One Friday morning in January 1964, Baltimore & Ohio President Jervis Langdon called a young up-and-coming executive and directed him to jot down his ideas as to how to “straighten out our passenger problem.”
Paul Reistrup would create over the weekend a blueprint that would form the basis for a bootstrap campaign to bring B&O passenger operations to the point of covering its direct costs.
Reistrup’s plan got a lot of attention, but ultimately fell short. That led the B&O to engage in an orderly retreat from the intercity rail passenger business that culminated with the coming of Amtrak on May 1, 1971.
The cover story of the December 2017 issue of the Akron Railroad Club eBulletin will examine the last decade of B&O passenger service through Akron with a focus on the campaign that Reistrup designed.
To receive a copy of the electronic magazine or to subscribe (it’s free!), send an email message to csanders429@aol.com
Tags: Akron Railroad Club, ARRC eBulletin, B&O passenger service, Baltimore & Ohio, Baltimore & Ohio in Akron Ohio
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