Railroads and the American People

by H. Roger Grant

In this social history of the impact of railroads on American life, H. Roger Grant concentrates on the railroad's "golden age," 1830-1930. To capture the essence of the nation's railroad experience, Grant explores four fundamental topics―trains and travel, train stations, railroads and community life, and the legacy of railroading in America―illustrating each topic with carefully chosen period illustrations. Grant recalls the lasting memories left by train travel, both of luxurious Pullman cars and the grit and grind of coal-powered locals. He discusses the important role railroads played for towns and cities across America, not only for the access they provided to distant places and distant markets but also for the depots that were a focus of community life. Finally, Grant reviews the lasting heritage of the railroads as it has been preserved in word, stone, paint, and memory. Railroads and the American People is a sparkling paean to American railroading by one of its finest historians.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Trains, Transport, American History

328 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2012

About the author

H. Roger Grant (1943/1944 – November 17, 2023) was an American railroad historian and author.

Reviews

[Ivo Stoyanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Книгата беше доста интересна за мен.Получих доста интересна информация за железниците в Сащ .Тяхното огромно значение през годините за развитието на градовете , икономиката на страната. Разбира се и по време на война също. Железниците винаги ще са главен фактор във всяка една държава и тяхното състояние говори за това каква е страната като цяло .

[ambyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off a pleasant enough collection of anecdotes, but the longer it went the more it dragged. There's no real structure, here; it's the equivalent of reading through Wikipedia, but with less charm. I kept trudging through for the occasional bits of interest, like the list of amusing nicknames for various rail lines in the early twentieth century or, more seriously, the discussion of agricultural demonstration trains, but there was a lot of tedium in between.

It's also worth noting that while Grant may be a distinguished railroad historian, this is not a work of serious history. There are no citations, and the decision to, say, treat Ben Reitman's fictional "autobiography" Sister of the Road as though it were an actual memoir by a real woman throws many other, less clearly sourced anecdotes in question. Grant takes the tact that the Gilded Age was not an era of excess and the "robber barons" were Good People, Actually, Who Have Been Badly Misrepresented; this is, uh, an interesting argument that I would have been interested to see argued and not merely asserted.

The pictures are varied and high-quality, but there's no shortage of railroad books with good pictures; that alone doesn't make this worth picking up.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It was possible to ride trains legally without purchasing a ticket. One did not have to be a hobo, tramp or con artist, or adventure seeker to gain free passage."

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

All you ever wanted to know about the railroads of the USA is in this book. Grant concentrates on the tiny details of railroading from the earliest trains--would not want to ride on one of them--to the latest. Although there is little about Amtrak and the Acela train. But lots about stations and the development of lines, the railroad workers, railroad towns, music, art, etc. A long read, but fun.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining story of how railroads affected the lives of Americans with regards to the trains themselves, their stations large and small, the communities through which they ran, and their legacy with regards to such topics as restaurants, time zones, language, music, humor and others. Anyone interested in American social history will find this to be an enjoyable read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to understand overview of the American railroad system in the 19th and early 20th century.

Chapters are well organized so one can locate an area of particular interest, but the entire book was an engaging read. As I listened to this as an audiobook, I was not certain if the print edition contains an index at the end of the volume.

I have taken several train trips, but would not say that trains hold any particular fascination for me. Nonetheless, I read a few chapters a day and thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Lots of details of what train travel was like- both as a means to travel beyond one’s local neighborhood and as a record of social history, with its appeals, prejudices and dangers.

[Mike Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well Written and Readable, Just Not What I was Looking For.

This is a well written and readable book. I am giving it 3 stars more because it wasn’t what I was looking for at this time. It does have an incredible about of facts and recreates the essence of what railroads were to it’s workers, customers and to the communities they served. A endless stream of stories, reminisces of railroad customers, workers, hobo riders, railroad crashes, railroad stations, station masters ect. I was looking more on the challenges of building of the railroads.

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a comprehensive look at how American railroad systems played a major role in the lives of American citizens. It tells of how cities and many towns were created by the steel rails. Anyone who wants to study the role of railroads in daily American life will enjoy this book!

[Douglas E. Mclarnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been working on reading this book

A very exhaustive book on all things railroad . Having briefly worked as a track man on the B and O I appreciated the extensive research .

[Babs M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much.

[John]

Note to author -- "There's Something About A Train That's Magic" (Amtrak slogan of early 1990's) sung by Richie Havens! (not Lou Rawls, which is misspelled in index!!)

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice contrast to the fluff fiction I have read lately. Railroads are interesting, but almost 300 pages of facts was too much and too dry for me.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but very, very dry.