Cash, Tokens, & Transfers: A History of Urban Mass Transit in North America (Paperback)

by Brian Cudahy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Written by a transportation expert, who knows how to bring his reader aboard, conduct a tour, and finally discharge all passengers safely, somewhere between history and nostalgia.”

Product Description
This colorful history will appeal to borth the interested reader and transportation historian. Brian Cudahy's skillful narrative is combined with a wealth of period photographs. The first comprehensive history of public transportation in North America to be published in more than 60 years, the book traces the grwoth of urban mass transit from the horse-drawn street cars of the 1830's through the development of cable cars, electric street cars, subways, and buses, to the new light rail systems that are playing a key role in today's urban transit renaissance. The book is not bound to any geographical region and examines transit rail systems throughout the United States and Canada.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Fordham University Press; First Edition edition (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823212785
• ISBN-13: 978-0823212781
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,323,084 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pleasant, easy read, December 31, 2002

By	Stephen R. Hall (Somerville, MA United States) - See all my reviews

I'm the type of person who gets excited to read at about a subject and then fills a shelf full of half read books. I have become very interested in Mass Transit and Urban Development as of late. I was worried that this book would end up getting a the short end of my attention span because of it's outwardly bland appearance. However, I read the book in three sittings, which is a record for me. Cudahy gives a fascinating account of horse drawn street cars, cable cars, electric trolleys, subways, buses and several other curiosities that don't usually get discussed. It is short, to the point, and interesting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written but informative, September 7, 2004

By	Clickie (Monrovia, CA) - See all my reviews

While this book provides an interesting history of urban mass transit, Cudahy's writing style is distracting and overly tangential. Many chapters in the book are puncuated by random segues into non-related historical footnotes, which I found to be very distracting. Some of the points Cudahy makes, like why buses are cheaper than streetcars, were not backed up by any clear evidence outside of the footnotes.

In short, this book reads like a tale being told by an easily distracted old codger. While informative, it relies heavily on opinion and anecdote. I was hoping for something a little more data-rich. It is fairly short, though, and provides a good overview of the subject. It's worth reading, but not worth buying.