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Nothing Like It In the Worldby Stephen E. Ambrose
Simon & Schuster 2000; US$ 13.99In this account of an unprecedented feat of engineering, vision, and courage, Stephen E. Ambrose offers a historical successor to his universally acclaimed Undaunted Courage, which recounted the explorations of the West by Lewis and Clark. Nothing Like It in the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad -- the investors who risked their businesses and money; the enlightened politicians who understood its importance; the engineers and surveyors who risked, and lost, their lives; and the Irish and Chinese immigrants, the defeated Confederate soldiers, and the other laborers who did the backbreaking and dangerous work on the tracks. The Union had won the Civil War and slavery had been abolished, but Abraham... more...
Regulating Railroad Innovationby Steven W. Usselman
Cambridge University Press 2002; US$ 28.00Efforts to create and mould new technologies have always been a central feature of the American experience. Many of the most tumultuous events in the nation's history have involved disputes over the appropriateness of particular technologies. In Regulating Railroad Innovation, this neglected aspect of American history is brought to light. more...
Conquering Gothamby Jill Jonnes
Penguin Group Inc. 2008; US$ 13.99"Superb. [A] first-rate narrative" ( The Wall Street Journal ) about the controversial construction of New York's beloved original Penn Station and its tunnels \ As bestselling books like Ron Chernow's Titan and David McCullough's The Great Bridge affirm, readers are fascinated with the grand personalities and schemes that populated New York at the close of the nineteenth century. Conquering Gotham re- creates the riveting struggle waged by the great Pennsylvania Railroad to build Penn Station and the monumental system of tunnels that would connect water-bound Manhattan to the rest of the continent by rail. Historian Jill Jonnes tells a ravishing tale of snarling plutocrats, engineering feats, and backroom politicking packed with... more...
Union Pacificby Maury Klein
University of Minnesota Press 2006; US$ 75.00Maury Klein, America's foremost railroad historian, re-creates the powerful personalities and dramatic events that led to the construction of the Union Pacific. With over one hundred historic photographs and maps, Union Pacific details the feat of engineering and human strength and also the wheelings and dealings that were waged as dreamers and scoundrels, politicians and patriots forged a pioneering enterprise in transportation. more...
Union Pacificby Maury Klein
University of Minnesota Press 2006; US$ 75.00The second volume in the history of the Union Pacific begins after the financial panic of 1893, which pushed the railroad into bankruptcy.Maury Klein examines the challenges faced by the Union Pacific in the new century and how, under the innovative leadership of Edward H. Harriman, the Union Pacific again played the role of industrial pioneer. more...
The Hiawatha Storyby Jim Scribbins
University of Minnesota Press 2007; US$ 29.95Loved for their radically new, streamlined look, the Hiawathas Art Deco engines were a hallmark of American industrial design. For Midwestern passengers from Chicago to Aberdeen, the Hiawatha represented speed, comfort, and luxury. From 1935 to 1970 it carried countless passengers and even more memories. Richly illustrated, The Hiawatha Story brings the design and history of this beloved rail fleet to life. more...
Securing America's Passenger-Rail Systemsby Jeremy M. Wilson; Brian A. Jackson; Mel Eisman
RAND Corporation 2007; US$ 9.95U.S. communities depend on reliable, safe, and secure rail systems. Each weekday, more than 12 million passengers take to U.S. railways. Recent attacks on passenger-rail systems around the world highlight the vulnerability of rail travel and the importance of rail security for these passengers. The use of passenger rail and the frequency with which terrorists target it call for a commitment to analyzing and improving rail security in the United States. This book explains a framework for security planners and policymakers to use to guide cost-effective rail-security planning, specifically for the risk of terrorism. Risk is a function of threat (presence of terrorists with intent, weapons, and capability to attack), vulnerability (likelihood... more...
The Transcontinental Railroadby Edward J. Renehan
Infobase Publishing 2007; US$ 35.00In May 1869, the US railroad network unified when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads came together in Promontory, Utah. This book discusses the important milestone in the expansion of the United States and its impact on the nation, both positive and negative. more...
Chinese Railwaysby Katrin Luger
Springer 2008; US$ 129.00Although being huge by any measure, Chinese Railways are a bottleneck for economic growth in China. The state-owned enterprise returns a small profit but is severely capacity constrained and burdened with inefficiency. A comprehensive reform and efficiency improvement program needs to be developed in order to enable Chinese Railways to support further GDP growth in China. Application of industrial economics to the case of Chinese Railways suggests that moderate deregulation of e.g., the freight business could make Chinese Railways fit for future growth. Operational improvements need to complement this development, such as a redesign of the schedule or the introduction of value added services in the freight business. Based on interviews with... more...
Milwaukee Road Rememberedby Jim Scribbins
University of Minnesota Press 2008; US$ 90.00The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific was a railroad with a big personality. For a time it offered the worlds fastest steam-powered passenger trains. Extending from Indiana to Puget Sound, it crossed five mountain ranges in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. It was also the first railroad to prove the feasibility of long distance movement of heavy trains by electricity. All-welded freight and passenger cars were pioneered in its shops, and Milwaukee Road mechanical engineers planned the first streamlined steam locomotives intended for sustained 100 mph speeds. In Milwaukee Road Remembered eminent railway historian Jim Scribbins provides a richly illustrated history of the unique challenges and successes of this storied railroad. more...