Customer Reviews

American Railroads (The Chicago History of American Civilization)

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Stover certainly gives us a lot of facts about the American railroad from its early beginnings to its present-day situation and in a very readable style. But the order that he chooses to present them in seems backwards. Examples: He frequently informs us of the changing track mileage of Class I railroads. Great, only what IS a Class I railroad? He finally explains that in the last chapter! He rightly devotes much of the midsection of the book to the Golden Age from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of World War I. But in Chapter 4 he explains the construction of the lines during that period as if people were jolting through it all on Civil War era rolling stock. What about airbrakes? That innovation he explains in Chapter 6. In Chapter 4 he mentions a railroad having 400 miles of electrified track just after the turn of the century. But he doesn�ft bother explaining ELECTRIFICATION of railroads until Chapter 8. And at the beginning of that chapter that deals with the decline of railroads after World War II, he suddenly jumps us from 1945 to 1965 when 707s were jetting people coast to coast in a few hours and sinking long-distance rail passenger service in their wakes. Hey, what about the immediate postwar years when flimsy props were crashing more people than they were getting to their destinations�G and such modern luxury limiteds sprouting vista-domes as the El Capitan were smoothly and safely whizzing passengers across the continent? Ah, that he explains towards the END of the chapter. These and so many other sidetrackings made me feel Stover was trying to derail me!

Still, if you manage to avoid being derailed by him on the way, by the end of the book Stover�fs explanations do give you a very good overview of the American railroad. But he ONLY explains. Nowhere does he DESCRIBE. So, if you want a fairly comprehensive list of events of this revolutionary innovation in transportation that played such a vital role in shaping modern America, then ALL ABORAD! But if you want to actually FEEL what it was like to ride on one of those bone shakers of the 1840s, to dine in the elegance of a dinning car of the 1890s, to board the first run of the streamlined, diesel-driven Zephyr in 1934, (and which Stover could so easily have given us by adding just a few descriptive paragraphs!�j. . .then alas, you WILL get derailed!

Well written, concise and very informative. One of the best general railroad history books I have ever read. Mr. Stover covers the development of railroads in America from the beginning to present with an objective view.

This book is perfect for American History buffs. It contains
an exhaustive history of the evolution of railroading in the USA.
Railroads thrived throughout the 1850s in response to the trans-
Pacific trade in gold. In 1860, Chicago was served by 8 railroads.
The Pacific Railway Bill of 1862 heralded the first Pacific line.
A bill was signed on 7-1-1862. A picture of an 1870s railroad
management gathering depicted the executives in 3-piece suits and
beards. A sign posted land for $6 to $12. per acre in Illinois.
The NY-New Haven and Hartford RR line started circa 1844.
The book would be a perfect acquisition for the student in your
house.