In the years following World War-II, the combination of prosperity, a renewed love affair with the automobile, and the availability of commercial air travel contributed to the dwindling number of rail travellers. This title recounts the demise of the pre-Amtrak passenger train. It uncovers the reasons behind the disappearance of these trains.
In the years following World War II, a potent combination of newprosperity, a renewed love affair with the automobile, improved highways, and theavailability of commercial air travel contributed to the dwindling number of railtravelers. By the 1960s, rail passenger service had become an endangered species inan unfriendly environment. Fred W. Frailey recounts the demise of the pre-Amtrakpassenger train in Twilight of the Great Trains. Drawing upon a lifetime ofexperience as a reporter and editor, Frailey uncovers the reasons behind thedisappearance of these great trains and explains how 11 railroad systems withstoodor welcomed, fought or embraced the inevitable decline of their passenger services.Stimulating and informative, this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of themost challenging eras in American railroad history.
