached nearly twice its former peak in 1944.
Bringing both a seasoned eye and new insights to bear on one of the most American of industries, Stover has produced the definitive history of railroads in the United States.
A fascinating account of the rise, decline, and rebirth of railroads in the United States, John F. Stover's American Railroads traces their history from the first lines that helped eastern seaports capture western markets to today's newly revitalized industry. Stover describes the growth of the railroads' monopoly, with the consequent need for state and federal regulations; relates the vital part played by the railroads during the Civil War and the two World Wars; and charts the railroads' decline due to the advent of air travel and trucking during the 1950s.
In two new chapters, Stover recounts the remarkable recovery of the railroads, along with other pivotal events of the industry's recent history. During the 1960s declining passenger traffic and excessive federal regulation led to the federally-financed creation of Amtrak to revive passenger service and Conrail to provide freight service on bankrupt northeastern railroads. The real savior for the railroads, though, proved to be the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, which brought prosperity to rail freight carriers by substantially deregulating the industry. By 1995, renewed railroad freight traffic had reached nearly twice its former peak in 1944.
Bringing both a seasoned eye and new insights to bear on one of the most American of industries, Stover has produced the definitive history of railroads in the United States.
324 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 19, 2018
“Every year from 1932 through 1943 saw at least 1200 miles of line abandoned, and n 1935 the total was over 2000 miles.”
December 27, 2012
A superb book with which to begin a study of railroads and their history in the United States. Stover does not weigh his text down with excessive jargon while weaving a smooth narrative. The "Suggested Reading" section adds value to the book.
April 19, 2019
American Railroads (Second Edition) by John F. Stover is one of the best books you've read (if you like trains of course) for these ten reasons.
1. It's about trains.
2. This is John's second book about american railroads.
3. I would recommend this book to train enthusiasts.
1. It's about trains.
2. This is John's second book about american railroads.
3. I would recommend this book to train enthusiasts.
May 28, 2018
Only took five years. Very very dry.
May 31, 2012
John Stover's book on American Railroads is certainly a comprehensive history of the subject, and it goes into great detail. It is a great reference book for those who want to learn about how the railroads got started, how they merged and split up over the years, and how they ended up in the current state (a few large freight companies, and Amtrak with a virtual monopoly over passenger traffic). As a source of information this book is quite good.
However, Stover's writing style can only be described as laborious. He obsesses over how many miles of rail are added by states, cities, companies, and the entire country, and also over the total value of the railroads. Although these are important, when whole pages are devoted to listing the total number of mainline miles of one state after another, or one class I railroad after another, the eyes begin to glaze over. In too many places, Stover favors digging into minutiae over covering the broader, sweeping themes of the American Railroad story. The end result is a book that reads more like a transliteration of tabular data, than an actual biography of the railroads.
Finally, I read the e-Book version, and although the text is fine, the captions on the photographs and the tabular information was basically illegible. In this regard, it's almost a good thing that Stover writes out all the tabular data in paragraph form, because I couldn't read the tables. But as a book, it would have been better if he had just referred to the tables to present the numerical data, and had written his paragraphs about ideas, instead of about numbers.
However, Stover's writing style can only be described as laborious. He obsesses over how many miles of rail are added by states, cities, companies, and the entire country, and also over the total value of the railroads. Although these are important, when whole pages are devoted to listing the total number of mainline miles of one state after another, or one class I railroad after another, the eyes begin to glaze over. In too many places, Stover favors digging into minutiae over covering the broader, sweeping themes of the American Railroad story. The end result is a book that reads more like a transliteration of tabular data, than an actual biography of the railroads.
Finally, I read the e-Book version, and although the text is fine, the captions on the photographs and the tabular information was basically illegible. In this regard, it's almost a good thing that Stover writes out all the tabular data in paragraph form, because I couldn't read the tables. But as a book, it would have been better if he had just referred to the tables to present the numerical data, and had written his paragraphs about ideas, instead of about numbers.
January 30, 2008
Very good book about the rise and decline of the Railroads. Stover did a fair job of presenting both sides of the issue. At times he gets bogged down in a lot of stats about railroad tonnage and miles of freight carried etc.
I read the older version published in the 1960's. Would like to find this updated version with the additional two chapters.
I read the older version published in the 1960's. Would like to find this updated version with the additional two chapters.
January 20, 2014
Stover's volume,part of the Chicago History of American Civilization, is a classic overview of the development of railroads in the United States. The first edition was published in the 1960s, the second edition in 1997. Stover added two chapters to the second edition to carry the story through 1995 and the abolition of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
June 17, 2012
Good general introduction to the history and characteristics of the railroad business and culture in America. Easy to read and follow for those with a budding interest in this topic, and a launching pad to further reading.
December 11, 2014
Good history of the Railroads in America and their history. I was privileged to teach a class on the subject at this time at my Community College, where I work as a librarian.
September 19, 2013
A good primer for a overview of the history of US Railroads through the 1980s. Covers a lot of information in detail in a small package.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews