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For nearly 80 years, the Rock Island was a major railroad in Arkansas providing passenger and freight services. A decline in rail travel after World War II and an increase in trucks hauling freight over government-subsidized interstates were among factors that left the railroad struggling. Efforts to merge with other railroads were stalled for years by federal regulators. The Rock Island filed for bankruptcy in 1975 and attempted a reorganization, but creditors wanted the assets liquidated, with a judge shutting it down in 1980. Most of the tracks that traversed the state were taken up, but a few relics, like the Little Rock passenger station and the Arkansas River bridge, remain as monuments to this once great railroad.
Whether you are a tourist riding the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad's passenger train for a fun afternoon or are a serious railfan, this book will answer all your questions about the railroad.
This edition lists nearly 600 shortline and regional railroads in the United States and Canada. Includes the history, radio frequency, locomotive roster and other information for each line as well as diesel profiles and a listing of past shortlines.
The New Haven Railroad, though relatively small in size, was an operation that truly had it all. The New Havens 225 mile-long Shore Line Route main line linked Boston and New York City while its many branches served, southern New England, in its day one of the most densely populated and heavily industrialized regions of the United States. To satisfy the broad service requirements of its territory, the New Haven maintained a diversity of passenger and freight equipment completely out of proportion to its size. The New Haven was one of the few railroads that could boast of having operated steam, diesel, and electric locomotives simultaneously - during the modern era.Although the New Haven was always an interesting railroad, it took on a larger than life character after Patrick B. McGinnis became its president on April 14th, 1954. Unquestionably the most outspoken and controversial railroad executive of his time, McGinnis believed that the ailing railroad industrys greatest handicap was its lack of modern thinking and that his ideas - if universally adopted - could lead the railroads into the future. McGinnis used the New Haven as a laboratory to test his many bold ideas for revitalizing the railroad industry. As a result of his experiments and flair for publicity, the New Haven remained fixed in the public spotlight throughout the 22 months of his administration as no other railroad has ever been.With the help of over 500 illustrations, author Marc Frattasio tells the full story of the New Haven Railroad under Patrick McGinnis from the bitter battle to wrest the railroad away from Frederic C. Dumaine Jr. through the financial chicanery and turmoil that ultimately forced McGinnis to step down. In between the details of experiments with high speed passenger trains, the colorful corporate image and architectural design programs, new locomotives and equipment, the commuter insurrection, efforts to merge the New Haven with the Boston & Maine, the hurricanes and floods of 1954 and 1955, the General Motors Plan, and many other interesting but little known aspects of the railroad in the McGinnis era are revealed.Additionally, the events of the McGinnis era are framed within the broader context of the New Havens overall history and a survey is provided of Patrick McGinnis tumultuous careers on the Norfolk Southern, the Central of Georgia, and the Boston & Maine railroads.
The first and only complete study of the Southwest's most successful railway is back in print! This book documents a proud history with diagrams, maps, and over 300 photographs. Includes a roster of every steam and diesel locomotive owned by the Cotton Belt and its predecessors up to 1977. A must-have for any locomotive enthusiast.
By the start of the twentieth century railroads crisscrossed the nation, yet there were still those who believed that the railroad network in the United States was far from complete. Residents of small towns lacking rail access lobbied hard for steam and electric roads to serve their communities, and investors eagerly started new ventures that would fill the gaps in the railway map. While some of these roads enjoyed a degree of success, most of them were financial flops even before the rise of the highway system made them obsolete.In Twilight Rails, H. Roger Grant—one of the leading railroad historians working today—documents the stories of eight Midwestern carriers that appeared at the end of the railroad building craze. When historians have reflected on these “twilight” carriers, they have suggested that they were relevant only as examples of unwise business ventures. Grant finds that even the weakest railroads were important to the communities they served; the arrival of the railroad was cause for great celebration as residents were finally connected to the outside world. A railroad’s construction pumped money into local economies, farmers and manufacturers gained access to better markets, and the excitement generated by a new line often increased land values and inspired expansion of local businesses. Even the least financially successful carriers, Grant argues, managed to significantly improve their local economies.This thorough and highly accessible history provides a fascinating look at the motivations, accomplishments, and failures of the twilight carriers, granting a new breath of life to this neglected aspect of American railway history.
First published in 1999