Book Review

Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation. By Alfred Runte. Kirksville, Mo.: Truman State University Press, 2006. xix + 195 pp. Includes bibliographical references and index. Cloth, $29.95.
The recent spike in energy prices serves to remind Americans that their long-inadequate public transportation system and over-reliance upon automobiles are a disaster in the making. In his new book, Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation, Alfred Runte compares public transport in Europe and the United States, and finds the United States lagging far behind. Runte makes a convincing argument that in today's world of ever-increasing gasoline prices, it makes sense for America to adopt alternative modes of local and long-distance travel. Federal and state governments need not look far for a clean, efficient, and viable option, as the technology already exists. From the 1850s to the 1960s, millions of Americans traveled by train on a regular basis. Then, in the 1960s they largely shunned rail travel. Runte's ground-breaking study examines the reasons for this precipitous decline in U.S. passenger rail service and its implications for the future.	1
Runte convincingly portrays the train as an environmentally friendly mode of travel, beneficial to both the individual and national spirit. He argues that besides moving passengers from place to place, railroads connected people with their environment and with each other. In the nineteenth century, corporations like Great Northern Railway, Southern Pacific, and the Burlington & Quincy Railroad used America's natural beauty as the centerpiece of their promotional campaigns. Trains offered a relaxed, peaceful, and scenic mode of travel. Railroads featured passenger cars with big windows and sky domes. Rail travel, with its ever-changing scenery, gave Americans a first-hand look at their vast, varied country and its natural assets. Railroads also impacted the scenery far less than cars, highways, roadside trash, and graffiti. Traveling by train allowed Americans the chance to visit, make friends, and share an experience. Railroads linked people and the nation together in a way that airplanes and automobiles never have.	2
America's corporate rail giants come in for severe criticism from Runte, as does Amtrak, the erratically funded and managed national railroad that delivers less-than-stellar service. Since the 1960s, the nation's railroads abandoned their passengers in favor of freight traffic. They also abandoned their traditional role as steward and promoter of America's environment. The federal government neglected its responsibilities to citizens by letting passenger rail service languish. The author argues that the United States can have modern, efficient train travel that rivals Europe's, but it needs to act quickly before its national rail system further atrophies. Gas prices will only keep rising, and sooner or later America must adopt a comprehensive state and national public transportation system. If trains work in Europe, they can also work in the United States. Railroads are environmentally friendly and people friendly. Perhaps it is time that Americans got reacquainted with their national landscape and with each other. Trains offer the perfect vehicle. Runte, who received his PhD from the University of California-Santa Barbara, writes and serves as a consultant on environmental issues. His previously published works focused on America's national parks and railroads.	3
Allies of the Earth is a splendidly produced book featuring beautiful cover art and rich period imagery promoting the railroads' relationship with the environment. The book's high production values, engaging and accessible narrative, and timeliness—considering the current national debate over increased energy costs—makes this fascinating study essential for environmental historians, students, and the general public.	4
Glen Sample Ely is a documentary producer and PhD candidate at Texas Christian University. His research interests include the Western frontier, borderlands, race relations, transportation, and the environment.

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