Railroads and Weather

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

   PDF

2. Dealing with the Weather

   • Stanley A. Changnon

   Pages 1-7

3. Weather Impacts: The Good and the Bad

   • Stanley A. Changnon

   Pages 9-25

4. Examples of Weather Problems in Different Climatic Regions

   • Stanley A. Changnon

   Pages 27-63

5. Effects of Various Weather Conditions

   • Stanley A. Changnon

   Pages 65-91

6. Planning for and Responding to Weather

   • Stanley A. Changnon

   Pages 93-109

7. The Evolving Relationship between Weather and Railroads

   • Stanley A. Changnon

   Pages 111-113

8. Back Matter

   Pages 115-125

   PDF

MUCH OF MY WEATHER and climate research over the past 50 years has focused on how atmospheric conditions impact the environment, the ec- omy, and human activities/health. These studies have led to several scientific papers and two books, one about the great floods of 1993 and the other about El Niño, 1997/98. Coupled with this scientific career orientation was a li- long interest in railroads. This avocation led me to write six books and numerous articles about many facets of railroads. The coupling of these two central intellectual interests led to the preparation of this book. Prior to the 1980 deregulation of the industry, there were many more railroads in operation. This text focuses on weather impacts and railroad adjustments since the 1940s. It covers decades when the challenges of weather and climate were faced by a larger number of companies, and this is well emphasized in the wide variety of photographs, which show trains belonging to companies that have now been absorbed or otherwise relegated to the halls of history. Most of the photographs were taken by me and two of my sons, David and Marc. Several friends supplied other photographs. This book has been made possible by several persons and institutions.

• Hurricane Katrina
• Meteorology
• Railroad
• Storm
• Technology
• Transportation
• Weather

Stanley A. Changnon is Professor of Geography and Emeritus Chief of Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has written numerous books and articles about his lifetime hobby, railroads. His 39 railroad articles have appeared in Rail Classics, Midwest Rail, and Historic Illinois.

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