The
Little Boxes That Didn’t: Containerization Practices on American
and British Railways
(by Thomas C. Cornillie with Keith Harcourt) – Presented by Keith
Harcourt at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Society for the History
of Technology, October 2008, in Lisbon, Portugal
The
safety, security, and speed of delivery for goods in transit have
been a prime concern for the railways of the United States of America
and the United Kingdom. Indeed, while many aspects of US and UK
railway operation have remained very different – there is evidence
of an international dialogue regarding both technological and organizational
practices. Many of the practices, though they evolved separately
on opposite sides of the Atlantic, either mirrored each other unconsciously
or were copied, having been noted during visits of railway managers.
Cross-Atlantic interest was especially great during the 1920s and
1930s, when many pioneering mechanical, methodological, and managerial
advances were made by railways in both countries.
This
paper, with input from authors in both nations, explores the importance
of intermodal, safety, and containerization developments from their
beginnings to the present, set against the regulatory regimes in
which such innovations were developed. It is seen as an exploration
of the importance of the issue that will further inform the larger
historical debate over the progress of technological innovation.
Topics such as the adoption and evolution of technology, together
with management techniques, will be considered in light of the managerial
and regulatory circumstances in both countries.
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