Overview

The final volume of Albert J. Churella's landmark series, The Pennsylvania Railroad, concludes the story of the iconic transportation company, covering its long decline from the 1930s to its merger with the New York Central Railroad in 1968. Despite some parallels with World War I, the experience of World War II had a substantially different impact on the Pennsylvania Railroad. The introduction of new technologies, personnel, and commuter routes had significant effects on this giant of American transportation. The recession of 1958 sparked a period of decline from which it and many other railroads struggled to fully recover. The Pennsylvania Railroad: The Long Decline, 1933-1968 provides an unparalleled look at the final years of this legendary company, which in its prime was the largest corporation in the world, with a budget second only to that of the US federal government.

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9780253069474

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Reviews

"""In Albert J. Churella's talented hands, the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad comes to life in the form of superbly constructed accounts of overnight trains, steam and electric power, commuter lines, hard-working executives like James Symes and his successor Stuart Sanders, and the skilled and equally hard-working women and men who made the trains run, serving both commuters and shippers. As well, Churella has much to teach us about wage demands, aggressive and insular politicians, and federal and state railroad policies that helped push the ""Standard Railroad of the World"" into a merger with the New York Central in 1968 and into bankruptcy in 1970. Every railfan and citizen will enjoy Churella's riveting and deeply researched account, the third volume in his magisterial trilogy. And the photographs are gorgeous.""—Mark H. Rose, Florida Atlantic University"

""In Albert J. Churella's talented hands, the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad comes to life in the form of superbly constructed accounts of overnight trains, steam and electric power, commuter lines, hard-working executives like James Symes and his successor Stuart Sanders, and the skilled and equally hard-working women and men who made the trains run, serving both commuters and shippers. As well, Churella has much to teach us about wage demands, aggressive and insular politicians, and federal and state railroad policies that helped push the ""Standard Railroad of the World"" into a merger with the New York Central in 1968 and into bankruptcy in 1970. Every railfan and citizen will enjoy Churella's riveting and deeply researched account, the third volume in his magisterial trilogy. And the photographs are gorgeous.""—Mark H. Rose, Florida Atlantic University

Author Information

Albert J. Churella is author of From Steam to Diesel: Managerial Customs and Organizational Capabilities in the Twentieth-Century American Locomotive Industry and The Pennsylvania Railroad, volumes 1 and 2. He is Professor of History in the History and Philosophy Department at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Churella is also the president of the Lexington Group, an organization dedicated to transportation history and practice.

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