John W. Barriger III
Subtitle: railroad legend
By: H. Roger Grant
Series: Railroads past and present; Railroads past and present
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 226
ISBN-13: 9780253032881
Subjects: Management; Railroads and state; Employees; Railroads; Biography; History
Other titles: Railroad legend
Description: In John W. Barriger III: Railroad Legend, historian H. Roger Grant details the fascinating life and impact of a transportation tycoon and "doctor of sick railroads." After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John W. Barriger III (1899-1976) started his career on the Pennsylvania Railroad as a rodman, shop hand, and then assistant yardmaster. His enthusiasm, tenacity, and lifelong passion for the industry propelled him professionally, culminating in leadership roles at Monon Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad. His legendary capability to save railroad corporations in peril earned him the nickname "doctor of sick railroads," and his impact was also felt far from the train tracks, as he successfully guided New Deal relief efforts for the Railroad Division of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation during the Depression and served in the Office of Defense Transportation during World War II. Featuring numerous personal photographs and interviews, John W. Barriger III is an intimate account of a railroad magnate and his role in transforming the transportation industry. --Publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Early life and career; title: Government man; title: Monon; title: Transition years; title: Pittsburgh & Lake Erie; title: Missouri-Kansas-Texas; title: More retirements; title: Epilogue.