The Men Who Loved Trains: The Story of Men Who Battled Greed to Save an Ailing Industry (Railroads Past and Present) (Hardcover)

~ (Editor)
Key Phrases: other bankrupts, merger battle, merger day, Penn Central, Norfolk Southern, New York Central (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...so grand and sprawling in its consequences and telling that it's almost impossible to put down." -- Frederick Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun

"...so grand and sprawling in its consequences and telling that it's almost impossile to put down." -- Fredeick Rasmussn, Baltimore Sun

"I don't know how else to put it: Don't miss this book." -- Don Phillips, Trains

"Loving captures the reasons railroads occupy a place in the great American romance...It is a gripping story." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Provides vivid accounts about railroad management and how power players at the senior level struggled to keep the industry alive." -- American Shipper, July 2006

Provides vivid accounts about railroad management and how power players at the senior level struggled to keep the industry alive. -- American Shipper, July 2006

Review

"The Men Who Loved Trains is a riveting morality story of intrigues, boardroom battles, corporate takeovers, and secret cabals aiming for control of a large part of America's transport system. A rare behind-the-scenes story of an epic battle over power and personal gain." -- Marshall Loeb, columnist for Dow Jones's MoneyWatch and former editor of Fortune and Money magazines

"The men who loved trains deserve a writer who loves them as well. This excellent book is a perfect match of subject and author." -- Carol Loomis, Fortune magazine

Rush Loving Jr. has written for Fortune magazine, served as assistant director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter, and worked as a consultant specializing in transportation economics, issues before Congress, and corporate communication problems. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (April 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253347572
• ISBN-13: 978-0253347572
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #391,482 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent railroading book..., January 4, 2007

By	Nicholas Fry (Monrovia, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a rather fast-paced book for a volume that covers 40 years and two of the most significant railroad events in the history of East Cost railroading. Despite the speed, Loving does an excellent job of putting the reader through the creation and death of Penn Central, the birth of Conrail and the bitter split of that railroad between CSX and Norfolk Southern. The PRR executives get blamed for most of the disasters that take place, and perhaps rightfully so. Still, there wasn't much said that redeemed many of the execs from the Pensy. It can lead the reader to assume he has a bias in favor of the NS and NYC.
Despite this, it's an excellent book and well worth buying for anyone who loves trains.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 10 Stars for Impact - Inspired Me to Work in the Rail Industry, November 23, 2006

By	A. J Smith (Pittsburgh Area) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While reading this book in the Fall of 2006, I realized I needed to pursue my life-long dream of working in the railroad industry. I know it's in my blood. This book helped me realize that and inspired me to make it happen. So, despite my comments below, this book certainly had a profound impact on me personally.

Overall, I found this book to be a very fascinating, well-researched, and enjoyable read. I'll defer to the insiders who, in other reviews here, have commented on the accuracy of the history (kudos to anyone who tries to capture 50 years of eastern rail history in under 500 pages). So, read it with a grain of salt, and in light of other pieces on the same subject (not many to be found). There were a few places in the book, when discussing mergers and major shifts, where Loving rushed past without much detail (i.e., these two railroads were talking, yada, yada, yada, they were merged). Again, the trade-off would have been a hundred more pages to cover all the details. While it should come as no surprise, loving railroads is not the only requirement to make it to the top floor of the ivory tower. Most if not all of the rail chieftains depicted in this book were Ivy League MBAs, lawyers or bean counters. Nonetheless, leaders who actually love and understand their industry are likely more effective. In the end, if you have an interest in the business aspect of running a railroad, you should definitely read this book.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Surprised, September 10, 2006

By	Peter E. Lynch (Old Saybrook, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Men Who Loved Trains is certainly a readable book. What surprised me was the fact that the Indiana University Press would publish a book that is relates solely what named and unnamed people told the author. Based upon the acknowledgements that indicate that the author spoke with many of the major players, the tale of the split of CR between CSX and NS is plausible. The earlier history is more shaky. The PRR & NYC merger into PC is a rehash of what has been written long ago in a number of books and newspapers.

The biggest problem I find is the story of PC becoming Conrail. Having worked at Conrail at that time, I note that this chapter is filled with errors. This is not surprising because, in reviewing those interviewed, there was no one cited who was familiar with the actual operation of the railroad at this time. The operating department run by R.B. Hasselman was very service conscious. In fact Mr. Hasselman and his General Supt. E. A. Priebe developed the intermodal train plan in 1977 that made UPS Conrail's largest customer. This work was handled solely by the operating department - UPS would not even talk to Jordan's marketeers. The great story about the cattle car for Lancaster, PA forgot to mention that the charges for running TV-2, the train that would deliver this car to Lancaster, via Amtrak would have eaten up most of the revenue. The Jordan MBA crowd that came in with the army of consultants were naive and indecisive. Rather than solving the problems, they were largely in the way of progress. It should be noted that when Mr. Crane came he got rid of all these folks and together with R. B. Hasselman and his team and made Conrail quite profitable. Mr. Loving failed to note this obvious fact.

There were a number of simple factual errors, i.e. a standard rail is 39 feet long not 38 feet. A key state for the Wabash RR is Missouri for its Kansas City connections - not Iowa. There also are a few spelling errors. For a guy coming from Fortune, The Men... seemed a rather sloppy piece of work. Still it was entertaining - I was glad to learn that Stuart Saunders spent Thursday afternoons in a hotel with his Main Line girlfriend. It made him seem more lively than one would expect from his rather dreary photographs.

Peter E. Lynch
Old Saybrook, CT