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Amtrak: An American Story Paperback – June 7, 2011

by The staff of Amtrak (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 63 ratings
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Amtrak is the uniquely American public/private corporation that has been providing American rail passenger service since 1971. This book is created from four decades of archival photographs highlighting the employees, trains, and technology that made it possible. Amtrak: An American Story includes decade by decade chapters, an introduction for each chapter, a timeline of when events occurred, personal vignettes from employees of Amtrak, and a final chapter on a day in the life of Amtrak. This book is truly a 40 year story told by Amtrak.
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  1. Print length
    144 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Kalmbach Books
  4. Publication date
    June 7, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0871164442
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0871164445
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Staff of Amtrak is based in Washington, D.C.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kalmbach Books (June 7, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0871164442
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0871164445
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 63 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
63 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's history of Amtrak and its many pictures. They find the stories interesting and easy to read, with some personal stories. The book contains old Amtrak advertisements and other tidbits of nostalgia. It provides a good overview of passenger travel in America.

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HistoryPictures qualityValue for moneyStory lengthAd placementTravel information
17 customers mention "History"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's history of Amtrak engaging. They appreciate the well-researched coverage from beginning to present, with captioned pictures that illustrate the company's history. The book covers the history along with major events in world history to help frame the time frame. Readers describe it as a good, brief history that provides a wealth of information in a small package.

"...a timeline that runs along the top of the pages which shows major milestones in Amtrak history, along with major events in world history that help..." Read more

"...contains some cool old Amtrak advertisements and other tidbits of nostalgia and information...." Read more

"...There are many vivid captioned pictures that illustrate the company's history as well...." Read more

"...Information on rolling stock, routes and stations are provided by a collection of photographs at the end of each chapter...." Read more

16 customers mention "Pictures quality"16 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pictures. They find it has great pictures and information about Amtrak, including rare scenes like Union Station. The book provides a good overview of the highlights and scenery of the railroad. Readers appreciate the shots of locomotives and passenger cars in various settings.

"...The space in between the stories is dedicated to well captioned photos of the railroad...." Read more

"...This book has many shots of locomotives and passenger cars in a variety of settings...." Read more

"...The final section of the book is a very intresting look into a typical 24 hour period in the life of Amtrak, illistrated through pictures taken from..." Read more

"...The pictures included are extremely good as well and include old advertising, shots inside the trains and even includes shots of rare equipment such..." Read more

15 customers mention "Value for money"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book has good pictures and information. They find it interesting and a worthwhile read. Many consider it a nice addition to their collection of Amtrak memorabilia and a fine gift. The book includes shots of rare equipment like the SPV-2000s and the LRC.

"...That alone makes this a valuable book, as there are millions of people who fail to understand just how amazing it is that Amtrak is still alive and..." Read more

"...I'm an AMTRAK junkie, so I may be a wee bit biased, but this is an excellent book. If you are into modern American railroading, you will enjoy this...." Read more

"...include old advertising, shots inside the trains and even includes shots of rare equipment such as the SPV-2000s, the LRC train leased from VIA, and..." Read more

"...This is a worthwhile, historical record of the same caliber of the Making of the Washington DC Metro book...." Read more

4 customers mention "Story length"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the stories interesting and short. They say the book is easy to pick up, read a few pages, and set back down.

"...The stories are short but interesting; easy to pick up, read a few pages, and set back down till later (for us overly multi-tasked earthlings)...." Read more

"...be the most objective account ever written, but it's still really awesome to hear stories by people involved with the recovery of America's..." Read more

"...but the book is still an interesting read dedicated to many personal stories." Read more

"History well covered from beginning to the present. Interesting stories of those that were involved in Amtrak through the years of existance...." Read more

3 customers mention "Ad placement"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's advertisements. They find it includes old Amtrak advertisements and other nostalgic tidbits.

"...Also contains some cool old Amtrak advertisements and other tidbits of nostalgia and information...." Read more

"...The pictures included are extremely good as well and include old advertising, shots inside the trains and even includes shots of rare equipment such..." Read more

"...The book had old advertisements and photos and I think is worth reading...." Read more

3 customers mention "Travel information"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a good overview of passenger travel in America. They say Amtrak is their favorite form of long-distance transportation and that it gives a good overview of the nationalized rail service that has served most of the country.

"This soft cover title gives a good overview of the nationalized passenger rail service that has served most of the USA for the past 40 years...." Read more

"...They provided a great briefing of passenger travel in America, and to share with other passengers...." Read more

"Amtrak is my favorite form of long distance transportation. This book is the perfect addition to my collection of Amtrak memorabilia." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Frederick S. Goethel
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Good, Brief History of Amtrak
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    If you are even a little younger than I am (mid 50s), you will have a hard time remembering the creation of Amtrak. I was a junior in high school when it was created and I barely remember this happening, despite being a rail fan at a young age. That alone makes this a valuable book, as there are millions of people who fail to understand just how amazing it is that Amtrak is still alive and kicking.

    The book consists of three basic parts interwoven together. Every 3 or 4 pages there is a page or 2 that is dedicated to the story of an Amtrak employee. Most all are people who have either been at the company since the beginning or have had amazing stories while at the company, all of which makes for fascinating reading. The space in between the stories is dedicated to well captioned photos of the railroad. The photographs cover just about the entire Amtrak operation and include copies of posters, brochures and advertising material that has long gone out of use. Finally, there is a timeline that runs along the top of the pages which shows major milestones in Amtrak history, along with major events in world history that help put the time frame into perspective.

