Amtrak, America's Railroad

"Amtrak, America's Railroad is an engineering blueprint of Amtrak's past, with validation by many of the leaders who were instrumental in its development. It explores both successes and failures and their ramifications; and it shows that the issue of money alone has not solely contributed to Amtrak's "sawtooth" history of highs and lows. It is ideal reading for those with an interest in learning about Amtrak's past, its current state, and what its future could be."—Ronald L. Batory, Administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration, retired

"I led a major freight railroad for 12 years, but the most asked question at social gatherings was, and still is, "Why don't we have better passenger service?" Now I can respond by recommending Amtrak, America's Railroad."—David Goode, Former Chairman of Norfolk Southern and the Association of American Railroads

"This is a thorough and accurate account tracing the saga of Amtrak's ups and downs since its inception. After collecting input ranging from former Amtrak Presidents to line employees, passengers and government officials, the authors propose provocative changes to Amtrak's governance, administration and funding that they argue will enable Amtrak to take its rightful place as an effective and valued part of America's transportation system."—Rob Krebs, Retired Chairman & CEO, BNSF

"Amtrak's first 50 years reads like an industrial-sized soap opera. You literally can't separate the politics from the trains themselves. That's why Amtrak, America's Railroad makes for such a fascinating read for anybody who's even remotely interested in Amtrak and its trains."—Railfan & Railroad Magazine

"This is not a typical railfan book with equipment photos and action shots. But for those who want to get into the nuts and bolts of Amtrak's creation and ongoing problems and solutions, I know of no better source than Amtrak America's Railroad."—Classic Trains

"This excellent study details Amtrak's checkered 50 year history – its successes as well as its failures. In addition to an extensive bibliography of printed materials consulted, the authors interviewed a wide variety of persons with first hand knowledge of its operations and service delivery, which included passengers, front line employees, past Amtrak presidents, and government officials."—The Michigan Railfan

"Doughty, Darbee and Harmon have created an important book about Amtrak. This is a thoroughly researched, scholarly approach to the subject, yet the prose is plainspoken and straightforward, never lapsing into pedantic, pretentious academese."—Passenger Train Journal