The Railroad Problem

Hungerford, Edward, 1875-1948Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.3

Word count: 436K words
Chapters: 44

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Railroad Problem by Edward HungerfordAuthor: Hungerford, Edward, 1875-1948,Language: English, Class: HE: Social sciences: Transportation and communications, Release Date: Jul 2, 2012

Editor's review

Written by Edward Hungerford, an American writer on railroad history and transportation issues, this book examines the operating, regulatory, and public-policy difficulties facing the U.S. railroad industry in the early twentieth century. A longtime chronicler of railroad subjects, the author writes in an accessible, explanatory style for a general audience, setting rates, competition, government regulation, and service quality within the industry's development. For today's readers its value lies chiefly in its historical material and perspective: it shows how railroads, as modern transport infrastructure, confronted problems of governance after their period of expansion, making it useful to readers studying transport history, the history of public policy, and industrial regulation. The institutional context and data belong to their era and should not be applied directly to the present, yet the underlying question—how infrastructure can balance efficiency with the public interest—remains relevant. Best used as supplementary reading for a focused topic, ideally alongside general works on railroad history or the economics of regulation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying U.S. railroad and transport history
Scholars and students concerned with infrastructure regulation and public policy
Readers interested in American industrial change in the early twentieth century
Readers of economic history comfortable reading English

Not a good fit for

Engineering-minded readers seeking contemporary railroad technology and operations
General readers wanting a Chinese translation for quick conclusions
Learners expecting a systematic economics textbook

Reading tips

First survey the book's main questions, then read in blocks by theme such as rates, regulation, and competition.
Read alongside a timeline of U.S. railroad history to clarify the chronological setting of the institutions discussed.
Note the problems and proposals the author raises, distinguishing factual statements from personal argument.
Compare with general articles on contemporary infrastructure regulation to consider how the questions persist and change.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which period of railroad problems does this book discuss?

Written in the early twentieth century, it addresses the operating and regulatory difficulties U.S. railroads faced after rapid expansion, including rates, competitive order, and government regulation. Its institutional background and data belong to that era, so historical context matters when reading.

Does the book still have value today?

Its historical material and the questions it raises remain useful. It records early governance problems of railroads as infrastructure, and the tension between efficiency and the public interest is still visible in contemporary infrastructure debates. Its specific institutional proposals should not be applied directly, however; read it alongside current research.

What background knowledge is needed to understand it?

A basic grasp of U.S. railroad development and elementary concepts of economic regulation is recommended; otherwise discussions of rates, competition, and the government's role may seem remote. Start with an overview article on U.S. railroad history before turning to specific chapters.

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About the author

Hungerford, Edward, 1875-1948 Author

Hungerford, Edward (1875–1948) was an author whose writing centred mainly on railways and American urban life; public information about him is limited, and details of his biography remain largely unknown. Seven of his works are held here, ranging from railway management and future prospects to the character of cities and commercial culture. Representative titles include The Personality of American Cities, The Modern Railroad, The Railroad Problem, Our Railroads To-Morrow, and The Story of the Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg Railroad. He also wrote The Romance of a Great Store and left a wartime account, With the Doughboy in France. Writing for general readers, he combined industry knowledge, historical context, and personal observation in a plain, readable style, offering accessible and concrete material for viewing early twentieth-century American railways and social life.