Railroads: Their Origins and Problems

Charles Francis Adams II (May 27, 1835 – May 20, 1915) was a member of the prominent Adams family. He served as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he was a railroad regulator and executive, president, successively, of the Union Pacific Railroad, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the American Historical Association. His writings and addresses both on problems of railway management and on historical subjects frequently gave rise to widespread controversy. In this work, first published in 1886, Adams writes with impressive expertise and clarity on the origins of and problems with the railroads in Europe and America. The section on origins is devoted mostly to some of the more entertaining and naively charming first-hand accounts of the opening ceremonies for, and early excursions on the first primitive railroads in Britain, South Carolina and Massachusetts. In the section on problems he describes the approaches taken by various countries to construct, operate, and regulate their railroad systems, especially in the United States where unbridled competition was the rule. At the time he wrote this work, American railroads were almost entirely unregulated and were engaged in ruthlessly self-destructive warfare with each other at great cost to the nation. He applies his considerable expertise to the problems associated with railroad services, regulations, competition, monopolies, associations, and responsibilities, and he offers well-considered opinions on how these problems needed to be solved taking into consideration the peculiar character of America and Americans. Railroads, written by a significant historian with considerable practical as well as academic experience, is both an important and an enjoyable read for any student of American history and business.