Synopses & Reviews
The Indiana Rail Road Company is an extraordinary success story among the scores of independent short line and regional railroads spawned in the wake of railroad deregulation. Christopher Rund chronicles the development of the company from its origins as part of America's first land grant railroad, the Illinois Central, through the political and financial juggling required by entrepreneur Tom Hoback to purchase the line when it fell into disrepair. The company was reborn as a robust, profitable carrier and has become a new model for the American regional railroad.
The Indiana Rail Road Company is unique among chronicles of these small railroads. It draws together a historical perspective, as well as a detailed narrative of the business aspects of rehabilitating the rail line and transforming it into a profitable enterprise. The book also touches on a variety of subtopics, significantly the application of new technologies to manage costs and improve productivity. The Indiana Rail Road Company pioneered the most significant of these in the United States.
Review
The first five chapters provide a good history of the rail line--from inception in the late nineteenth century as part of the Illinois Central Railroad through the 1986 formation of the INRD. The next four chapters cover the creation of the new railroad and the various growing pains and successes it had in its first 20 years of existence. The final chapter follows an average 'day in the life' of the INRD. Indiana University Press Indiana University Press
Review
"Originally published in 2006, this fascinating story by Christopher Rund has been brought up to date to commemorate the Indiana Rail Road's 25th anniversary.... All in all, a very interesting presentation." --The Michigan Railfan Indiana University Press Indiana University Press
About the Author
Christopher Rund is a senior marketing communications writer with a lifelong interest in railroading and transportation. He began working with the senior management of The Indiana Rail Road Company in 1998 and co-authored a feature on the railroad's technological innovations for Trains Magazine in 2001. He works as creative director for the Bloomington office of Hirons and Company and lives in Bloomington, Indiana.
Table of Contents
Contents<\>Foreword by Jim McClellan
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Rise and Rationalization of the Main Line of Mid-America
2. A Time to Build
3. The Postmodernist Empire Builder
4. Life along the Railroad
5. Trestles and Tunnels
6. Run It Like a Business
7. Growing Pains
8. Rebuilding a Relic
9. It's About Results
10. A Day in the Life of the Indiana Rail Road Company
Appendix: Up and Down the Line
Notes
Index