Customer Reviews

The Routledge Historical Atlas of the American Railroads (Routledge Atlases of American History)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, the title is very misleading. This is in no way an atlas "of the American Railroads." It is at best a superficial sketch book of a FEW American railroads. Too many major railroads are never mentioned at all. Of those that are included, historical narrative occupies no more than two pages each. The "Chronology" section on pages 130 through 133 does not even list the beginning or the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. The charts on page 127 showing the buy-outs and mergers resulting in today's "big four" roads are woefully incomplete; for example, the Santa Fe is shown as a component of today's BNSF, but all the various roads that were assimilated into the Santa Fe are omitted.

Even though the book purports to cover "railroads in the 1990s," it does not list, map or discuss any of the numerous (and relatively profitable) regional roads that have been created from cast-off routes of the Class 1 roads.

For anyone who is at all familiar with the history of American railroading, this book is far too superficial and incomplete to offer much knowledge of any value. For someone who is ignorant of the subject and wants a solid grounding in it, the book's brevity and many omissions also cause it to be of little value. Perhaps, as another reviewer has already noted, the book would be useful for youthful students learning the techniques of research at elementary or junior high school level. The information in the book is valid, just not adequately comprehensive for serious, adult research into American railroads.

Like the textual material, the maps are useful in visualizing the geographical areas which the included railroads occupied but are not sufficiently detailed to be of much help to an advanced researcher. They did help this "geographically challenged" reader better grasp the general location of some roads whose names were familiar but whose locations were vague.

The concept of the book was potentially excellent. While most of the well-known railroads in American history have had a plethora of both popular and scholarly books written about them, having one source that would present an abbreviated, chapter-length history of each would have been very handy. Add to that the recent histories of contemporary regional and short-line roads that have not yet been chronicled and we would have had a very useful addition to the literature on the subject. In execution, however, this atlas falls far short of the promise of its title. In final conclusion, I am forced to observe that it adds nothing to the extant literature and therefore really has no reason to exist.

This is, to be blunt, should be labeled for students in grades 7 through 10. It is written in the style of an "Eyewitness" book, where each chapter consists of two facing pages, woefully lacking in any interesting detail due to the space constraints of the two-page limit per topic/chapter. It calls itself an atlas, but the maps are woefully lacking in any detail that would be of any use to anyone who already has some familiarity with the subject. The second half of the book profiles individual railroads, but only 26 are profiled, each having its own "chapter". You won't find the remaining Class I railroads that didn't make the cut anywhere in the book (Reading, Boston & Maine, Lehigh Valley, Long Island, St. Louis-Southwestern, Wabash -- you name it, they're not here) The individual railroad maps do show more detail than the maps in the history section, but it shows only the major cities without even giving the names of junction points. I'm giving my unread copy to my local libray to be included in their childrens' history section.

If you are interested in American History (especially the development of the West), Business History, maps and atlases, or (most importantly) railroads, I believe that this is a book that belongs in your library.

The Smithsonian did a book of railroad maps a few years ago which was long on art and low on information; this book is packed with useful information and the maps are well-done. A complete set of maps shows how the US was developed (from East to West) with the help of the railroads, and the role the railroads played in opening up the interior, in the Civil War, WWII, etc.

This thorough section is then followed by excellent maps of the largest and most important rail systems. While you could find maps of each line in old railway guides or bargain books, none are of the quality and consistency of these maps. Stover, an eminent rail historian, adds a brief text history on each line. (though the definitive book on that is still the Trains magazine guide to Historical Railroads).

For those interested in business history, you cannot beat studying the rails, which were to late 19th century US what Microsoft and Intel are today. The story of the rails covers the rise, fall, and rebirth of this critical industry.

I have been waiting for this book for many years. It fills a long-vacant position in any good rail library, and teaches about history and business as well. The paperback is also one of the rare bargains in railroad books.

This is by far the best general book on American railroads for less than $... In a small book and a large topic, many difficult choices must be made. The author has chosen his material well, has organized it logically, has provided clear and readable discussions, and has chosen suitable maps and photographs to supplement the text. There are remarkably very few errors or misleading statements. Of all the railroad books I have, this is usually the one I reach for first. Sometimes it's to get a brief overview for a more detailed study; often it's just to get a quick look at a map or other graphic. I particularly like the one-page schematic showing the mergers since 1959 that consolidated 26 railroads into the present big four. (There's a minor error in the date given for the merger of part of Conrail into CSX.) The side-bar chart showing the railroad groups ("Vanderbilt Roads", "Morgan Roads", etc.) of the early 20th century is also useful. When I need more detail, I realize I must go to other books. I do, however, sometimes question the value of the space on my bookshelves that books such as the 416-page "Shortline Railroads of Arkansas" occupy.

The criticisms of this book that I have seen are by "adult" "experts" who think that the book omits important topics. It does omit interesting and important topics, but an expert should be able to count pages. What do you expect for $... and 144 pages?

If railroad maps are your thing, this isn't. This would be adequate as a proposal for a historical rail atlas of the U.S. It falls way short of its title since it does not deliver what it claims to. Compared Mike Walker's regional railroad atlases this is pathetic.

Interesting book. Only place I know rhat shows rough maps of so many railroads that are long absorbed into another railroad. Worth its price.
Ray Burghart

Few organisations can have had such a convoluted history as American Railroads. You could get a serious headache just trying to work out what ran where and when, and what belonged to who. As the book outlines the closures and amalgamations were also complex and far from simple. It has potted histories of most of the major players and some fascinating maps of the growth and contraction of US track age.

This is a vast subject and this is really only a pocket book but given that it's a useful little reference book that any rail fan will find useful

I use this as a companion while I am reading other railroad books which do not have good maps of the roads in question. I have found it very helpful to following text about where the rails were located. I highly recommend it.