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John W. Barriger III

Railroad Legend

H Roger Grant author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Indiana University Press

Published:14th Mar '18

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

John W. Barriger III cover

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.

"In this volume, noted author and historian H. Roger Grant traces the interesting life and 50-plus-year career of John W. Barriger III, known in some circles as the "doctor of sick railroads."

* The Michigan Railfan *

Thanks to Roger Grant's latest book, Barriger and his amazing legacy endures, waiting to be rediscovered by a new generation of readers. Trust me, you'll learn a lot.

* Classic Trains *

Grant tells the story of this visionary leader quite well. Readers will find in his biography an extraordinary tale of the travails of twentieth-century railroading through the career of this one man.

* The Annals of Iowa *

H. Roger Grant's biography, John W. Barriger III, offers a new and much needed perspective on this prominent individual. Grant brings together an overview of Barriger's carrer developments with an appropriate balance of insights into his early life and introduction to railraods.

-- Thomas C. Cornillie * Journal of Transport Histo

ISBN: 9780253032881

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

238 pages