Getting There: The Epic Struggle Between Road And Rail In The American Century

By Stephen B. Goddard

Book Overview

"A readable and concise overview of how U.S. transportation came to its present pass. . . . Goddard is at his best when recounting the complex and interesting history of what has come to be called... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465026397
• ISBN13: 9780465026395
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Getting There

I may be a little biased in my review of "Getting There", since my grand uncle Roy and my grandfather John Fitzgerald (pages 123-137)played such a significant role in the transformation from the trolley to the bus. Interestingly, this expansive transportation network was created by American entrepreneurs with no public funds and ran at a profit that public transportation doesn't seem to be able to do today. This was accomplished during the the Great Depression era and may be a more poignent lesson today during our current economic times.

How Did We Get Into This Mess

Of all of the books that I have read pertaining to railroad history, "Getting There" is head and shoulders above all the rest. The author provides a well written and generally balanced account of the competition between rail and highway transportation in the United States from about the 1920's forward.By 1920, the powerful presence of the robber barons of the late 19th century had disappeared, and the railroads were in a state of disarray and disintegration as a result of the heavy demands being placed upon the system, and the benign dictatorship of the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) who took over and ran the railroads during WWI.In addition, the railroads were required to operate under onerous and restrictive rules and regulations imposed by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) as a result of the excesses of the 19th century. And the railroads had little support from the public because of these past sins.Into this scenario arose highway competition, by and large developed with public funds. And without controls such as imposed on the railroads. In contrast trucks and busses were allowed to operate unfettered. So a trucking company could operate freely between two given points and change rates and service at will. While a railroad operating between those same two points would have to go through the cumbersome ICC process.Author Goddard provides a concise and well documented picture of this competition between rail and highway, a competition which continues to this day.I highly recommed this book to anyone who is interested in a serious look at our overall transportation system. But a word of advice: Check the condition of your pacemaker first. This book is not recommended for someone with high blood pressure. I guarantee that you will come away absolutely furious at the foibles of our national transportation policy.

How highways, with massive gov't subsidies, beat railroads

A well-written readable, and mostly objective picture of how highways, through massive government investment through the construction of the interstate highway system, steadily became the dominant mode of transportation in the US. The author concludes that, with deregulation and improvements to Amtrak, railroads do have a promising future despite the historic imbalance.