by Stuart Daggett (Author), John P. Carter (Author)

The Structure of Transcontinental Railroad Rates by Stuart Daggett and John P. Carter provides a detailed examination of how freight rate systems shaped--and constrained--the economic life of California during the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on published tariffs from 1943-1944 and comparative data supplied by carriers, the authors unpack the mechanics of rate-making, the geography of western rail routes, and the competitive interplay between railroads, highways, and intercoastal shipping. Their analysis foregrounds the immense challenges of distance, topography, and sparse population across the intermountain states, while also showing how carriers maintained dense main-line traffic despite weak local originations. The book illuminates how elevation, curvature, and ruling grades translated directly into costs and, in turn, into the complex tariff structures governing California's eastbound and westbound trade.

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