The American Railroad Network, 1861-1890 (The Railroads) - Hardcover

Taylor, George Rogers; Neu, Irene D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0405138199 ISBN 13: 9780405138195

Publisher: Arno Press, 1981

Synopsis

Rapid population growth in the Great Plains and the American West after the Civil War was the result not only of railroad expansion but of a collaboration among competing railroads to adopt a uniform width for track. "The American Railroad Network, 1861-1890" shows how the consolidation of smaller railroads and the growth of capitalism worked to unify the fragmented railroad industry through standardization. George Rogers Taylor and Irene D. Neu cover the emergence of railroads before and during the Civil War, their expansions westward, the gradual adoption of a national rail gauge, and the development of standardized equipment and car interchange rules that set examples for American industry in general. A pioneering work first published in 1956, "The American Railroad Network, 1861-1890" provides a framework for understanding how advancements in technology are both impeded and fostered by political processes and commercial pressures.This paperback edition features three full-color fold-out maps and a new introduction by Railroad History editor Mark Reutter.

About this title

Review:

ADVANCE PRAISE "For those who have long puzzled over the extent and effectiveness of the nation's railroads on the eve of the Civil War, the maps and lucid text which they accompany will be worth their weight in gold." -- Mississippi Valley Historical Review "A model of concise, pointed scholarship." -- Journal of Political Economy "The definitive study." -- Business History Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Arno Press
• Publication date: 1981
• ISBN 10: 0405138199
• ISBN 13: 9780405138195
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 113