fleetsailor1981 I know this is an old post but this might help newer members. what you were probly looking for is this. Title: LOCOMOTIVE CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN PRACTICE, ... Publisher: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, New York Publication Date: 1944 Binding: Hardcover Edition: Twelfth edition. This was reprinted in the 70s by Kalmbach. it has 1300+ pages with sections on Locomotives, frames, wheels, Boilers, Rods (main, connecting, and ect.)
I know this is an old post but this might help newer members. what you were probly looking for is this.
Title: LOCOMOTIVE CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN PRACTICE, ...
Publisher: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, New York
Publication Date: 1944
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: Twelfth edition.
This was reprinted in the 70s by Kalmbach. it has 1300+ pages with sections on Locomotives, frames, wheels, Boilers, Rods (main, connecting, and ect.)
That is this one, obtainable on Amazon & E-Bay, note the multiple editiors and the scope covering steam, diesels (up to a point), and electrics. I wonder how much it covers the last steam loco products.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=locomotive+cyclopedia+1947&sprefix=locomotive+cyclo%2Caps%2C208&crid=1FTEJLQOM783M
I recently purchased the later MR Cyclopedia, Steam Locomotives, Vol. 1. There are multiple editions / printings. I obtained a soft cover later edition, very nice condition, at a moderate price.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_27?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=model+railroader+cyclopedia+vol+1&sprefix=model+railroader+cyclopedia%2Caps%2C204&crid=PKML6YG7CSIJ
I see that the original, with multiple named editors, covers all loco types. The later "Vol. 1", edited by L. Westcott, just steam, is separate from Vol. 2 (Diesels). I don't know how the steam content differs in the original Cyclopedia vs. Vol. 1.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Gregg
Modeling the Bessemer and Lake Erie in 1969
bigfatskinny I am interested in acquiring a collection of the cyclopeadii published by Kalmbach and edited by Lynn Wescott and others. I see various editions offered on other sites, does any one know how many editions there were? Steam Locomotive ?, Diesel Locomotive ?, Freight Cars ?, MOW Equipment ? any others ? Thanks for the help
I am interested in acquiring a collection of the cyclopeadii published by Kalmbach and edited by Lynn Wescott and others. I see various editions offered on other sites, does any one know how many editions there were? Steam Locomotive ?, Diesel Locomotive ?, Freight Cars ?, MOW Equipment ? any others ?
Thanks for the help
Bruce
I cannot be comprehensive here but perhaps can be precise.
As early as 1936, Al Kalmbach was reissuing the prototype plans on Model Railroader in the form of books called The Model Railroader Cyclopedia. As the preface(s) said the cost could be low because everything was a reprint. As a side note, Kalmbach also offered packets of prototype plans at low cost.
I have the 1944 Model Railroader Cyclopedia and it refers to four previous editions. I think the 6th edition came out around 1950, then publication stopped for a time. What is interesting about 1944 Cyc is that Kalmbach clearly was trying to cram as many drawings in the available space as possible. It is hardbound. It may well be a collector's item but just a few years ago I picked up my copy at a swap meet for $2. Many pages are fold outs including the larger steam engines and the entire Super Chief.
In 1960, Kalmbach published Linn Westcott's Model Railroader Cyclopedia (Volume 1 Steam Locomotives) and I think it remains in print. It is called the 7th edition. Much of it is also reprints of prototype plans from MR but there is some new material in it, including some basic and truly valuable info on how a steam locomotive works and what some of the appliances are.
In 1980 the long awaited Vol 2 appeared, edited by Bob Hayden. It was devoted to diesels and again, for the most part was a compilation of previously published plans. I believe Kalmbach has allowed it to go out of print but they have done that before and brought it back. By 1980 Carstens had for many years published their somewhat similar book of reprints of prototype plans, Loco 1: The Diesel (1966). Of course some of the railfan, versus model railroader, demand for the info was also met by Kalmbach's Diesel Spotter's Guides, and by publications such as Extra 2200 South.
From time to time MR would mention ideas for a Vol 3 of the Model Railroader Cyclopedia. But Kalmbach also published other soft cover books that had reprints of articles on cars, structures, bridges, and other stuff that was supposed to go into Vol 3. I would be surprised if there are any real plans for a Vol 3 although an expanded Vol 2 makes sense and would probably sell nicely. Model Railroader publishes so few prototype plans now compared to years ago that a Vol 4 is almost unthinkable.
The Newton K Gregg Train Shed Cyclopedia series of reprints is not really aimed at the modeler as much as the Kalmbach Cyclopedias are or were. And of course there remains the actual Simmons Boardman cyclopedias which bring high prices as collectables, even in reprint form.
Dave Nelson
Other reference sources for history and drawings:
The American Railroad Freight Car by John White. Lots of original research in books by this guy, who was a curator at the Smithsonian.
