Amtrak, America's Railroad

Amtrak, America's Railroad PDF Author: Geoffrey H. Doughty
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253060656
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Discover the story of Amtrak, America's Railroad, 50 years in the making. In 1971, in an effort to rescue essential freight railroads, the US government founded Amtrak. In the post–World War II era, aviation and highway development had become the focus of government policy in America. As rail passenger services declined in number and in quality, they were simultaneously driving many railroads toward bankruptcy. Amtrak was intended to be the solution. In Amtrak, America's Railroad: Transportation's Orphan and Its Struggle for Survival, Geoffrey H. Doughty, Jeffrey T. Darbee, and Eugene E. Harmon explore the fascinating history of this popular institution and tell a tale of a company hindered by its flawed origin and uneven quality of leadership, subjected to political gamesmanship and favoritism, and mired in a perpetual philosophical debate about whether it is a business or a public service. Featuring interviews with former Amtrak presidents, the authors examine the current problems and issues facing Amtrak and their proposed solutions. Created in the absence of a comprehensive national transportation policy, Amtrak manages to survive despite inherent flaws due to the public's persistent loyalty. Amtrak, America's Railroad is essential reading for those who hope to see another fifty years of America's railroad passenger service, whether they be patrons, commuters, legislators, regulators, and anyone interested in railroads and transportation history.

Amtrak, America's Railroad

Amtrak, America's Railroad PDF Author: Geoffrey H. Doughty
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253060656
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book

Book Description
Discover the story of Amtrak, America's Railroad, 50 years in the making. In 1971, in an effort to rescue essential freight railroads, the US government founded Amtrak. In the post–World War II era, aviation and highway development had become the focus of government policy in America. As rail passenger services declined in number and in quality, they were simultaneously driving many railroads toward bankruptcy. Amtrak was intended to be the solution. In Amtrak, America's Railroad: Transportation's Orphan and Its Struggle for Survival, Geoffrey H. Doughty, Jeffrey T. Darbee, and Eugene E. Harmon explore the fascinating history of this popular institution and tell a tale of a company hindered by its flawed origin and uneven quality of leadership, subjected to political gamesmanship and favoritism, and mired in a perpetual philosophical debate about whether it is a business or a public service. Featuring interviews with former Amtrak presidents, the authors examine the current problems and issues facing Amtrak and their proposed solutions. Created in the absence of a comprehensive national transportation policy, Amtrak manages to survive despite inherent flaws due to the public's persistent loyalty. Amtrak, America's Railroad is essential reading for those who hope to see another fifty years of America's railroad passenger service, whether they be patrons, commuters, legislators, regulators, and anyone interested in railroads and transportation history.

American Passenger Trains

American Passenger Trains PDF Author: Patrick Dorin
Publisher: Enthusiast Books
ISBN: 9781583882320
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Passenger Trains played an important role in the growth of traveling across America or to the nearest city—the height of its service after WWII until the start up of Amtrak. This book provides railroad hobbyists, historians, museum operators, and transportation instructors and planners with information about the types of train services and operations in various corridors, such as Chicago – Milwaukee; the overnight and daytime long distance service; transcontinental trains, and the various types of local trains on both main lines and branch lines. The book reviews the types of sleeping car, coach, parlor car, food and beverage services available at that time. The equipment and service such as vista dome coaches, dining and lounge cars with many types of meals and beverages, sleeping accommodations and coach seats including reclining and leg rests were drawing cards for passenger traffic. This historic review, including train schedules and advertisements, provides information on train consists which is valuable for creating model railroad layout size trains.

Travel by Train

Travel by Train PDF Author: Michael E. Zega
Publisher:
ISBN: 0253341523
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
An illustrated history of poster art from the Golden Age of the American railroad, from 1870 to 1950, surveys the trends that shaped the industry for eighty years. (Travel)

Amtrak

Amtrak PDF Author:
Publisher: Kalmbach Books
ISBN: 9780871164445
Category : Railroads
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Amtrak is the uniquely American public/private corporation that has been providing American rail passenger service since 1971. This book is created from four decades of archival photographs highlighting the employees, trains, and technology that made it possible. Amtrak: An American Story includes decade by decade chapters, an introduction for each chapter, a timeline of when events occurred, personal vignettes from employees of Amtrak, and a final chapter on a day in the life of Amtrak. This book is truly a 40 year story told by Amtrak.

