Chicagoland Commuter Railroads: Metra & Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District [Paperback]

Patrick C. Dorin (Author), Andrew T. Roth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Commuter, or Suburban Rail Passenger Train Services have been an important part of the Chicago Metro area for well over 100 years. Since the city and its suburbs are economically interdependent upon one another, passenger service could not be discontinued without severe economic impacts on the entire Chicago area. The Metra Commuter Rail Service and the Indiana Commuter Transportation District (South Shore) services have realized this and are providing a crucial life line for the many Chicago-Suburban corridors, and have made substantial gains and many expansions since the 1980s. This book reviews the commuter services offered in the Chicago area on the Chicago & North Western, The Milwaukee Road, the South Shore, the Illinois Central, the Rock Island, the Burlington, the Wabash, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, the South Shore, the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroads before the development of the RTA, Metra and NICTD.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patrick C. Dorin has been interested in railroads since he was two. He worked for the railroad industry while going to college and for several years after and also has taught transportation at the university level. His interest in railroads has resulted in writing about railroad services and equipment, and has had 42 books published.

Andy Roth grew up in the Chicago's suburbs and became interested in the commuter trains while occasionally riding them.  He became more involved and interested with the Chicago commuter train operations and now works at Metra. His expertise helps document the changes and dramatic improvements in commuter railroad operations in the Chicago area over the past four decades.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Iconografix (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583881905
• ISBN-13: 978-1583881903
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome and seminal contribution to Railroading reference collections in general, March 3, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicagoland Commuter Railroads: Metra & Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (Paperback)

Commuter railroads have been a key element to the grow and prosperity of American Midwestern cities for the more than a century. Co authored by railroad experts Patrick C. Dorin (Superior, Wisconsin) and Andrew T. roth (Belvidere, Illinois), "Chicagoland Commuter Railroads: Metra & Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District" is a profusely illustrated history of suburban rail passenger train services that played a critically important role in the grow of the Chicago Metro area. Beginning with a succinct review of the various commuter services that crisscrossed Chicago and its suburbs before the development of the Regional Transit Authority, "Chicagoland Commuter Railroads" continues with providing detailed information about the routes, train frequency, passenger numbers, and physical equipment associated with the commuter railroad. While most of the illustrations are historical black-and-white photographs, of special note is the Color Photo Gallery wonderfully showcasing individual commuter trains. A welcome and seminal contribution to Railroading reference collections in general, and Midwestern Commuter Train History in particular, "Chicagoland Commuter Railroads" is especially recommended for academic and community reference collections, as well as the private collections of railroading enthusiasts and history buffs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool and reasonably thorough, July 17, 2008

By 

Frank Connolly "thugsbunny" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicagoland Commuter Railroads: Metra & Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (Paperback)

Great book detailing Chicago and northern Indiana passenger rail services. If you have some or little knowledge of the area this is a great read with lots of pictures. If you are expert on the subject you will find it lacking but still with great pictures.