The American Railroad Passenger Car by John White
The Great Yellow Fleet by John White (refrigerated cars of all types)
Railway Prototype Cyclopedia ed. by Hawkins and Wider (several volumes, wide variety of coverage)
Steam, Steel and Limiteds by Wm. Kratville. Along with Dubin's books, great info for passenger trains in the standard era.
Passenger Car Catalog by Wm. Kratville. Detailed history of Pullman cars, with a nearly complete inventory and photo of every car type.
Welcome to the forum, Podna'!
Don't forget that Hundman Publishing has published two cyclopedias with drawings from Mainline Modeler. Mr Hundman retains copyright on these drawings and, as I understand it, is planning on a third volume dealing exclusively(?) with articulated locomotives.
I believe that Craftsman Publishing at one time published a short volume of diesel drawings taken from the pages of RMC but I may be mistaken on that. I have a volume of diesel drawings published by the Santa Fe Modeling Society which is useful as far as details that might be associated with that specific road.
Craftsman Publishing currently has three volumes of passenger car drawings available, both heavyweight and lightweight. As far as freight cars go I don't recall any kind of compendium of drawings but your best source for these drawings is the now defunct Model Railroading.
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
The Train Shed Cyclopedia series were extracts or sections of larger books usually Locomotive or Car Builder Dictionaries. Sometimes most of the book would be covered in several books in the series. Newton Gregg also published full reprints of various Locomotive and Car Builder Dictionaries dating from the later part of the 1800's up to around 1940. All of these are available at shows from time to time. And online - search for Newton Gregg.
I think MR planned a whole series but only got as far as the Steam Locomotive and Diesel Locomotive volumes. The Steam one was first and was in hardback, later paperback. I don't know if the Diesel volume was ever offered in hardback - I have the paperback version. They have a general section up front about how a steam / diesel locomotive worked.
Enjoy
You might even try searching Google books. Sometimes you can find the book might be in a library and you can get the book through inter library loan from what I have heard from a few model railroaders.
Many model railroaders are not aware they can use the 'Net for searching. It just takes some patience.
http://books.google.com/?hl=en
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
The MR Cyclopedia on steam locomotives was by Linn Westcott, and included plenty of clear diagrams of all those pipes on the boiler, and basic info on which systems they were for, and how things worked. It also included many drawing of locomotives, some (or all?) of which have been published in MR magazine. It was a great guide to steam loco construction in scale, but it is a secondary source.
The Train Shed Cyclopedia series (N. Gregg reprints of actual, professional Cyc's from 1893 through 1943 or so) was the real thing, not a model railroad version of reality. You do need a basic knowledge of old-school drafting and engineering practice to read the drawings. Surface detail is not always fully covered, as it was not written with model building in mind. Freight and passenger cars, locomotives, and structures are covered. There were at least 54 editions published, with 60 projected (reading off the back covers).
CNJ831 A far more inclusive cyclopedia was the series, 14 books in all, published under the title: Train Shed Cyclopedia. Each volume covered either types of motive power or specific types of rolling stock, complete with large numbers of diagrams and photographs.
A far more inclusive cyclopedia was the series, 14 books in all, published under the title: Train Shed Cyclopedia. Each volume covered either types of motive power or specific types of rolling stock, complete with large numbers of diagrams and photographs.
The "Train Shed Cyclopedias" were reprints of various car builder and locomotive cyclopedia's, plus a few other publications. There were over 50 various reprints published. Some of the earlier material (1880-1900 era) is available on Google Books as the entire original cyclopedia or source book. Most of the newer material isn't in the public domain yet.
I would check Amazon, E-bay, stores that deal in used books and train shows for the Train Shed Cyclopedias. They have been out of print for a while.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Going 'way back into the dark ages, there was a single volume Model Railroader Cyclopedia published in hard cover. By the time I started to get serious about model railroading, it was already a collector's item. By the time the Steam Locomotives cyclopedia was published I had already decided to model Japanese prototype.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
There were two MR ocomotive cyclopedia, one steam and one diesel.
Go to the below link and click on Railroad Collectibles. He has the other series.
http://www.railroadtreasures.com/
There are probably other online sources, ebay. Model railroad shows. Search the 'Net for Train Shed Cyclopedias
The initial publication date for the series was in the early 1970's but they remained easily available in the marketplace well into the 1990's. The original price of editions ranged from $2 to $5. I'm not aware of any book dealer currently offering them but checking eBay periodically might turn up examples today.
CNJ831
There were two locomotive cyclopedia, one steam and one diesel. There were numerous editions (i.e. reprintings of the two books) over the period they were available. I think the last edition was probably 15-20 years ago now??
Another publisher did come out with a series on freight cars back in the eighties/nineties.