Trains Across the Continent, Second Edition

Trains Across the Continent, Second Edition PDF Author: Rudolph Daniels
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253214119
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
Trains Across the Continent North American Railroad History Second Edition Rudolph Daniels A wonderfully readable, illustrated guide to the history of railroads in America. "Trains Across the Continent is everything you need to know about railroad history—both educational and enjoyable reading." —Dean Bruce, President, Railroad Education Training Association "Trains Across the Continent should be in every public school library in the country. Quickly and concisely Dr. Daniels leads you through the maze of building, merging, and a myriad of other details necessary to understand modern railroading. Steam, diesel, passenger, and freight are all carefully explained on a national scale rather than railroad specific, making this book even more of a useful tool for the student." —Donald D. Snoddy, Historian, Union Pacific Railroad "Trains Across the Continent" is a truly comprehensive account of how railroads helped shape, and are continuing to shape, the history of North America." —Jonathan B. Hanna, Historian, Canadian Pacific Railway "Nothing but positive comments about it from faculty and students alike. . . . The industry bible in this area." —Phillip B. Cypret, Sacramento City College "Professor Daniels displays both passion and scholarship in this nicely arranged buffet of subjects both large and minute, important and interesting, serious and fun, to present a delicious overview of railroad history." —James D. Porterfield, author of Dining by Rail "Daniels manages to make brief mention of all major points of North American railroad history . . . from the workings of a steam locomotive to the dawn of the railroad mega-merger, nearly every conceivable aspect of railroading receives attention. . . . This volume is a must for those wishing to broaden or hone their knowledge of the birth and evolution of the railroad industry in North America." —Rail News Updated maps, new appendices, a greatly expanded bibliography, detailed discussions of the recent attempted mergers of the CN and BNSF, of the diesel locomotive, and of railroad electrification further round out the usefulness of Trains Across the Continent as the complete and concise introduction to North American railroads. Rudolph Daniels is Chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department at Western Iowa Tech Community College, where he teaches history and Railroad Operations Technology.

Railroads and the American People

Railroads and the American People PDF Author: H. Roger Grant
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253006376
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
“[A] wealth of vignettes and more than 100 black-and-white illustrations . . . Does a fine job of humanizing the iron horse” (The Wall Street Journal). In this social history of the impact of railroads on American life, H. Roger Grant concentrates on the railroad’s “golden age,” from 1830 to 1930. He explores four fundamental topics—trains and travel, train stations, railroads and community life, and the legacy of railroading in America—illustrating each 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, and reviews the lasting heritage of the railroads in our culture today. This is “an engaging book of train stories” from one of railroading’s finest historians (Choice). “Highly recommended to train buffs and others in love with early railroading.” —Library Journal “With plenty of detail, Grant brings a bygone era back to life, addressing everything from social and commercial appeal, racial and gender issues, safety concerns, and leaps in technology . . . A work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Great Railroad Revolution

The Great Railroad Revolution PDF Author: Christian Wolmar
Publisher:
ISBN: 1610391799
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 450

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Book Description
The epic tale of America's railroads--the largest rail network in the world--and how they built a modern nation

Riding the Rails in the USA

Riding the Rails in the USA PDF Author: Martin W. Sandler
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195132289
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description
Explores the impact of trains in the United States as they allowed settlers to move West in large numbers and get needed supplies, helped farmers to move goods to market, and provided transportation for commuters.

The American Railroad

The American Railroad PDF Author: Joe Welsh
Publisher: Motorbooks
ISBN: 0760316317
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
This nostalgic, authoritative history of the railroad industry in the United States is richly illustrated with more than 200 images covering everything from the road's beginning to its heyday in the 1940s and '50s and its current state. Features include: black-and-white and period color photographs; maps, timetables, promotional materials, and other memorabilia; and details about railroading's five most fascinating components--its locomotives, freight trains, passenger trains, depots, and workforce.

American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated

American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated PDF Author: Mark Wegman
Publisher: Voyageur Press
ISBN: 1616731443
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
The period from the 1890s to the mid-1950s is generally considered the “golden era� of passenger rail travel in America. It was a time of celebrated locomotives and luxurious passenger service, a time when rail technology saw its greatest advances and railroads became the nation’s favored mode of transportation. These glory years come alive in American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated, 1889–1971. For this volume, author and illustrator Mark Wegman has researched original railroad drawings and in some cases even paint chips to render more than 160 profiles, front and top views, and interior layouts depicting the steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, along with passenger cars, of three dozen of the nation’s most celebrated trains of the golden age. Accompanying the author’s drawings are histories of each train, period photographs, postcards, menus, luggage stickers, vintage print ads, and detailed captions. The book is a lavishly appointed journey back in time to the bygone heyday of passenger-train travel.