What's your favorite railroading book? Mine is Steam Train Journey by Huck Scarry. I don't know how many times I read this book when I was a kid.
Apart from some children's books, my first "real" train book was Lucius Beebe's Trains in Transition. I think it was originally published around 1940 so it shows some early diesel and early streamliners, but is mostly great steam. I have a reprint and the photos now seem very fuzzy in reproduction but I still enjoy thumbing through it now and then.
The book I checked out of the public library most often as a boy was Ron Ziel's "Twilight of Steam." That is a great book. On a more modern basis, any of the David Plowden photography books are favorites. The quality of photo reproduction these days is just terrific.
Dave Nelson
I'd say "Brownie the Boomer" by Charles Brown - edited by Roger Grant. Brown worked as a boomer in the latter part of the 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th and his first person account of working on the railroad is the best one I've read.
I'd also second Plowden - I really like his "A Time of Trains" the black and white pictures are good but his description of a high speed run of Christmas mail in 1955 is something else and I can't even count the number of times I've read it.
"La Locomotive a Vapeur", by Andre Chapelon.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Hands down, for me: "Set Up Running" by John Orr. A very detailed biographical/historical account of his father's (Oscar Orr) 45 year career as an engine man on the Pennsy. One of the best ("put you in the driver's seat") RR books ever. I've read it 3 times now over a period of as many years. Can be ordered on Amazon.com
For passenger trains: "The Trains We Rode by Beebe & Clegg. The version with Vol. 1 & 2 combined is recommended. Fantastic photos and descriptions. I think "Superior" was the pub.
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
I also read Lucius Beebe. "Highball" was my favorite of his.
My favorite RR book as a child was Smoky Poky. My favorite picture book was Lucius Beebe's The Age of Steam which I used to check out from the library but finally found a copy to buy. My favorite non-fiction memoir was Gilbert Lathrop's Little Engines and Big Men about railroading on the Colorado Narrow Gauge lines. My favorite fiction book was James McGague's The Big Ivy . I'm a lifelong collector of RR books and I couldn't begin to select just one favorite now.