"Katy Northwest will be of interest to scholars who are concerned with the economic, social, and political ramifications... of all light railroad branch lines... Will be warmly received by rail buffs and by loyal friends of the Katy." --from the Foreword by John W. Barriger, Special Assistant, Federal Railroad Administration, and former president of the Katy "If you are coming to this book for the first time, dive in! If you're picking it up again after an absence, welcome back. The Northwest District may be gone, but it lives forever here." --Fred Finley More than just a history of a branch line railroad, this is a premiere book, with not only facts and figures, but also excellent historical writing. It details Katy Northwest's birth, maturation, and decline as well as the devastating effect of its death on the communities it served.

“Readers will find in his biography an extraordinary tale of the travails of twentieth-century railroading through the career of this one man.” —The Annals of Iowa After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John W. Barriger III (1899–1976) started his career on the Pennsylvania Railroad as a rodman, shop hand, and then assistant yardmaster. His enthusiasm, tenacity, and lifelong passion for the industry propelled him professionally, culminating in leadership roles at Monon Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad. His legendary capability to save railroad corporations in peril earned him the nickname “doctor of sick railroads,” and his impact was also felt far from the train tracks, as he successfully guided New Deal relief efforts for the Railroad Division of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation during the Depression and served in the Office of Defense Transportation during World War II. Featuring numerous personal photographs and interviews, John W. Barriger III is an intimate account of a railroad magnate and his role in transforming the transportation industry. “Thanks to Roger Grant’s latest book, Barriger and his amazing legacy endures, waiting to be rediscovered by a new generation of readers. Trust me, you’ll learn a lot.” —Classic Trains “H. Roger Grant’s biography, John W. Barriger III, offers a new and much needed perspective on this prominent individual. Grant brings together an overview of Barriger’s career developments with an appropriate balance of insights into his early life and introduction to railroads.” —Journal of Transport History