New Haven Railroads Streamline Passenger Fleet 1934 1953

The story of how New England's "little giant" managed to order a fleet of streamline passenger cars and locomotives in the midst of the Great Depression and WWII. Doughty recounts how the company's management financed its acquisitions and turned the railroad around. He also tells the fascinating story of how the railroad under Howard Palmer, in the middle of WWII, prepared for the postwar period with passenger car and traffic research, revealing for the first time unpublished drawings, designs, and artistic renderings depicting the plans and dreams for the future.

New England's "little giant" is perhaps most remarkable for managing to order a streamline passenger fleet in the midst of two national crises -- the Great Depression and World War II. This illustrated history explains how the company's management, under the direction of Howard Palmer, saved the company from the financial damage created by J.P. Morgan's collusion with the New Haven's previous management. The engaging text is complemented by a selection of archival photographs depicting the locomotives and rolling stock, along with fascinating and previously unpublished design drawings that depict Palmer's unfulfilled dreams for the New Haven Railroad in the postwar years.