Riding the Rails

Inside the Business of America's Railroads (Railroads Past and Present)

By: Robert D Krebs

Narrated by: David A. Nickerson

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

When Robert D. Krebs joined the ranks of Southern Pacific Railroad in 1966, the industry had been in decline for decades, and the future of trains was in peril. Despite these obstacles, Krebs fell in love with the rugged, competitive business of railroads and was determined to overcome its resistance to change and put rail transportation back on track.

By the age of 40, Krebs was president of the Southern Pacific Railroad and went on to lead both the Santa Fe Railway and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway companies. Riding the Rails: Inside the Business of America's Railroads details Krebs' rise to a position of influence in the recovery of America's railroads and offers a unique insider's view into the boardrooms where executives and businessmen reimagined transportation in the US.

©2018 Robert D Krebs (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks

Interesting, but thin

If you are deeply interested in railroading, this is an absolute 5 star must, but for a general audience there isn't enough meat. It's a very straight forward and reasonably entertaining memoir by a major player in the rail industry during a fascinating period of transition. It's strong on the memoir part, but isn't close to a business history of the times, making the subtitle "Inside the Business of America's Railroad" a sort of half-truth. It would be terrific if Krebs were to partner with one of his peers (maybe Haverty) and a sharp rail industry historian; that would produce a knockout business book. Separately, I didn't care for the narration at all, I just got used to it as the book progressed. It's less than 5 hours; I can't imagine listening to Nickerson read anything longer.

A Great Memoir of a Railroad CEO

As an engineer for BNSF, I found this book to be very fascinating learning the inside story of how the BNSF was formed and the inner workings of running a freight railroad. I really enjoyed hearing Krebs talk about his humble beginnings at the SP and working his way up the ranks. A really great read.

Great back story on our rail system

Story was very well narrated and informative. Nice back history about how our major railroads came to be.

Whether a fan of railroads or business icons, a riveting read

The sort of depth, detail and insight one on the outside can rarely get a glimpse of, much less an introduction. A can’t put down walk along the epicenter of American rail transport.

A tremendous insight as to what can be done with an industry run by a business professional. Not a “professional railroader”, a business professional. Not a confused participant from a worthless related industry (read airlines), but a top business school graduate who learned from the bottom if management up.

The only curious note was the mistaken assessment of the potential for BNSF/CN.

Business, Not Railroads

It is ironic that Mr. Krebs told the story of his first days working for the railroad as that of a young man who did not know what he was doing. I felt the same way throughout this book; at no point were the processes of assembling trains, switching cars, and dealing with line congestion explained in any meaningful way. What is “intermodal”? Was there a renaissance freight after he started in 1966, or a decay? The book is only for business-oriented readers, not for a railroad buff, not for the general public. Though the delivery was creditable, it has all the flavor of a retiree keeping you at a long lunch to tell you about his work history. I wish it had been wider in scope, but I turned it off about 85% of the way through.