I recently bought a few new books from Historic Rail, including a dandy, "BOBBERS North America's Four-Wheeled Cabooses," by the late Edward W. Neubaum. Like many, I've been fascinated by both ends of freight (and passenger) trains--and everything in between them. Mr. Neubaum collected the most comprehensive collection of bobber photos and information ever put between covers, which really whetted my appetite for more books to add to my own collection. He reminded me of Bill Knapke's "The Railroad Caboose: Its 100 Year History, Legend, and Lore," which I'd been reading about for years. I went to ebay, then to abebooks, where I ordered a good used copy. With a recent Gov't refund, I have the wherewithal to buy a few more new titles, but since Railpub's owner retired both himself and his business, I don't know where I could browse, online, for other such books from the Age of Steam. Does anyone know of a source? (I already bought a few used Kalmbach titles and vagguely remember Carstens' paperbound books I'd passed up in my younger--poorer--days, or had other, more pressing purchases I wanted to make.) Thanks.
Deano
Thanks, guys, my memory for titles had been failing me. You need exact titles and, hopefully, authors' names to look up books and a few feet away from my recliner is a new immitation cherry bookcase with about three decades of Model Railroader, plus a couple of plastic magazine files of Railroad Model Craftsman. I looked up some titles in their book department ads and found a bunch of titles I'd coveted back when I needed to spend money on model railroad stuff. I have some old classics on their way from ABEBOOKS and a couple from ebay sellers: "The Railroad Caboose," "Maine Two-Footers," "Sierra Railway," "O&W," "Steam Locomotives of the Burlington Route..." How's that for starters? Now, back to work on my new O scale low-drivered Mogul. Happy railroadin'!
A few I'm familiar with. Some I've bought from, others I have not.
https://www.arizonahobbies.com/Railroad-Books_c_42.html
https://www.ronsbooks.com/
https://www.abebooks.com/collections/sc/railroad/5w1IQl92gQK3XycSHifToe
This one is kind of a clearinghouse for used books:
https://www.alibris.com/
I've had good results from Goodwill, too. Sometimes a book is listed as used and I'm sent a brand-new copy.
https://www.goodwillbooks.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=43&q=railroads
Of course, I've had good luck with Amazon and eBay, too. Just be sure to read the details. Many books are "printed on demand" these days. Sometimes from otherwise available open sources.
https://www.railserve.com/Railroad_Books/
Good Luck, Ed
Hi Deanno,
Ebay is always a good source for these. I tried this entry: "book color minneapolis railway" and got a few results. Remove "color" from that query and you will get more...
Simon
In addition to the suppliers listed by GMPullman, I would like to add some others:
www.karensbooks.com is a seller of new and used transportation and military titles, at discounted prices.
www.railroadbooks.biz is another purveyor of new and used railroad titles.
www.mcmillanpublications.com is a publisher and has a very extensive catalog of new titles at discounted prices.
Not knowing your specific interests other than "between the power and the hind end", there are some railroad historical societies that sell books or, publish extensive series of publications about various aspects of the subject of their interest:
https://chessieshop.com operated by the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society sells C&OHS line of books on all things C&O, as well as Pere Marquette, and other railroads of the region. They also have a wide selection of TLC Publishing titles on Appalachian railroading. Many of these books are on sale at 50% off, definitely worth investigating.
https://sfrhms.org/shop/ sells the books put out by the Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society. In addition to books on ATSF rolling stock, various regions and industries, such as livestock and, grain are covered in depth that will leave very few questions unanswered. Some of the SFRHMS titles are on sale at or near half price-definitely worth a look.
Other historical groups may offer publications covering their railroad of interest. Just see if there is a group for whatever interests you.
Before the Covid precautions, I had exceptional luck at used book sales at ordinary public libraries. Sometimes the library is discarding a book from its own collection which nobody seemed to be checking out any more, other times it is because they received a donation of a book they do not elect to place on their shelves.
If a railroad book collector, or more likely the family of a deceased railroad book collector, donates to their local library sometimes a considerable collection is being sold all at once, and sometimes at truly outrageous prices like $1 for hardcover, 50 cents for softcover, ten cents for old magazines. I was able to get William Middleton's "The Interurban Era" [Kalmbach 1961] for a dollar that way. The paper cover was in perfect condition. It is a very thick book. When I got it home I discovered that that particular copy had been autographed by the author! Most of the other books in that box I already had.
Dave Nelson
Since someone mentioned searching for "Minneapolis", I've bought a number of books from Como Shops in St.Paul. No longer a brick-and-mortar store, but they do sell online and at Twin Cities train shows. Note the owner, John C. Luecke, is one of the premier authors of books on Minnesota railroading, and authored an article in the recent "Minnesota" issue of Trains.
https://www.comoshops.com/
Thanks. Although I've ordered a number of books I always wanted when I was a kid but spent my money on my model railroad stuff instead, I'm still wracking my brain to recall some of the ones whose titles have eluded me. I'm too busy with my loco project to pore over my Model Railroader bound volumes from those years to rediscover those titles, but I can sure spare the time to look through Como's lists to see if anything jogs my memory!
The best all around book I have is ,"The trains we rode". I think it was by Durbin but I am probably wrong on the author. I picked up a reprint 30 years ago for under $10.00 new. Has a chapter on many railroads with mostly 30-40 pages on each railroad. Pictures are halftone black and white but a great all around book.
