Customer Reviews

Streamliners A History of Railroad Icon

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In the almost 40 years since Amtrak took over train service in the United States two generations of people have been denied the pleasure of travel by rail as it once was. Thankfully, Mike Schafer has put together this elegant, very informative book on the best that ever was; the Streamliner. It's hard to remember that their time was almost less than the time since they disappeared but it's important to realize how they summarized the way Americans lived during those years. STREAMLINERS is a testament to a particular type of train that was developed by the railroads to hold passenger service in the face of rising travel by auto. Helped by the privations of World War Two they succeeded but it was a noble effort that was finally a failure. Mr. Schafer is careful to point out that how the various railroads viewed passenger in general reflected corporate thinking on the topic. Ultimately almost every one of them followed the money which meant freight and fought to divest themselves of passenger service. But this excellent book chronicles the Camelot of luxury rail travel. Great illustrations enhance the chatty, personal text. For those who remember them and those who want to know what they were, this is the authoritative source. For a modest price you'll get a major investment in American culture.

Great pictures, very interesting I couldn't put it down. Loved it so much I'm reading it again.