Leaders Count: The Story of the BNSF Railway

by Lawrence H. Kaufman

Mergers have affected railroads in ways few other industries have experienced, and in the last 50 years they have steered the business direction of American railroads. Leaders Count brings readers the dramatic story of how the Aurora Branch Railroad, which spanned from Aurora, Illinois, to Chicago, grew and developed into the modern-day BNSF Railway.

The story begins with the many ways railroads shaped and settled the country and tells how the founders’ commitment to their dreams ensured the railroad’s success. The profiles of tenacious leaders like James J. Hill, known as The Empire Builder, and Matthew Rose, current CEO of BNSF, will inspire readers. This is a case history of the business strategies that have taken this company from its humble beginnings to the industry giant that it is today. More than 75 photos from the company’s extensive archives accompany the story of BNSF’s evolution.

As one of the largest and most successful of U.S. railroads, BNSF Railway is a vibrant example of today’s freight railroad industry. While the book provides a brief history of railroads in general, including the five principal companies making up the present day BNSF, its focus is on the critical decisions and strategies implemented by its leaders, choices that ensured the railroad’s survival.

376 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rick Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content of the book does not match the title. The author gives a detailed account of the railroads that ultimately became the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and it includes tonnage moved, profit and loss, labor problems, government regulation/deregulation, track miles, etc. He does describe key players in the history of the BNSF and there are some areas where he addresses their character (good and bad). However, I was left disappointed because I was hoping that the end of the book would draw a conclusion and state why leaders count and why they had both a positive and negative impact on the BNSF, but that was not the case. It would be a good book to use as a case study for business students interested in the things I mentioned above, but as far as a leadership book, it misses the mark.

[Josh Baakko · Rating 5 out of 5]

High review because the author goes into great detail about how the BNSF came to be. So much so that a fan like myself learned more about the failed SPSF merger, more about the attempt by Union Pacific to buy ATSF, and the steps that lead to the BNSF merger.