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Merging Lines : American Railroads, 1900-1970
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 Why did so many railroad mergers in the 1950s and 1960s, intended as a panacea for the ills of an outdated system, go sour and, in fact, make a bad situation worse?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 U.S. railroads and their corporate mergers.
Beginning with a wide-ranging analysis of the role of railroads in the economic and social fabric of American life, Saunders traces the causes and results of the twentieth century's "merger mania." Mergers, he explains, were expected to save money, to improve service to customers, and to help railroads compete against other modes of transportation, such as the growing airline and trucking industries. Saunders then gives colorful, richly detailed accounts of the mergers and shows the reasons—including corporate greed and the inept blundering of government regulatory agencies—the outcomes fell far short of expectations.
Merging Lines explores the impact of shifting political control of railroads as no history has done before. The fates of both workers and railroad companies were dictated by the rise and fall of business and governmental leaders, including Bill Brosnan, Robert R. Young, Alfred Perlman, President John F. Kennedy, and President Lyndon B. Johnson. As power struggles erupted, the original goals of the mergers were thwarted by consumer frustration, violent labor strikes, and organizational collapse. Saunders explores these and other crucial developments in this extensive work, carefully designed for railroad historians and enthusiasts at any level.
Encyclopedic in its scope, Merging Lines includes sixty-eight maps, a list of court cases involving railroad mergers, and a wealth of information on American railroads from coast to coast. An extensively revised, updated, and supplemented edition of Saunders's earlier classic, The Railroad Mergers and the Coming of Conrail (1978), it is essential reading for all who are interested in railroad and transportation history.
Beginning with a wide-ranging analysis of the role of railroads in the economic and social fabric of American life, Saunders traces the causes and results of the twentieth century's "merger mania." Mergers, he explains, were expected to save money, to improve service to customers, and to help railroads compete against other modes of transportation, such as the growing airline and trucking industries. Saunders then gives colorful, richly detailed accounts of the mergers and shows the reasons—including corporate greed and the inept blundering of government regulatory agencies—the outcomes fell far short of expectations.
Merging Lines explores the impact of shifting political control of railroads as no history has done before. The fates of both workers and railroad companies were dictated by the rise and fall of business and governmental leaders, including Bill Brosnan, Robert R. Young, Alfred Perlman, President John F. Kennedy, and President Lyndon B. Johnson. As power struggles erupted, the original goals of the mergers were thwarted by consumer frustration, violent labor strikes, and organizational collapse. Saunders explores these and other crucial developments in this extensive work, carefully designed for railroad historians and enthusiasts at any level.
Encyclopedic in its scope, Merging Lines includes sixty-eight maps, a list of court cases involving railroad mergers, and a wealth of information on American railroads from coast to coast. An extensively revised, updated, and supplemented edition of Saunders's earlier classic, The Railroad Mergers and the Coming of Conrail (1978), it is essential reading for all who are interested in railroad and transportation history.
- GenresTrains
505 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2019
At the beginning of the 20th Century, any land travel from home not possible by foot or horse involved some kind of train on some kind of steel rails. By the late 1920's, the ubiquitous family auto had already cut deeply into passenger-train travel, and trucks were beginning to siphon off the railroads' freight business, too. Except for the rationing of gasoline during World War II, the number of miles traveled by Americans on passenger trains continued a sharp decline. The Interstate Highway System made travel by car much faster, and brought about a boom in expedited truck shipping as well. Domestic flying, once a luxury, began siphoning off more and more first-class passengers in the Forties and Fifties, and by the Sixties the rise of regional jets all but put an end to long-distance passenger trains.
By the time this volume ends in 1970, forecasts for American freight and passenger railroading were grim indeed. Read MERGING LINES to find out how a once-great industry was so decimated; but also be prepared to read its sequel, MAIN LINES, which shows how deregulation and a renewed focus on marketing pulled U.S railroading out of its so-called terminal slump. Both are great books to read, and both work best together. And if you've ever wondered how so many dozens of "Class A" railroads got whittled down to 25 or so primary systems (and by now, to a mere handful of merged "supersystems"), this book is for you!
***
By the time this volume ends in 1970, forecasts for American freight and passenger railroading were grim indeed. Read MERGING LINES to find out how a once-great industry was so decimated; but also be prepared to read its sequel, MAIN LINES, which shows how deregulation and a renewed focus on marketing pulled U.S railroading out of its so-called terminal slump. Both are great books to read, and both work best together. And if you've ever wondered how so many dozens of "Class A" railroads got whittled down to 25 or so primary systems (and by now, to a mere handful of merged "supersystems"), this book is for you!
***
January 2, 2023
A fact filled journey through postwar railroad mergers that ends with the collapse of the Penn Central. Lots of information, this is one of those rare books I think justifies a second reading to get the most out of it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot. Look forward to reading Main Lines as soon as it arrives.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews