Episodes
Thursday Mar 12, 2020
Ep 005 Boarding the Pennsylvania
Thursday Mar 12, 2020
Thursday Mar 12, 2020
"Boarding the Pennsylvania" is chapter two. It describes the young Cassatt's ascent in the Pennsylvania Railroad and describes the early railroad wars.
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Ep 004 From Pittsburgh to Heidelberg
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Alexander's lineage and his own childhood
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Ep 003 Book Introduction
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
This episode, the Introduction of End of the Line, is a powerful section, one which should immediately draw you into the book.
Thursday May 25, 2017
Ep 002 Author, Book Summary and Acknowledgments
Thursday May 25, 2017
Thursday May 25, 2017
This episode includes a brief bio of Patricia Talbot Davis, auther of "End of the Line." Also included is the book flap's summary of the book as well as the author's acknowledgments. The latter provides a view of the research and resources required for writing the book.
Tuesday Mar 28, 2017
Ep 001 Welcome
Tuesday Mar 28, 2017
Tuesday Mar 28, 2017
Alexander Johnston Cassatt was a giant among giants in the Industrial Age. President of the largest corporation in the world - the Pennsylvania Railroad - Cassatt eschewed publicity and fame. This is largely why so few people know of him today. Yet, he stood toe-to-toe with the famous robber barons of the time, i.e. Morgan, Vanderbilt, Carnegit, Rockefeller and others, fighting the corruption for which those people were known. He did not lose any of these confrontations. He was recognized as a great leader and a man of great integrity. He conceptualized and built Pennsylvania Station, still considered today perhaps the most magnificent building America has ever seen. He also dared to build something nobody thought could be done - the railroad tunnels under the Hudson and East rivers, still in use today.
This podcast is a reading of the only biography of Alexander J. Cassatt. Patricia T. Davis wrote "End of the Line - Alexander J. Cassatt and the Pennsylvania Railroad" in 1975. The motivation for this podcast is best stated by Ms. Davis from the cover of the book:
"In an age when neither business nor government accepted any restraints on the pursuit of profit, Cassatt imposed his own standards. It's all gone now, his empire, his station, the distinctive red cars bearing the PRR logo, and even the memory of the man who fought corruption, competition, other railroad men, even the public, to bring his road to the pinnacle of success. Today the name Cassatt, if remembered at all, is associated with his artist sister, Mary, not with a railroad. He deserves better, and this account attempts to accord him his rightful place in the railroad annals of America."