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.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
