Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad

Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad
Threewheeler avatar reviewed on + 29 more book reviews


After riding over 18,00 miles on Amtrak the past 22 years, it is very interesting to read the stories behind the names of so many railroad locations. Much federal money and open western land was made available to hasten the expansion of population and commerce into the western territories. The results of this previous federal stimulus program are quite obvious today. Yes there was greed and manipulation aplenty. There was also vision, imagination, planning, breathtaking engineering and just plain hard work performed by ordinary people trying to make their own way. In doing so they all made history that is fascinating and insightful.