{"product_id":"merging-lines-american-railoads-1900-1970-paperback-softback-9780875807355","title":"Merging Lines; American Railoads, 1900–1970 (Paperback \/ softback) 9780875807355","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eMerging Lines\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eAmerican Railoads, 1900–1970\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRichard Saunders, Jr. (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780875807355\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 29 February 2016\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e505 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm, 0.907 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy did American railroads decline from the glory days of the early twentieth century?\u003c\/b\u003e Why did so many railroad mergers in the 1950s and 1960s, intended as a panacea for the ills of an outdated system, go sour and, in fact, make a bad situation worse? Saunders addresses these and many other issues in this authoritative history of US railroads and their corporate mergers. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Beginning with a wide-ranging analysis of the role of railroads in the economic and social fabric of American life, Saunders traces the causes and results of the twentieth century's \"merger mania.\" Mergers, he explains, were expected to save money, to improve service to customers, and to help railroads compete against other modes of transportation, such as the growing airline and trucking industries. Saunders then gives colorful, richly detailed accounts of the mergers and shows the reasons—including corporate greed and the inept blundering of government regulatory agencies—the outcomes fell far short of expectations. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMerging Lines\u003c\/i\u003e explores the impact of shifting political control of railroads as no history has done before. The fates of both workers and railroad companies were dictated by the rise and fall of business and governmental leaders, including Bill Brosnan, Robert R. Young, Alfred Perlman, President John F. Kennedy, and President Lyndon B. Johnson. As power struggles erupted, the original goals of the mergers were thwarted by consumer frustration, violent labor strikes, and organizational collapse. Saunders explores these and other crucial developments in this extensive work, carefully designed for railroad historians and enthusiasts at any level. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Encyclopedic in its scope, \u003ci\u003eMerging Lines\u003c\/i\u003e includes sixty-eight maps, a list of court cases involving railroad mergers, and a wealth of information on American railroads from coast to coast. An extensively revised, updated, and supplemented edition of Saunders's earlier classic, \u003ci\u003eThe Railroad Mergers and the Coming of Conrail \u003c\/i\u003e(1978), it is essential reading for all who are interested in railroad and transportation history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable of Contents\u003cbr\u003e List of Maps \u003cbr\u003e List of Tables \u003cbr\u003e Railroad Names \u003cbr\u003e Preface \u003cbr\u003e Introduction \u003cbr\u003e 1. The Ambiguous Legacy of the Era of Reform: 1893–1920 \u003cbr\u003e 2. The Legacy of the Transportation Act of 1920: 1920–1940 \u003cbr\u003e 3. Dead Ends with Pennroad and Robert R. Young: 1940–1954 \u003cbr\u003e 4. Troubles: 1945–1964 \u003cbr\u003e 5. Solutions: 1947–1964 \u003cbr\u003e 6. The Erie Lackawanna: The Agony of the Perfect Merger, 1960 \u003cbr\u003e 7. The Chessie System and the Norfolk \u0026amp; Western: 1961–1964 \u003cbr\u003e 8. The West: 1960–1962 \u003cbr\u003e 9. Kennedy, the Kefauver Hearings, and the ICC \u003cbr\u003e 10. The Rise of Penn Central \u003cbr\u003e 11. The South: 1960–1972 \u003cbr\u003e 12. Stalemate in the West: 1963–1970 \u003cbr\u003e 13. The Eastern Inclusion Crisis: 1966–1968 \u003cbr\u003e 14. The Fall of the Penn Central: 1968–1970 \u003cbr\u003e 15. The Turning Point: 1970 \u003cbr\u003e Notes \u003cbr\u003e Bibliography \u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Northern Illinois University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52584761557272,"sku":"9780875807355","price":25.45,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/merging-lines-american-railoads-1900-1970-paperback-softback-9780875807355","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}