Customer Reviews

American Narrow Gauge Railroads

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Author George Hilton is a national authority numerous categories of transportation history. An economist by training, Hilton blends his love of rail and steam with an intelligent analysis of the economic and political realities of the rise and fall of popular railroad lines.

American Narrow Gauge Railroads is dense and heavy, but lavishly illustrated and quick reading. Every single narrow gauge railroad in U.S. history is carefully documented and organized in a clear reference. Detailed information is provided, including thousands of footnoted sources.

Hilton's work is the authoritative reference on narrow gauge railroads in the U.S. I would agree with the comments from the reader in Logan, UT (that it might be dry) might apply to some readers, but for the avid rail enthusiast, this book will be a treasured resource.

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George Hilton's "American Narrow Gauge Railroads" is an excellent encyclopedic reference for hardcore railroad buffs. However, casual readers should be aware that this work is first and foremost an academic analysis of transportation economics, and completely free of the glossy nostalgia characteristic of most railroad lore. His descriptions of individual railroads and the narrow-gauge phenomenon in general focus on economics (I now have a newfound respect for the word "receivership"), rather than the equipment and the frontier atmosphere that attract many railroad enthusiasts. Nevertheless, the hard work pays off in the end: I now understand why common-carrier narrow gauge railroads were largely doomed to failure.

Good starting point for reshorch is wrten at high leval and some times needs red x 2. But very informitive.

As one would expect of a university press book, this is a scholarly monograph. It sets out to answer the question of why American narrow gauge railroads failed. Along the way the author presents a very readable story of these railroads, along with maps and many photographs. The last third of the book lists all the railroads by name and gives a short history. Very useful to historians, railfans, and model builders. An excellent work.

This is an excellent work on the theory behind the building of narrow guage railroads across the United States and their altimate demize. Very extensive research has gone into the writing this book, and it is the most fascinating book I have read on this subject. Also covers all of the many narrow guage railroads built in the United States from the East to the West Coasts. The author of this book, George Woodman Hilton, has also done an excellent book of the same style on the Interurban Railroads in the United States. This is a book every railroad enthusiast should have in thier library.