Which books would you say are the MUST have in any classic railfans library?
I'd say that THE TRAINS WE RODE VOL I & II, SOME CLASSIC TRAINS and SOME MORE CLASSIC TRAINS should be on the list. Which ones do you have in your stash and which are you currently looking for?
Mixed Train Daily would be on my list if I had to condense my library to just a few volumes. I still pick up things out of those photos every time I look through it.
Bill
For Classic Train fans Steam Steel and Limiteds is a must in any passenger train library.
And for UP fans Union Pacific Streamliners is almost a bible for those fans.
Don Ball Jr.'s Decade of the Trains the 1940's is a great book for that time period......text is by Rogers Whitiker who worked the Traffic Control Center of the Transportation Corp during the war and most of the pictures are first time shown Office of War Information pictures....lot a facts and figures as well as some personal experiences
Just found a new Milwaukee Road book from Museum of North Idaho. Has anyone bought it, is it any good?
The Milwaukee Road's Western ExtensionThe Building of a Transcontinental Railroad by Stan Johnson
Over 500 pages 8 1/2" x 11", nearly 450 photographs, drawing and maps, detailed index. Valuable list of historical research sources and first time in print correspondence.
I would add "American Narrow Gauge Railroads" by George W. Hilton.
Enjoy
Paul
I would strongly recommend, if you are interested in passenger trains, that you pickup an Official Guide for the 50's and also early 60's.
As described in other posts here, the Guides are very valuable for historical looks at passenger trains and railroads during those periods. The maps are very valuable references.
ed
Fellas, here's another two that I have to recommend....
The Great Northern Railway
A Pictorial Study by Charles & Dorothy Wood
and
HIGHBALL
A Pageant of Trains
by Lucius Beebe
MP173 wrote: I would strongly recommend, if you are interested in passenger trains, that you pickup an Official Guide for the 50's and also early 60's. As described in other posts here, the Guides are very valuable for historical looks at passenger trains and railroads during those periods. The maps are very valuable references. ed
It's also possible to get the Official Guide on CD Rom. I have the 1936 edition, purchased onliine from a company called Railway Station Productions. When I bought it they only had this year available; don't know if they've added any other editions.
Lost World:How do you like the CD Rom edition? Personally, I like the ability to take a look at a book. Call me old school, but it is comforting to have a book in my hands.
Also, how is the quality? I can see the benefits of being able to print out specific maps, timetables, equipment lists, etc.
MP173 wrote: Lost World:How do you like the CD Rom edition? Personally, I like the ability to take a look at a book. Call me old school, but it is comforting to have a book in my hands.Also, how is the quality? I can see the benefits of being able to print out specific maps, timetables, equipment lists, etc.ed
Ed:
Having never had an Official Guide in my hands, as they're hard to find, the CD rom edition is all I know. But it is scanned page for page from the original, including timetables, the lists of officials and agents, and of course the maps. All pages can be viewed as you would the originals (two pages spread before you), or page by page, with the ability to rotate the page, which comes in handy when viewing the maps, which you would flip horizontally to view in the actual book. The CD version is also alphabetized in a toolbar on the left of the screen, so you can search for roads by name as you would in the original edition. The scan quality is excellent, and I would recommend the CD rom edition to anyone as I am very satisfied with mine.
I'll be the first to admit that I am not a C&O Allegheny fan. They are just plain ugly, a pipefitters nightmare. That said, the absolute best monograph on a single locomotive that I have read is, "Allegheny, Lima's Finest" by Gene Huddleston. This is just a fabulous book!
both Locomotive Cyclopedias I & II, (I think both are out of print)they both feature nothing but engines and drawings of them during the classic era.
.
Dan
The Northerns, The Mountains
They're OK, but seem to be a bit pricey these days.
Three Barrels of Steam is another pricey letdown! That is unless you just want a bunch of pictures of SP 4-10-2's.
Without trying very hard, it would be possible to invest a BUNCH in reference books, general and specific, about railroads in general or about one specific railroad. The titles are out there!
So, what do I have? A fairly comprehensive collection - all in Japanese. I won't bother listing titles.
Chuck (modeling what I railfanned - Central Japan in September, 1964)
A fairly comprehensive collection - all in Japanese.
IRONROOSTER wrote:I would add "American Narrow Gauge Railroads" by George W. Hilton.EnjoyPaul
I second this one and would like to add anything railroad related by Albro Martin, Maury Klein or John White. Also David Howard Bain's Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad.
BigJim wrote: The Northerns, The Mountains They're OK, but seem to be a bit pricey these days. Three Barrels of Steam is another pricey letdown! That is unless you just want a bunch of pictures of SP 4-10-2's.
