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  • NEW BOOK: Visionary Railroader: Jervis Langdon Jr.

  • Discussion relating to the B&O up to it's 1972 merger into Chessie System. Visit the B&O Railroad Historical Society for more information. Also discussion of the C&O up to 1972. Visit the C&O Historical Society for more information. Also includes the WM up to 1972. Visit the WM Historical Society for more information.
Discussion relating to the B&O up to it's 1972 merger into Chessie System. Visit the B&O Railroad Historical Society for more information. Also discussion of the C&O up to 1972. Visit the C&O Historical Society for more information. Also includes the WM up to 1972. Visit the WM Historical Society for more information.
 #566610  by K4Pacific
 
This title is not yet available. You may pre-order this item and it will be shipped to you when it is available.
First book-length biography of the "doctor of sick railroads"
"Grant has developed an extremely well-researched and well-written account of Langdon's development, both as a person and as a railroader . . . the story of an important railroad man who has not been adequately covered in previous books. . . . A valuable addition to railroad history." —William D. Middleton, author of When the Steam Railroads Electrified
Visionary Railroader chronicles the life of a key figure in the history of rail travel in the United States. As president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Jervis Langdon Jr. had the opportunity to put progressive concepts into practice.

In 1964, Langdon took charge of the Rock Island, and by the time he left in 1970, he had spearheaded major improvements for this struggling carrier. The same year, he became lead trustee for the bankrupt Penn Central and three years later assumed the presidency. From his role in passing the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 to his work on creating the quasi-public Conrail, Visionary Railroader examines the impact of Langdon's active life with clear text, unique representations of media of the day, and select family photos.
H. Roger Grant, Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of History at Clemson University, is author of 24 books, most of them on railroad history. He has written company histories of the Chicago & North Western, the Chicago Great Western, the Erie Lackawanna, the Georgia & Florida, and the Wabash railroads. He lives in Central, South Carolina.
The B&O Railroad Museum established the Jervis Langdon Fund, and contributors underwrote H. Roger Grant's work on this book. The contributions came primarily from RABO (Retired Administrators of the B&O Railroad).

Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. The Making of a Railroader
2. Railroad Lawyer
3. B&O President
4. Running the Rock
5. Rerailing Penn Central
6. Still Railroading
Notes
Index

Available through Indiana University Press.
 #576773  by K4Pacific
 
On a Wednesday? I can't stop my money machine on a Wednesday. I'll se if I canget him to come to Elmira for a book signing.
 #683408  by hutton_switch
 
I have had this book for a while, and just had the opportunity to finish it today. It is an excellent lesson for not only railroaders, but for aspiring business executives who want to climb the corporate ladder, and do it properly. It spells out the business ethics that Jervis Langdon followed, and that all in positions of importance in the business world would be advised to follow to stay out of potential future trouble, both personally and corporately.

After reading what Jervis Langdon successfully did to improve the B&O in the early 1960's, when it was in deep financial trouble and its Board of Directors resisted, yet was forced to merge with another more solvent railroad (the C&O in this case) in order to survive, I've added him to my very short list (and my signature below) of the best presidents that B&O had.
 #683602  by BaltOhio
 
Wade, I'd add Leonor Loree to your "best presidents" list. He, more than anyone else (and more so even than Daniel Willard) was responsible for massively upgrading the B&O and making it a modern railroad. It's ironic that he was installed by the PRR during the period of Pennsy control, but he was always an independent cuss and, besides, I'd guess that A. J. Cassatt, PRR's president at the time, recognized that it was smart politics to make the B&O more efficient and competitive. Sadly, Loree wasn't around long enough to carry out some of his plans, such as the Magnolia Cutoff, and Willard got credit for that.

There's no doubt that Willard was one of B&O's "best", but my feeling is that he should have retired long before he did. He stayed on too long, and as a result, the upper end of B&O's management became ossified, since there was no executive movement and no infusion of new ideas. Also, potential successors were too old to succeed him. The result was that the B&O had to go outside for Willard's replacement, Roy White, and White ended up more as a caretaker than a progressive leader. The organization remained pretty much in the old Willard mold for 20 years after he left -- until Jervis Langdon abruptly broke the mold.
 #683905  by hutton_switch
 
Herb, you're probably right about Leonor Loree. He had the advantage of an open wallet, made the plans for modernizing the B&O, started them rolling, and moved on shortly after getting them started. That Loree was another one of B&O's best presidents is probably correct from corporate/historic viewpoints, but it would be purely speculative as to what extent he would have been effective as far as a "people" president in the mold of Willard and Langdon, and somehow, my "gut" feeling is that he would not have been. Then again, to be fair to Loree, he wasn't a B&O president for very long.

You're also correct that Willard was around too long, though I think the B&O Board of Directors at that time was reluctant to tamper with the legacy of someone who had given so much of himself to an institution that both he and they held in high esteem and tradition. As you state, unwillingness to adapt to a changing world hurt the B&O. Historical hindsight is always best: it's too bad that Jervis Langdon's career hadn't developed early enough that he could have followed Willard as president.

I have just retired from a career in transportation for the military. During that time, I and many of my coworkers from my level on up assessed every two or three years whether or not the new General of our command was a "people" person or not. But the General's deputy was a civilian who started out with our command and worked his way up to his position as Deputy, and was definitely a "people" person the whole time. Even in retirement, he has continued in that same mold, keeping in contact with those he worked with, much as Jervis Langdon did. My career experiences have influenced me to assess the leadership of other organizations as to whether or not those leaders were people-oriented. The B&O is no exception.
 #687246  by hutton_switch
 
The August 2009 issue of Trains Magazine has an article by the above author of the Jervis Langdon, Jr. biography, on Langdon's years with the B&O. This particular article gives a good snapshot of Langdon's contributions as a railroader where he was most successful, and will likely provide wider publicity of Langdon's legacy for those unable to buy or have access to the full-length biography.