The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad
This comprehensive work chronicles the actions through almost 100 years, to its bankruptcy in 1976.(Scale Rails)It's a case study in inventiveness brought about by determination.(Trains)This book is what a railroad history should be—a deft mix of corporate history with more than a dash, no, a generous dollop, of the operational details that bring a railroad to life. I highly recommend it.(Railfan and Railroad)Mohowski has an almost spiritual passion and innate ability to transform often-mundane decades of 'corporate' history into a living breathing entity.(Don SpiroRailroad Model Craftsman)Overall this is an enjoyable and interesting work... The author has undertaken an impressive amount of primary source research, and it is doubtful that anyone will ever write a more detailed history of this company... The author is to be commended for his accuracy, organization, and dispassionate objectivity... It is certainly a worthwhile read for anyone interested in railroading in the northeastern United States.(Albert ChurellaEnterprise and Society)Mohowski has studied extensively the little-known NYS&W.; There is no question that he has made a contribution to railroad history.(H. Roger GrantEH.Net)A solidly researched narrative history of the railroad from the inception of its predecessors through to the present... Required reading for scholars of eastern railroads.(Colin DivallJournal of Transport History2005-01-00)An initiation into the realm of railroad histories and railroad enthusiasts... A must read.(Thomas A. RumneyPennsylvania Geographer2005-01-00)This is a well-written, detailed history of a railroad that was, if not a major player in America's railway history, very much a conspicuous one by virtue of its location in the New York—New Jersey metropolitan region. Unusually—and for railway historians and enthusiasts, importantly—Robert E. Mohowski devotes much of his attention to the decline of the New York, Susquehanna & Western, and its managers' efforts to reverse the company's fading fortunes. Mohowski's discussion of the railroad's introduction of innovative self-propelled cars and their operational history in this regard is especially excellent.(George W. Hilton, author ofThe Ma & Pa: A History of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad)The story of the New York, Susquehanna & Western is a fascinating addition to American railroad corporate history. During its century-long existence, the company engaged in unusual efforts to develop the use of internal combustion engines and streamlined passenger cars, and this, too, is part of the NYS&W; story. Those of us who enjoy railroad history owe Robert E. Mohowski a debt of appreciation for the research he has done and the generous act of compiling it for the rest of us.(John W. Barriger IV, from the Foreword)This engaging... volume is the first in-depth history of the line and is illustrated with historic black and white photos both of its freight and passenger operations.(Susan O'BrienS Gaugian / Sn3 Modeler2007-01-00)