The book is exhaustively researched and documented, and yet very readable. It brings alive an industry that has almost vanished from the collective memory of America.Rise and Fall of the Electric Interurban George W. Hilton has written a comprehensive analysis of the rise and fall of the interurban railways. The book gives the history of the interurban railways from their birth in the early 1900's to the very fast decline of the 1930's and 1940's. The book is loaded with maps, statistics, graphs, and charts. If one wants to know how many passengers were carried in a given year, the total mileage, the tons of freight carried, the profit or loss--it's all here in Mr. Hilton's book. Mr. Hilton also discusses the technology of the interurban and how they differed from the steam railroads. Part II of the book is organized by state and gives brief histories for hundreds of lines throughout the United States and Canada. An important reference book for the rail historian or railfan.