OT Dean (...) Now, back to work on my new O scale low-drivered Mogul. Happy railroadin'! Deano
(...) Now, back to work on my new O scale low-drivered Mogul. Happy railroadin'!
It's O scale, loosely patterned (bigger boiler diameter w/slight taper) on the HO MDC/Roundhouse "Old-timer" low-drivered Mogul (52" drivers instead of 63"). I fell in love with this critter when they retooled the frames for the smaller drivers, which turned it into a staggered-driver version of a lot of Moguls I'd admired for years. (The late John Allen had kitbashed an 0-6-0 switcher into an intriguing little freight hog he photographed for MR several times--one of them a full page [or was it 2-page?] color shot.) A friend of mine went through the buildings of Henry Pearce, of Pearce Tool Company, who made O scale kits for a USRA 0-8-0 (John Page converted one into a Consol in MR, back in the '50s) for Pearce's widow. He received his pick of goodies for the back-breaking job (storage in a barn loft, which he went through in 90+ heat over two days). He sent me one of Henry's personal projects, a boiler, frame, and cylinder set for, I think, a Boston & Maine B15 Mogul. A beautiful job, with all the boiler details: a jewelry-like little whistle, complete with a tiny loop in the actuating handle, and the lever for a manual sander valve in the sand dome, which also had steel grab irons. I'm currently slaving over a pair of frame blanks (1/8x3/4" brass bar), the axle holes already drilled, for the 52" "shell-cast" iron drivers (form Englsnd!) for the shorter wheelbase old-timer, just about to do the milling, top and bottom. Since I already built a 44" drivered Mogul, practically from the rails up, back in my 20s, I've loaded up a supply of Precision Scale's lost-wax parts to use instead of making every little pipe clamp and clevis and the dozens of other "nitty-gritty." At 81, I figure I'm entitled to take any shortcuts I can! I don't know about putting photos on the Forums, but I'm already thinking of renewing my acquaintence with the MR staff (it's been 40+ years since I've sold them anything). We'll see, as I think I deserve a new digital camera, since the Stimulus $$$ has shown up in my savings account. Happy railroadin'!
On30 then? I can picture that.
As you say, at 81, you've earned your privileges, so no worries if you can't post.
I am always looking and these sites are the best. All I can add is if you see a Morning Sun publishing book that interest you and it is cheaper than the new price, buy it. Don't wait, it won't last. They are great books. Odds of scoring a Morning Sun book at a deep discount used are similar to odds of finding that dropped N scale coupler body screw you dropped on the floor.
The best place (for any book) was Haslam's Books in St. Petersberg, Florida. There was no other book store like it that I had ever visited. Unfortunately, it looks like this store has fallen victim to the pandemic and will not re-open.
I could spend days in Haslam's.
For hobby shops, both Classic Trains (& Ferraris) in Padukah, Kentucky, and Train Central in Indianapolis, Indiana have extensive selections of books. I am not sure if Train Central took all their books to the new location.
H&R Trains in Saint Petersberg, Florida used to have a lot of books, but like a lot of the cool stuff they had, the books did not move the their new location.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Is the outfit "Railpub.com" still in business? No one responds to their email contact....oops, the owner stated they have been out of business for three years...oops, tried trainbooks.com instead...
Somewhere in the MR archives you can probably find (was it Mel?) Thornburg's "Building a Wabash Mogul". The project spanned multiple issues. Some of his models are in the Smithsonian's American History railroad room.
I was at the RCT&HS museum in Hamburg PA recently. They sometimes get donated books and the duplicates wind up in the museum store. These were mainly anthracite road books. I picked up a couple of used dvds and vcr tapes. Unfortunately museum stores only list new titles on their websites and you'd have to inquire and then actually go there to find used stuff. But hey, they do need your support!
Rick
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
rixflix Somewhere in the MR archives you can probably find (was it Mel?) Thornburg's "Building a Wabash Mogul". The project spanned multiple issues.
Somewhere in the MR archives you can probably find (was it Mel?) Thornburg's "Building a Wabash Mogul". The project spanned multiple issues.
Mel Thornburgh. With an "h". The first installment was in the January 1959 Model Railroader (the 50th year of the magazine). It was/is O scale. Kemtron made a kit for it, later. Maybe in HO, also.
Some of his models are in the Smithsonian's American History railroad room.
The B&O museum used to have a number of them on display, upstairs.
I have the impression that the "railroad room" has pretty much disappeared, perhaps becoming a railroad area. The large scale models that were there have been transferred to the B&O museum.
Ed
I've bought railroad books from Karen's Books, Arizona Hobbies, and used to get a lot of books from Hobbies For Men, in Beacon, New York, now long gone.
I've also found a lot of good books at nearby hobbyshops, but most of them are now gone.
Another good source is at train shows, where many sellers are there offering books (and train stuff, too) that they're selling on behalf of their deceased fellow modellers. I've bought several, including MR's Cyclopedia - Volume 1 Steam Locomotives, and a re-print of the Locomotive Cyclopedia 1925
Ted Culotta (Speedwitch Media) has a good line of books on freight cars, some of them originally from the late Richard Hendrickson. I have over a dozen of them, all very useful for detailing and lettering rolling stock, mostly from the steam era.
This Southern SU class boxcar was built using part of the bodyshell of a Model Die Casting car, using photos from one of Ted's books, along with information on the underbody details, only some of which were visible in photos....
The thorough description included with the photos helped to yield a very accurate model of the prototype.
Wayne