A fascinating account of one of America's most important industries
and its dangers.
Throughout the early twentieth century, railroad safety steadily
improved across the United States. But by the 1960s, American railroads
had fallen apart, the result of a regulatory straightjacket that eroded
profitability and undermined safety. Collisions, derailments, worker
fatalities, and grade crossing mishaps skyrocketed, while hazmat
disasters exploded into newspaper headlines.
In Back on Track, his sequel to Death Rode the Rails, Mark Aldrich
traces the history of railroad accidents beginning in 1965, when
Congress responded to bankrupt and scandal-ridden carriers by enacting a
new safety regime. Aldrich details the federalization of rail safety and
the implementation of a massive grade crossing program. He touches on
post-1976 economic deregulation, which provided critical financing that
underwrote better public safety. He also explores how the National
Transportation Safety Board acted as a public scold to shine bright
lights on private failings, while Federal Railroad Administration
regulations reinforced market incentives for better safety.
Ultimately, Aldrich concludes, the past 50 years have seen great strides
in restoring railroad safety while enhancing industry profitability.
Arguing that it was not inadequate safety regulation but rather stifling
economic regulation that initially caused an uptick in train accidents,
Back on Track is both a paen to the return of more competitive
railroading and the only comprehensive history of the safety of modern
American railroads.
Praise for Death Rode the Rails
"A masterful study of the complex evolution of railroad
safety."--American Historical Review
"Students of rail safety, and today's Class I railroad managers, need to
read this volume."--Trains
"Aldrich has created a masterpiece. His research is extensive, drawing
on a rich variety of obscure yet relevant sources."--Register of the
Kentucky Historical Society
"One of the first large-scale scholarly studies of railroad safety in
America."--Railroad History
"A thought-provoking and well-grounded contribution to the history of
American economic development."--Journal of American History
"Pioneering . . . A central message of Aldrich's book is that 'little
accidents' played a crucial though until now largely hidden role in the
gradual evolution of a risk society."--Technology and Culture
"A work of merit . . . essential reading for historians of transport
safety, business, and technology."--Journal of Transport History
"Impressive and thoroughly researched . . . Demonstrates how railroad
safety evolved from the intersection of market pressures, technology,
and public sentiment."--Journal of Southern History
