Sunset Cluster
A Shortline Railroad Saga
Seiten
2023
Indiana University Press (Verlag)
978-0-253-06671-8 (ISBN)
Indiana University Press (Verlag)
978-0-253-06671-8 (ISBN)
Discover the Sunset Cluster—railroads that were doomed to fail?
The first two decades of the 20th century were the twilight of the railroad age. Major routes had long been established, and local service became the focus of new construction. Beginning in 1907, a cluster of five shortline railroads were established in otherwise unconnected parts of Iowa. By the dawn of the Great Depression, all these routes would be discontinued.
The five Iowa 'sunset cluster' railroads might appear to deserve eternal obscurity, being at best minor footnotes to American railroad history. After all, their total mileage barely exceeded 100 miles. Their average life span, moreover, covered about five years, and the Des Moines & Red Oak Railway (DM&RO) never turned a wheel. Yet, to understand the rise of the railroad empires of the 19th century, it is necessary to study their fall.
Using contemporary newspapers, government reports, and other little-known sources, renowned railway historian H. Roger Grant offers a fascinating look at these shortline railroads. Sunset Cluster explores the almost desperate desire by communities to benefit from steel rails before the regional railroad map finally imploded and the challenges faced by latter-day shortline builders.
The first two decades of the 20th century were the twilight of the railroad age. Major routes had long been established, and local service became the focus of new construction. Beginning in 1907, a cluster of five shortline railroads were established in otherwise unconnected parts of Iowa. By the dawn of the Great Depression, all these routes would be discontinued.
The five Iowa 'sunset cluster' railroads might appear to deserve eternal obscurity, being at best minor footnotes to American railroad history. After all, their total mileage barely exceeded 100 miles. Their average life span, moreover, covered about five years, and the Des Moines & Red Oak Railway (DM&RO) never turned a wheel. Yet, to understand the rise of the railroad empires of the 19th century, it is necessary to study their fall.
Using contemporary newspapers, government reports, and other little-known sources, renowned railway historian H. Roger Grant offers a fascinating look at these shortline railroads. Sunset Cluster explores the almost desperate desire by communities to benefit from steel rails before the regional railroad map finally imploded and the challenges faced by latter-day shortline builders.
H. Roger Grant is author of numerous books on railroads and transportation, including Railroads and the American People and A Mighty Fine Road. He is Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of History at Clemson University.
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Sunset Years: Railroad Fever
2. Atlantic Northern & Southern Railway: Cass County
3. Iowa & Southwestern Railway: Railroad Problems
4. Creston, Winterset & Des Moines Railroad: An Empty Corridor
5. Iowa & Omaha Short Line Railway: Treynor
6. Des Moines & Red Oak Railway: Gestation of an Interurban
7. Epilogue: The Sunset Complex Matters
Notes
| Erscheinungsdatum | 12.07.2023 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Railroads Past and Present |
| Zusatzinfo | 40 Illustrations, black and white |
| Verlagsort | Bloomington, IN |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 229 mm |
| Themenwelt | Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Schienenfahrzeuge |
| Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918) | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-253-06671-9 / 0253066719 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-253-06671-8 / 9780253066718 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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