Tracks Across America with Simon Cordery

Alan Lowe speaks with Dr. Simon Cordery about the transformative role of railroads in American history. From the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1828 to a national network by 1916, Cordery details how rail shaped commerce, industry, and infrastructure. He also explores regulation, from early oversight efforts to the 1980 Staggers Act, which revitalized the struggling industry. The conversation touches on Amtrak’s dependence on subsidies, the challenges of expansion, and the promise of high-speed rail. Cordery also previews his book on Albert Pullman, a largely forgotten innovator behind the Pullman Company’s early success and a symbol of overlooked entrepreneurial ambition. Guest Bio Dr. Simon Cordery is Chair of the History Department at Iowa State University and a leading scholar of American labor and transportation history. He previously served as department chair at Western Illinois University and Monmouth College. Dr. Cordery has authored several acclaimed books, including Mother Jones: Raising Cain and Consciousness and The Iron Road in the Prairie State: The Story of Illinois Railroading. His forthcoming work, Gilded Age Entrepreneur: The Curious Life of American Financier Albert Benton Pullman, explores the overlooked legacy of the elder Pullman brother and offers fresh insight into the entrepreneurial spirit of 19th-century America. Show Highlights

• (2:14) When railroads first arrived in America and how quickly they spread
• (6:18) Changes in the business world that supported and continued railroad expansion
• (7:16) The impact of government oversight as the industry develops
• (14:47) When deregulation of the railroad industry occurred and the effects it had
• (19:46) The effects railroads had on labor organization and the labor market in America
• (22:32) How railroad expansion affected how we keep time throughout the U.S.
• (24:28) The effect of digital technology on the American railroad industry
• (31:47) Is high-speed rail a profitable enterprise?
• (35:23) Simon Cordery’s upcoming book, Gilded Age Entrepreneur: The Curious Life of American Financier Albert Benton Pullman

Links Referenced

• Mother Jones: Raising Cain and Consciousness: https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Jones-Raising-Consciousness-Biography/dp/0826348106
• The Iron Road in the Prairie State: The Story of Illinois Railroading: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Road-Prairie-State-Railroading-ebook/dp/B017SJ126Q
• Gilded Age Entrepreneur: The Curious Life of American Financier Albert Benton Pullman: https://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Age-Entrepreneur-American-Financier-ebook/dp/B0DVMQHYWP