Synopses & Reviews
Praised by the
Chicago Tribune as "thoroughly and compellingly detailed history," Volumes I and II of Maury Klein's monumental history of the Union Pacific Railroad covered the years from 1863-1969. Now the third and final volume brings the story of the Union Pacific--the oldest, largest, and most successful railroad of modern times--fully up to date.
The book follows the trajectory of an icon of the industrial age trying to negotiate its way in a post-railway world, plagued by setbacks such as labor disputes, aging infrastructure, government de-regulation, ill-fated mergers, and more. By 1969 the same company that a century earlier had triumphantly driven the golden spike into Promontory Summit--to immortalize the nation's first transcontinental railway--seemed a dinosaur destined for financial ruin. But as Klein shows, the Union Pacific not only survived but is once more thriving, which proves that railways remain critical to commerce and industry in America, even as passenger train travel has all but disappeared. Drawing on interviews with Union Pacific personnel past and present, Klein takes readers inside the great railroad--into its boardrooms and along its tracks--to show how the company adapted to the rapidly changing world of modern transportation. The book also offers fascinating portraits of the men who have run the railroad. The challenges they faced, and the strategies they developed to meet them, give readers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of America's great companies.
A capstone on a remarkable achievement, Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration will appeal to historians, business scholars, and transportation buffs alike.
Review
"Mr. Klein has written thoroughly researched and scrupulously objective biographies of the previously much maligned Jay Gould and E.H. Harriman, remaking their public images by presenting them in full. Now he has published the third and final volume of his magisterial history of the Union Pacific railroad, taking the company from 1969 to the present day." --Wall Street Journal
"Klein's lively yet comprehensive business history is highly recommended for all readers interested in business or railroads." -- Library Journal
"One of the great contributions to railroad history is complete again with this wonderful account of Union Pacific since 1969...Personalities drive this story, and Klein's access to most of the participants, and his eye for human detail, make the book vivid." -- Trains Magazine
"This is an evenhanded, warts-and-all history. The Reconfiguration is the strongest of a commendable series...For those trying to understand how the industry has rebounded to the best of times it enjoys today, Maury Klein has provided a superb study of that transformation." -- Railroad History
About the Author
Maury Klein is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Rhode Island and the author of many books, including
The Power Makers.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE: The Celebration
PART ONE: THE KENEFICK ERA, 1970-1985
Chapter 1: The Industry
Chapter 2: The Fat Old Lady
Chapter 3: The New Arrangements
Chapter 4: The New Approach
Chapter 5: The Shifting Landscape
Chapter 6: The Corporate Relationship
Chapter 7: The Return of Humpty Dumpty
Chapter 8: The Year of Decisions
Chapter 9: The New Partners
Chapter 10: The Coming Together
Chapter 11: The Right Stuff
Chapter 12: The Operation
Chapter 13: The Marketing Maze
Chapter 14: The Studies
PART TWO: THE WALSH ERA, 1986-1991
Chapter 15: The Succession Scramble
Chapter 16: The Whirlwind
Chapter 17: The Quest for Quality
Chapter 18: The Enigmatic Dynamo
Chapter 19: The Problem
Chapter 20: The Empire
PART THREE: THE DAVIDSON ERA, 1992-2004
Chapter 21: The Unstable Chessboard
Chapter 22: The Improbable Leader
Chapter 23: The Bidding War
Chapter 24: The Shaking Out
Chapter 25: The Sorting Out
Chapter 26: The Changing of the Guard
Chapter 27: The Nightmare
Chapter 28: The Road to Redemption
Chapter 29: The Lessons Learned
Chapter 30: The Clash of Styles
Chapter 31: The Lessons Relearned
EPILOGUE: The Next Railroad