American Railroads: Decline and Renaissance in the Twentieth Century

Robert E. Gallamore; John R. Meyer

Published by Harvard University Press 2014

American Railroads

Decline and Renaissance in the Twentieth Century

Robert E. Gallamore and John R. Meyer

https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674369368

Overview
Contents

About this book

Overregulated and displaced by barges, trucks, and jet aviation, railroads fell into decline. Their misfortune was measured in lost market share, abandoned track, bankruptcies, and unemployment. Today, rail transportation is reviving. American Railroads tells a riveting story about how this iconic industry managed to turn itself around.

Author / Editor information

Gallamore Robert E. :

Robert E. Gallamore is Adjunct Professor in Rail Management at Michigan State University.Meyer John R. :

John R. Meyer was James W. Harpel Professor of Capital Formation, Emeritus, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Reviews

Detailed, sophisticated, occasionally technical, and provocative, [Gallamore and Meyer’s] book provides a superb and often fascinating analysis of the economics, technological change, and the impact of public policy on an iconic American industry… Gallamore and Meyer have thrown down the gauntlet to policymakers. The burden may well now be on them to demonstrate, through a careful analysis of costs and benefits, that regulation of passenger and/or freight railroads is in the public interest.
-- Glenn C. Altschuler Philadelphia Inquirer

A comprehensive account… American Railroads is a readable history with a focus on freight rail.
-- Daniel Machalaba Wall Street Journal

This book is a readable and provocative economic and business history of American railroads over the twentieth century. It draws together the themes of infrastructure development, regulation, stagnation and financial crisis, deregulation, and finally revitalization. It is a fascinating and instructive tale, very well told.
-- Porter K. Wheeler, Transportation Policy Consultant, and former Manager of P3 Projects, Maryland Transportation Authority

A remarkable book and an exceptional resource for a variety of constituencies in the transportation field.
-- Joseph M. Sussman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Railroad Companies and Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
1 The Enduring American Railroads Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2 The Ills of Government Regulation of Rail Rates and Services Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
3 The Policy Dilemma of Competition and Consolidation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	42
4 The Impact of Rival Freight Modes on Railroads Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
5 The Decline of Railway Passenger Service, 1900–1970 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	100
6 Merger s at Midcentury and the Penn Central Debacle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	130
7 Two Railroad Reform and Revitalization Acts and the Northeast Rail Crisis in the 1970s Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
8 The Brief, Mainly Happy Life of Conrail, 1976–1999 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
9 The Making of the Staggers Rail Act, and Experience under Deregulation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	218
10 How Railroads Got Their Final Sizes and Shapes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
11 The Enduring Problem of Rail Passenger Service in the Amtrak Era Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	312
12 Advancing Technology for American Railroads Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	343
13 Decline and Renaissance of American Railroads in the Twentieth Century – Pulling into the Terminal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	396
Afterword: Future Policies for US Railroads Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	426
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	437
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	497
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	499

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Edition: Pilot project, eBook available to selected US libraries only
Audience: College/higher education;Professional and scholarly;General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 523
Illustrations
- Other: 15 halftones, 14 line illustrations, 14 maps

eBook

Published: June 17, 2014
ISBN: 9780674369368