In the days before airlines and interstates began siphoning off rail freight and passenger business – and big railroads merged to form today’s even bigger mega-systems – virtually every large city and town was served by multiple railroads. Shippers had their choice of carriers to move goods between Points A and B. Passengers, too, had […]
Enjoying a meal on board a moving train is an experience that is as popular today as it was in the late 1800s when the first dining cars were introduced on passenger trains. The singular combination of mouth-watering food, good company, and ever-changing scenery remains a selling point of long-distance train travel. “Settle down in […]
At the end of the 1930s, the United States stood as the world leader in railroad electrification. With 2400 route-miles and more than 6300 track-miles under electric power – far more than any other country – U.S. electrification represented more than 20 percent of the world total. Electricity was harnessed for a variety of railroad […]
JOHN W. BARRIGER III One of the most peripatetic chief executives in railroading-he led Monon, P&LE, Katy, and Boston & Maine-was also one of the most sagacious. “J.W.B.’s” vision of the Super Railroad was the template for every Class 1 of the 1990’s. RALPH BUDD Scholar as well as railroader, Budd ran Great Northern and […]
