Regular marked price: $49.95Discount Price: $40.42
Cost Savings: $9.53 (19%)Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 385.1
EAN num: 9780875802657
ISBN number: 0875802656
Label: Northern Illinois University Press
Manufacturer: Northern Illinois University Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 486
Printing Date: 2001-12
Publishing house: Northern Illinois University Press
Sale Popularity Level: 993713
Studio: Northern Illinois University Press
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Why did American railroads decline from the glory days at the turn of the twentieth century to the near-death experience of the early 1970s? Why did so many railroad mergers in the 1950s and 1960s, intended as a panacea for the ills of an outdated system, go sour and, in fact, make a bad situation worse?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 other questions in this authoritative history of twentieth-century U.S. railroading. Beginning with a wide-ranging analysis of the role of railroads in the economic and social fabric of American life, Saunders traces the factors that brought about the 'merger mania' of the 1950s and 1960s. Mergers, he explains, were expected to lead to better customer service, save money, and 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. Revisiting the theme of Saunders's earlier classic, Railroad Mergers and the Coming of Conrail (1978), Merging Lines offers new information and fresh insights that will appeal to all readers interested in railroad and transportation history.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
This book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in how the rail industry weathered the regulatory and managerial storm of the mid 20th century. Author Saunders brings together both the 'rail' side of the picture and the financial and more human side of the players involved. The writing is such that it is literally a page turner. I have read it cover to cover many times, and I enjoy the tale each go. I would say a few of the maps need improved editing, but this is a minor aside. There is no work that comes close to matching the scope and value this book provides. To those who love the rail industry but did not live through this particular time, read this book, and you will have a crystal clear picture of the times.
Rated by buyers 
-
This is an academic history of the evolution of the main corporate identities in the American railroad industry in the last century. It gives good coverage of the consolidation proposals in the wake of WW1 federal administration and of the moves to consolidation in the post WW2 years. It is an essential reference for the serious rail historian rather than the average railbuff. It would have benefited from a little more editorial care, especially for the maps.
Rated by buyers -
I liked this book so much I have read it twice. It is highly readable and very informative. I would recommend it to all train buffs as well as those interested in American history. The author does an excellent job of explaining the trends and events in American railroading for the time period stated and does it in a way which made it hard to put the book down. The author is soon coming out with a sequel and I will buy it as soon as it is available.
Rated by buyers -
Saunders revises and expands his earlier work on the origins of Conrail. As such it is an interesting and useful overview of the problems of American railroading. He is, in my view, properly hard on management and government's failures. I think his treatment of labor is evenhanded, avoiding the cliches that are rife in railroad studies. A rewarding book for the railroad enthusist looking for something beyond picture books. Holds up well with the work of Middleton (which is high praise).
Find other books like this one:
