For the Public Service

Leslie Ragan’s painting of New York Central trains in Chicago shows the technological prowess of the railroad industry at the end of World War II and the optimism felt by railroads as they saw the war winding down and passengers returning to the rails. Unfortunately, this optimism would be misplaced as Americans began to embrace automobiles and airplanes at the expense of trains. In 10 years, passenger trains would be on the way out and airliners on the way in.