    The last 10% of the book is dedicated to a day in the life sort of photograph arrangement. They asked employees on one single day to photograph whatever they felt was worthy and send it in to the corporate offices. The result is a look at the railroad from across the span of a day and a country. Although these are "amateur" photographs, most are extremely well done and it is obvious that the employees put much thought into what they thought was important to portray.

    Although this is not a "detailed" history, it makes for fine reading and would be a wonderful addition to a train buffs library. It is also a look at a piece of American history and should be of interest to those with an interest in history.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Michael Otten
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I'll admit that I'm an AMTRAK junkie, so I may be a wee bit biased, but this is an excellent book. If you are into modern American railroading, you will enjoy this. This book has many shots of locomotives and passenger cars in a variety of settings. Also contains some cool old Amtrak advertisements and other tidbits of nostalgia and information. The stories are short but interesting; easy to pick up, read a few pages, and set back down till later (for us overly multi-tasked earthlings). They present a decent history of Amtrak as presented by current and past Amtrak employees. So get a copy and lean back in your comfortable Superliner seat. When your scanner pops on and you hear the engineer call "Highball Amtrak" start reading.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Adam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fasinating Historical Review of Amtrak
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Ive had an intrest in railroads and particularly Amtrak since my first trip to Chicago in 1990 when I was four. This book only deepened my intrest in Amtrak. It tells the stories of each of the four decades Amtrak has been in operation though accounts by actual Amtrak employees and other figures who have ties in the history of the railroad. Many of the stories of how employees started off with a lowly yet important position such as a baggage handler or a ticket agent were able to advance up the company ladder to higher management positions on the railroad. There are many vivid captioned pictures that illustrate the company's history as well. The final section of the book is a very intresting look into a typical 24 hour period in the life of Amtrak, illistrated through pictures taken from across the National rail network.

    Overall the book is written kind of unconventionally, through the employee entrees and not the typical biographical type history. I feel this helps better illustrate the human element that goes into making the railroad run. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to anyone who has an intrest in Amtrak, rail travel, or railroads in general!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • John Wondolowski
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I was expecting but a good piece regardless
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    When I ordered this I was expecting it to be similar to another Amtrak book called All Aboard Amtrak: 1971-1991 in that it would cover the overall history of Amtrak, it's routes, rolling stock and the challenges the people of Amtrak had to face. I was both right and wrong in believing this. I was was right in the sense that this book did just that. However, I was wrong in that this book does not have much of a complete narrative of the history of Amtrak. Rather it has both current and former employees of Amtrak tell of their experiences with the company at certain stages of it's existence with brief passages at the beginning of each chapter describing the time period in question. Information on rolling stock, routes and stations are provided by a collection of photographs at the end of each chapter. However specifications for the different pieces of rolling stock was not provided aside from basic facts. The pictures included are extremely good as well and include old advertising, shots inside the trains and even includes shots of rare equipment such as the SPV-2000s, the LRC train leased from VIA, and the old Turbotrains and Turboliners.

    It's not a bad read, particularly if your a fan of Amtrak and reading of the personal stories of some of Amtrak's employees. However if your looking for a book that contains a lot of detailed information for things such as equipment rosters and a system map then this may not be the one you want. Just think of what you want before ordering.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Kris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great picture book with rare photographs
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great picture book with rare photographs. Like it or not, it is published by Amtrak folks, but the pictures don't lie. This is a worthwhile, historical record of the same caliber of the Making of the Washington DC Metro book. It's has several photographs of rare scenes, including one of the infamous Union Station Washington DC Visitors' Center, something that has curiously few photographs to see.

    If you're a fan of passenger trains and understand the significance of the forty-year anniversary of a public/private corporation that was designed to fail, you need this book.
    21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Sean C
    5.0 out of 5 stars A bit thin but a really nice book nonetheless.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Nice book, full of copies of original advertising posters from a different era. We'll worth a look if you like trains.
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  • Volkmar
    4.0 out of 5 stars Amtrak
    Reviewed in Germany on October 17, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Gutes Compendium der Geschichte der Amtrak. Softcover. Viele gute Photos.Der Schwerpunkt liegt in der Firmengeschichte und die verkehrspolitische Entwicklung . Der Bereich der Technik und Fahrzeugentwicklung wird auch abgehandelt - wenn gleich auch nicht so umfangreich.
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  • Amtrak
    4.0 out of 5 stars Amtrak on Trak
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Amtrak an American story is a good and well written book. I'm glad to have read this book as it gives a good inside to Amtrak in the modern day and in the past. My favorite things about this book are the old pictures of brochures from the past and the back-cover picture. I would recommend this book to any train enthusiasts and people who would like to learn about Amtrak.
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  • John Ryder
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mehr eine Schnipselsammlung
    Reviewed in Germany on August 24, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Das Amtrak Buch ist mehr ein Scrapbook als eine wirklich konsequente Abhandlung. Zahlreiche Angestellte beschreiben ihren Weg zu Amtrak oder wie sie Amtrak erlebt haben. Daraus erfährt man indirekt die ganze Historie von Amtrak. Dazwischen zahlreiche Bilder, Plakate, Prospekte, das Meiste in Farbe. Immer sind alle ganz begeistert wie toll Amtrak ist.
    Irgendwie weiss man am Ende schon alles über Amtrak aber es ist wie eine Schnipselsammlung, ein Mosaik. Es wirkt manchmal wie diese bunten Heftchen die große Firmen gerne über sich herausgeben.
    Für den Preis finde ich es o.k.
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  • C. Morton
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting book
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