Too true. When I was young and none too scrupulous I used to borrow books from the local library and never bring them back (nasty habit, but at least I can come clean about it). Three barrels of steam was one I left on the shelf.
What you want in your library depends on what the focus of your library is: BUT, any library should begin with a good Dictionary and a Thesaurus. Maybe a book on Grammer, too.
As for me, my interest is in Steam Locomotive design and operation, so I start with these
The Locomotive Up To Date By Chas. McShaneCopyright 1899 by Chas. McShaneRevised by Chas. L. McShaneCopyright 1920 by Chas. McShaneGRIFFIN & WINTERSNew York Life Building, Chicago, Ill. 1923
The previous edition of this book has been republished as the following two books and at least one is still available new someplace:
Classic American LocomotivesThe 1909 Classic on Steam Locomotive Technology By Charles McShaneOriginally published in 1899 by Griffin & Winters.The special contents of this edition are copyright 2003 by The Lyons PressThe Lyons PressGuilford, ConnecticutAn Imprint of The Globe Pequot PressISBN 1-59228-054-4
(Available from http://www.astragalpress.com/)
The Locomotive Up To Date (1906) By Charles McShaneCopyright 1906, Griffin & Winters New York Life Building, Chicago, Ill. Republished by: Little River Locomotive CompanyTownsend, Tennessee1999
The above two books are actually the exact same text and illustrations, inspite of the differences indicated by the titles. The only difference in the publications being that the second one includes 15 pages of period advertisements for other books by Charles McShane, other publications by Griffin & Winters, locomotives from various well and lesser-known locomotive builders, and artificial limbs from George R. Fuller. (The latter possibly being witness to the danger of working on the railroad in the late 1800s.)
The second edition (first one listed above) is MUCH more inclusive of more modern things.
--
The Engine's Moan, American Steam Whistles, by Edward Fagan. Astragal Press 2001
Nothing Like It In The World, by Stephen E. Ambrose. Simon & Schuster.
The Story of American Railroads, by Stewart H. Holbrook. Crown Publishers, Inc.
The Steam Locomotive in America, by Alfred W. Bruce. Crown Publishers, Inc.
How Steam Locomotives Really Work, by P. W. B. Semmens and A. J. Goldfinch. Oxford University Press.
Basic Steam Locomotive Maintenance, by D. C. Buell, Simmons - Boardman Books, Inc.
The American Steam Locomotive, Vol 1 Evolution, by F. M. Swingle. Midwest Rail Publications, Inc. (Note: there is no Vol 2 as the author died before it was prepared for publication.)
I got lots of more, but these are the "best" (subjective!) and should keep you busy for a while.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Semper Vaporo wrote: The Steam Locomotive in America, by Alfred W. Bruce. Crown Publishers, Inc. The American Steam Locomotive, Vol 1 Evolution, by F. M. Swingle. Midwest Rail Publications, Inc. (Note: there is no Vol 2 as the author died before it was prepared for publication.)
Bruce's book was probably one of the better accounts of steam locomotive operation and design. And there it contains a wealth of information that can't be easily found elsewhere. My copy is still packed up and I haven't looked at it in years.
The Swingle book was the first book (or anything else) that I bought via the internet. It is very hard to find, and the bookseller advised me not to lend it out. It's a pity someone doesn't reprint it, and perhaps index it as well. (I don't recall there being much bibliographic information in this volume either.)
I have to wonder where Swingle was going to go with subsequent volumes. Volume I pretty much covered the basic development of US steam locomotives from the later 19th century to the end.
First editions are always a good buy. But it depends on the condition. First additions are generally nice to have in your library and signed and numbered additions are even more valuable. Several books on Ebay have gone for far more than they are actually worth. Have noticed when people atrat bidding on some of these books it gets to be a feeding frenzy. That's to bad! I dare say I have overpaid for a few books in my own personal library but having collected for forty years I have done well for the most part.
Two other sets of books worth investing in are The Official Pullman Standard Library a 15 volume set and the seven volume set that covers the Budd, AC&F and other misc. manufacturers a 7 volume set. The early Pullman Standard volumes are getting very expensive and very hard to find. These books cover all of the streamlined passenger cars of the Railroads.
It is important to consider a rider to your home insurance policy to cover books that are valuable. And most important make sure it will cover present replacement costs of the books. Each year I supply my insurance agent with a complete up to date list of my books including any new acquisitions in the last year.
The red ones are the ones. They are an excellent reference source and along with other books in my library I can find information including disposition of most cars.
My library specializes in passenger trains and cars pre Amtrak. I sold off about a hundred books a few years back that did not really fit into my primary interest and will probably sell a few more in the next couple of years.
I have my book collection in Legal bookcases as this protects them from dust and keeps them in excellent condition.
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