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

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Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration: America's Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present ReviewI was a senior executive for Norfolk Southern, but worked for other railroads, DOT, Amtrak. Been around the block. For NS, did mergers among other things. Knew virtually all of the players in this book, as well as the events that transformed the UP, and the railroad industry. While I might quibble with a few things, Klein has fairly captured an era that saved an industry. A must read for anyone interested in transportation or business in general. After all, railroads are one of the industries that almost died and were reborn; a story with a happy ending.
We could use more success stories these days, couldn't we?
Jim McClellanUnion Pacific: The Reconfiguration: America's Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present OverviewPraised 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 Pacific: The Reconfiguration will appeal to historians, business scholars, and transportation buffs alike.

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Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History Review

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Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History ReviewWhether an a railfan for decades or just getting into the hobby, this is a great book. Copy is informative and not overdone. Photos and graphics are outstanding. Although my interest in railroading in the Northeast, I found the collection of schedule graphics, promotional pieces, etc. very interesting and, simply, just fun to look at. I lent my copy to a few of my buddies and was happy to see they didn't glance over the pages, but were caught by photos and info. (Hats off to the graphics people). And these are former railroaders and modelers who are "rivet counters," so for the book to get their attention says something about it. A few commented on the price, and thought the book was a real bargain.Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History OverviewFrom the first steam-powered locomotives of the early nineteenth century to the high-speed commuter trains of today, the American railroad has been a great engine powering the nations growth and industry. This book celebrates the glory and grandeur of that legacy with a lavish tour of the history of the American railroad and the culture surrounding it. Generously illustrated with vintage photographs, modern images, maps, timetables, tickets, brochures, and all manner of memorabilia, this volume offers a fascinating look at the rail industrys beginnings and development, as well as its place in American history. From the might of the major rail companies and their empires to the romance of rail travel, this is the full and fabulously colorful story of the industry that moved a nation--and stirs our imaginations to this day.


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Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad Review

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Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad ReviewI became a fan of Walter Borneman (Alaska, 1812, The French and Indian War, Polk) after reading "1812," and have since then pre-ordered each of his books as they become available through Amazon. "Rival Rails" is another excellent, focused book from this established historian.
While touching on a century of railroad expansion and development in the vast southwest territory between Kansas City and the West Coast, this latest book from Borneman focuses on a relatively brief period from the 1860s to the 1880s during which a network of thousands of miles of railroad was built westward from Chicago and Kansas City to the west coast, with the dramatic accompanying population shifts and development of agricultural, mining, and other resources of these vast new western lands. Through these rail connections, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California were rapidly incorporated into the commercial, social, and political sphere of the greater United States. The arrival of the railroads dramatically transformed the West Coast. Once connected with Chicago, Los Angeles rapidly grew from a sleepy coastal town into one of America's great cities.
This expansion of a network of railroads westward was complex in its engineering challenges as well as in its political-financial processes, as entrepreneurs like Huntington, Gould, and Crocker, east coast and European investors, Congress, and even state and federal courts were regularly involved. Many players (some successful, some not) were involved in this expansion, and keeping these sorted out was a bit challenging as the book progressed. Fortunately, Borneman was kind enough to provide the reader not only with a series of railroad route maps within appropriate chapters, but also with two list, one of the Railroads and another of the Railroaders, just after the introduction. My coherent reading was greatly aided by my bookmarking to maintain easy reference to these list and to the maps. A substantial section of historical photographs adds to the enjoyment of the book
Though largely consolidated today, the trains still run over the rail beds originally laid down by these entrepreneurs, builders and engineers, and many, many thousands of workers who almost entirely by hand dug tunnels, built rail beds, and laid the tracks. Railroads are still vital to the U.S. economy (ask Warren Buffett), and Amtrack's ridership is at record levels. "Rival Rails" gives an excellent and readable overview of this brief but critical phase of U.S. development from a country largely operating east of the Mississippi to a country socially, politically, and commercially integrated from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast.Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad Overview

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Railway Maintenance Equipment: The Men and Machines That Keep the Railroads Running Review

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Railway Maintenance Equipment: The Men and Machines That Keep the Railroads Running ReviewThis book is excellent value for money and is filled with good information and color photos, some of them spectacular. In some cases, such as the discussion of how track is currently constructed, a good line drawing with labels would have been much better than a thousand words of descriptions. And I would have liked to see more on equipment of the steam era; most of this book focuses on current technology. But definitely worth the money!Railway Maintenance Equipment: The Men and Machines That Keep the Railroads Running OverviewYou may have seen some of these machines and tools as you roll alongside a rail bed. But what to call them, or knowing how they work, may allude you. Find the true identity of the different tools used to build and maintain railbeds and lines including tie pullers, rail grinders, and much, much more. Detailed photos show the machines and tools in action. This is a handy reference guide for fans of full-size railways or modelers.

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