Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration: America's Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present

Union Pacific #3

by Maury Klein

Praised by the Chicago Tribune as "thoroughly and compellingly detailed history," Volumes I and II of Maury Klein's monumental history of the Union Pacific Railroad covered the years from 1863-1969. Now the third and final volume brings the story of the Union Pacific--the oldest, largest, and most successful railroad of modern times--fully up to date.

The book follows the trajectory of an icon of the industrial age trying to negotiate its way in a post-railway world, plagued by setbacks such as labor disputes, aging infrastructure, government de-regulation, ill-fated mergers, and more. By 1969 the same company that a century earlier had triumphantly driven the golden spike into Promontory Summit--to immortalize the nation's first transcontinental railway--seemed a dinosaur destined for financial ruin. But as Klein shows, the Union Pacific not only survived but is once more thriving, which proves that railways remain critical to commerce and industry in America, even as passenger train travel has all but disappeared. Drawing on interviews with Union Pacific personnel past and present, Klein takes readers inside the great railroad--into its boardrooms and along its tracks--to show how the company adapted to the rapidly changing world of modern transportation. The book also offers fascinating portraits of the men who have run the
railroad. The challenges they faced, and the strategies they developed to meet them, give readers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of America's great companies.

A capstone on a remarkable achievement, Union The Reconfiguration will appeal to historians, business scholars, and transportation buffs alike.

Genres: History

520 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2011

About the author

Maury Klein is renowned as one of the finest historians of American business and economy. He is the author of many books, including The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America; and Rainbow's End: The Crash of 1929. He is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Rhode Island. He lives in Saunderstown, Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and for my money very engaging when it touches on railroad operations and technology. That said, Klein's narrative is rooted in the "Captains of Industry" mythology wherein a parade of leaders are discussed ad nausea ... with paragraphs devoted to the bickering of their secretaries ... but little is said of the problems caused by their lack of vision and mismanagement. Even less is said of the men and women upon whose work the railroad depends. And almost nothing is said of what _other_ major railroads were doing better or differently than the UP. Klein seems particularly reluctant to compare the UP's performance to that of its western rival, BNSF, a natural point of comparison.

But in the end this isn't a critical analysis of the UP, it's a hagiography. It proclaims the UP "America's greatest railroad" on the cover, and never challenges than presumption.

In looking for an overview of the evolution of railroads (as opposed to management) in the modern era, Klein often references Saunders' "Main Lines, Rebirth of the North American Railroads" which seems promising.

[Albert W Tu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fine book, the third and final installment of Maury Klein's massive history of the Union Pacific, shows how the railroad confronted the dramatically changing economic landscape of the past half century. I can't help but consider John Brook's recently republished 'Business Adventures' as a one book primer on business and find it lacking in comparison to Klein's work. Here we see a company struggling in an outdated regulatory environment, the struggle with unions to reduce unneeded manpower, application of technology to rationalize and optimize operations, rise and fall of the conglomerate model and the influence of capital structure, effectively managing the rate of return. consolidation within the industry, encroaching competition from without -- questions all companies face at one point or another. Most of all this is the story of the men at the leadership level of the railroad: the vice presidents, presidents, CEOs and Chairmen or as John Kenefick would say, "the MFICC"'s and Klein has obviously done some deep historical research.

Plumbing, however essential, always lacks flash and fascination. It is easy to forget that railroads are the most efficient and cheapest way to move goods within the United States, accounting for 40 percent of intercity freight volume. Readers wanting to understand the current economy and how it evolved would greatly benefit from reading this book.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with a newspaper review of this tome that it is thorough, but I disagree with the same publication that this is a compelling work. Thus book covers extremely minute details of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1969 on, so much so that I was half-expecting to read what the subjects in the book ate for lunch in the executive dining room each day. If one loves the "inside baseball" of running a railroad, this is made for you, have at it. But, if one is like this author, and enjoys reading in-depth--but not microscopic--biographies of businesses, then you will be first overwhelmed, and then disappointed, with this book.

[John]

shipment/delivery expected 7/16!!!!!