Synopses & Reviews
This richly illustrated volume tells the story of a legendary railroad whose tracks spanned the Midwest, serving farms and small-town America for more than 140 years. One of the earliest railroads to build westward from Chicago, it was the first to span the Mississippi, advancing the frontier, bringing settlers into the West, and hauling their crops to market. Rock Island's celebrated Rocket passenger trains also set a standard for speed and service, with suburban runs as familiar to Windy City commuters as the Loop. For most of its existence, the Rock battled competitors much larger and richer than itself and when it finally succumbed, the result was one of the largest business bankruptcies ever. Today, as its engines and stock travel the busy main lines operated by other carriers, the Rock Island Line lives on in the hearts of those whom it employed and served.
Review
"A concise, factual, and highly readable account of a major Midwestern freight and passenger railroad." --William J. Watt, author of The Pennsylvania Railroad in Indiana Indiana University Press
Review
"The image selection is impressive and makes this title worthy of purchase.... The Rock Island Line is a great combination of a typical history book and color guide in one release." --Model Railroad News Indiana University Press
Review
"Bill Marvel's The Rock Island Line is a breezy and captivating short history of the Rock Island Railroad from its inception in the 1850s until its liquidation in 1980. Heavily illustrated with photographs from a diverse cross section of the Rock Island itself, the book makes for a pleasing introduction to history of a railroad which was always one railroad too many, serving an area other railroads served, usually by a more direct route." --Lexington Quarterly
Review
"Marvel's fine balance between photos and a concise telling of the Rock Island's long history will strongly appeal to both rail fans and general readers interested in railroad history." --Library Journal
Review
"This is a superior book and will appeal to a wide range of readers including business history, transportation historians, Rock Island fans, rail enthusiasts, and general readers." --John Spychalski, Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University Indiana University Press
Review
"The book possess a high quality of production, and it contains some wonderful photographs, dating mostly from the more recent past." --Railroad History
Review
"Marvel... documents the Rock Island's roller coaster history in this attractive volume from Indiana University Press.... A beautiful collection of action oriented photos from well know camera artists like Otto Perry and Ron Hill accompany the well written
text." --Michigan Railfan
About the Author
Bill Marvel has been a newspaper journalist and freelance writer for 49 years. He is author (with R. V. Burgin) of Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific, a main selection of the History Book Club.
Table of Contents
Introduction and Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 The Bridge
Chapter 2 A Bend in the Road
Chapter 3 A Rocky Road
Chapter 4 Planned Progress
Chapter 5 The Road to Ride
Chapter 6 The Road to Ruin
Epilogue: Pieces of the Rock
Notes
Resources
Index