Description
Book SynopsisA 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
Trade ReviewMark Aldrich provides a comprehensive review of U.S. railroad safety, including major wrecks, regulatory changes, and technological innovations . . . The author intertwines encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. railroad accidents with a discussion that outlines how market forces, technological advancement, and regulations influenced railroad safety.
—Cody Nehiba and Alexander Luttmann,
EH.NetTable of ContentsList of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Introduction
1. The Long View
2. Off the Tracks
3. On the Right Track
4. "Our Goal Is Zero Accidents"
5. Passenger Safety in Modern Times, 1955–2015
6. Look Out for the Train
Conclusion
Appendixes
1. Train Accidents That Shaped Railroad Safety, 1831–1955
2. Adjusting Train Accidents for Inflation and Reporting Changes, 1947–1978
3. Accidents That Shaped Railroad Safety, 1960–2010
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index
