John W. Barriger III: Railroad Legend (Railroads Past and Present) - Hardcover

Grant, H. Roger

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253032881 ISBN 13: 9780253032881

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2018

Synopsis

In John W. Barriger III: Railroad Legend, historian H. Roger Grant details the fascinating life and impact of a transportation tycoon and "doctor of sick railroads."

After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John W. Barriger III (1899–1976) started his career on the Pennsylvania Railroad as a rodman, shop hand, and then assistant yardmaster. His enthusiasm, tenacity, and lifelong passion for the industry propelled him professionally, culminating in leadership roles at Monon Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad. His legendary capability to save railroad corporations in peril earned him the nickname "doctor of sick railroads," and his impact was also felt far from the train tracks, as he successfully guided New Deal relief efforts for the Railroad Division of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation during the Depression and served in the Office of Defense Transportation during World War II. Featuring numerous personal photographs and interviews, John W. Barriger III is an intimate account of a railroad magnate and his role in transforming the transportation industry.

About this title

About the Author:

H. Roger Grant is Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of History at Clemson University. He is author of more than 30 books, including Electric Interurbans and the American People (IUP, 2016), Railroaders without Borders: A History of the Railroad Development Corporation (IUP, 2015), The Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Rail Road: Dreams of Linking North and South (IUP, 2014), and Railroads and the American People (IUP, 2012).

Review:

"Thanks to Roger Grant's latest book, Barriger and his amazing legacy endures, waiting to be rediscovered by a new generation of readers. Trust me, you'll learn a lot."

(Classic Trains)

"

"In this volume, noted author and historian H. Roger Grant traces the interesting life and 50-plus-year career of John W. Barriger III, known in some circles as the "doctor of sick railroads."

"

(The Michigan Railfan)

"Grant tells the story of this visionary leader quite well. Readers will find in his biography an extraordinary tale of the travails of twentieth-century railroading through the career of this one man."

(The Annals of Iowa)

About this edition

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0253032881
• ISBN 13: 9780253032881
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 238