The Men Who Built America

[M1FredQ]

Saw the first episode of the series on the History Channel.

If you have a memory like "Dori" in the film, "Finding Nemo" you'll

like it. Otherwise Tape or DVR it. There are so many comercials.

This episode is about the Railroads and the ""Dark Side" of these RR moguls

Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carniegie, Tom Scott of PRR(?) fame seemed the most normal.

My son enjoyed the train scenes they were done well. Other than that these guys were

mostly sociopathic obsessive compulsive types. Carniege may have had nano-seconds

of conscience here and there. BUT overall you will see the important role Rail Roads played

in the development of this country. Because many scenes repeat you can fast forward and

knock off an hour episode in about 20 minutes!!!!!!!!!!

[phillyreading]

One of those men mentioned; Vanderbilt or Rockafeller was a railroad robber!! He broke up the largesty corporation in the US in the late 1890's or early 1900's, which was the Philadelphia & Reading Railways.

History is not always nice! A couple of the railroads out west killed off a lot of buffalo and some of the Indians started starving because they had no food to eat.

Lee F.

[M1FredQ]

I think it was Rockefeller he was one bad dude!!!!!!!!!!!

Even his descendants on the program allude to his behavior.

The behavior of some of the rail moguls out West was deplorable. Buffalo Bill Cody

was sickened by it. Yes he hunted Buffalo for the RR men But only enough that the men

needed to eat. He also spoke with Indian tribes about hunting the Buffalo. Cody quit when

others came in and wantonly started killing Buffalo for sport to the point where Indians were starving and needed subsidy from the govt(always a bad thing)

The Indians had no grudges with Buffalo Bill that's one of the reasons they cooperated with

him in "The Wild West Shows". I had the pleasure of being friends with a direct descentent of

Buffalo Bill and was able to read a lot of his papers and diaries.

[phillyreading]

Even some of the Florida RR mogals acted badly, but not as bad as out west at times. H.M. Flagler(founder of Florida East Coast RR) divorced his first wife, and if I am correct he had his second wife committed to an institution so he could marry a woman almost 40 years younger, so H.M. Flagler had three wives total.
Also H.M. Flagler started Florida Power and Light company for his railroad going to Key West FL.
I am surprised that Henry M. Flagler did not try to re-name the state of Florida to; The State of Flagler.

Seems to me either having plenty of money or close to absolute power corrupts peoples thinking.

Lee F.

[M1FredQ]

History has countless examples of this kind of behavior.

Nicoli Tesla was a genius light years ahead of his time. He had developed a process where

electricity could be made cheaply and easily delivered!!!!!!!!! Westinghouse betrayed him because

he wanted the primitive systems we use today with all the high powered tension wires to

deliver electricity so that communities, cities, and people could be charged for electricity and

profits made by using the systems strung across the country.

Imagine if Tesla had his way how the railroads that used electric power would have had a very

cheap and clean and very powerful power source. I have been told that the GG-1's were

extremely powerful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately its the Sociopathic types that give many of our industries a black eye.

Keep in mind there were many decent Industrial types and RR owners and developers but

you never here much about them.

[r0gruth]

I agree that many of the so called robber barons that were railroad builders were responsible for many not so nice things.

However it seems to me that to get done the needed things done to build a great industrial complex that we once had in the U.S.
probably took people with a different outlook than most.IMHO without the drive and desires of these buiders it would have taken much longer to reach the level that we had.Some would like to regain that position that we once had but there does not seem to be the will of enough individuals to get it done.

How did Lionel get its reputation?

All of the above is just my opinion.