As a child I read (ok mostly looked at the pictures at first) "The World Encyclopedia of Locomotives" by Colin Garratt, "Illustrated History of North American Railroads" by Arthur Tayler and "The Spirit of Steam" by Bill Withuhn. There were others but those 3 are most significant as with them I dove into steam and railroad history, on both sides of the Atlantic. Soon afterward I discovered Trains' Magazine, and the rest is history.
But I would be a revisionist historian if I did not mention Thomas the Tank Engine when reviewing my own past, those wooden trains and the TV series had me hooked on railroads even before I could read.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Grest stuff Wanswheel. However, do not ever expect me ever to wear a bow tie during my lectures or interviews. I've learned through the years to be skeptical, one eye brow raised sort of thing, with anyone wearing a bow tie. Especially used car salesman and professors. Politicians doesn't matter what...they are all skunks!
Google Books preview of Metropolitan Corridor and the author's old youtubes about other stuff
https://books.google.com/books?id=2pWcmPGd6oUC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECXo4utFwvc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVkLLN8EeSE
That's funny. I bought that book based on some discussion of it on here several weeks back. It's currently about #3 in my que of books to read.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
LensCapOn I have read many train books over the year. Metropolitan Corridor: Railroads and the American Scene made a bigger impression than any other single book. It changed the way I thought of trains, and their place in the physical world. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/606219.Metropolitan_Corridor
I have read many train books over the year.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/606219.Metropolitan_Corridor
YES! I have lots of books, and I like them all, but Metropolitan Corridor comes at the subject from an entirely different approach. I could read it over and over like listening to a good song. Nobody has ever explained the presence of the railroad in the captivating way that he does.
I kinda like the books by Don Ball Jr. They have just enough of that far far away presence to give me that feeling of escape.
I find much of the stuff I read as a kid and younger man unreadable now, for one reason or another.
I won't name any sacred cows. But the modern writers from whom I have taken both enjoyment and instruction include Maury Klein (his 3-volume history of the U.P.), David Bain (Empire Express, on the building of the Transcontinental) and Linda Niemann.
Excerpts from the, ah, less exuberant parts of Niemann's three books were run in Mark Hemphill's Trains. For a good look at modern railroading in the raw, I'd recommend the whole meal.
I have to agree with Backsop! The Mohawk is shown pounding the rails in my hometown! Today, you would know anything was even there!
The Mohawk That Refused To Abdicate. I've never seen so many good stories in one place before (or since).
"Merging Lines" by Saunders
I have read many train books over the years.
This isn't a competition for the best railroad book. Its simply about the books that mean the most to you.
Not to lower the importance of books listed above, but I would add the two CERA books on the North Shore, Westings Apex of the Atlantics (PRR E-6), Never on Wednesday (Rio GRande Zephyr), CERA's Magic Interurban (Indiana Railroad), Cox's Birney Streetcar book, and two streetcar books from the Boston Street Railway Association, one covering the '50s and one the MTA period. Also, White's The American Passenger Car
For me, it was Lucius Beebe's Highball, High Iron, Highliners, and The Trains We Rode. Also gained a lifetime's fascination with the NYO&W through Helmer's book published by Howell- North. And spent countless hours pouring over the original Diesel Spotters Guide and Our GM Scrapbook.
http://www.ronzielsteam.com/about/about.htm
https://books.google.com/books?id=yTbDAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT9&dq=%22over+a+century+and+a+half+ago+when%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZv7-IjIPRAhUESCYKHahVB1k4ChDoAQgaMAA#v=onepage&q=%22over%20a%20century%20and%20a%20half%20ago%20when%22&f=true
http://sbiii.com/lirr/heritage.html
“Members of the Long Island-Sunrise Trail Chapter of the NRHS working on LIRR Engine #35 at Eisenhower Park, Westbury, NY, 1969” L/R: Edward Conklin, Ron Ziel and Walter Cook.
I'm another one who was touched by Ziel's "Twilight of the Steam Locomotive", particularly the section on the D&RGW narrow gauge. My mom got it for me in 1968.
Some other RR books of importance in somewhat chronological order for me: American Heritage's "Rialroads in the Days of Steam", Freeman Hubbard's "Great Trains of all Time" (both early 1960's), Beebe's pamphlet sized book on the V&T, Beebe's "The Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroad", "Trains, Tracks and Travel", Keenan's "Cincinnati & Lake Erie", Hilton & Due's book on interurbans and Myricks "Railroads of Arizona" vol 1.
More recently, John White's books of passenger and freight car technology along with Vance's "The North American Railroad".
I think Ron Zeil's The Twilight of Steam Locomotives marked my entry into the acquisition of books on railroads as a part of my hobby. I was a kid then, and the chapter about the scrapping of a CB&Q steam locomotive was very engrossing to me. Mr. Zeil was able to get permission to go into the Northwestern Steel and Wire plant at Sterling, Illinois (when I bought the book I had no idea where Sterling was, let alone that I'd go through there often in my career, both on trains and on rbber tires--and that includes a bike trip that took me from there to Lombard, over 100 miles!).I think my most influential book was The Railroad--What it Is, What it Does, by John Armstrong (yes, the same John Armstrong that wrote "All About Signals" for Trains Magazine, and had many interesting layout ideas for Model Railroader). Textbook railroading...railroading textbook.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Along with Ziel's book, Steinhimer's Backwoods Railroads of the West was one of the most impactful books to me.
My all time favourite is a little book entitled "I Remember" by Herbert Stitt, a CP locomotive engineer who retired in 1962 after 47 years with the Railway.
I picked this book up at a used bookstore in Port Perry, ON a long time ago and have read it numerous times. Not only is he an engaging writer, Stitt truly exemplified the meaning of great. The book is very well written, but what really shines through on every page is this man's fantastic attitude toward life and hardship. He had a hard life right from the get go, having fought in the Great War, endured the Great Depression, on top of his hard scrabble existence on the railroad. Yet he doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone.. and some of his stories on the railroad are humorous.
"I Remember" by Herbert Stitt.. read it.. I promise you that you won't be disappointed.
Jim Wrinn just wrote about the passing of Ron Ziel and though I have the book "Twilight of steam locomotives" it became apparent that this book has meant a lot to me over the years.
My Jr. High library had this book so as a very young child I read and re-read this book many times. It wasn't until many years later that I found this book on E Bay and promptly bought it. Ron's book had one personal connection to me. There is a photo of CA&E car number 318 ( Page 70) , when I was in Jr. High that car was in East Troy in a very damaged condition, it was fun to see it before the railyard accident that destroyed it.
Ron also wrote a book on train wrecks that I also have.
Another book was by Central Electric Railfan Association. Bulletin 112 TM (Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company) was checked out by me from the local public library hundreds of times until I bought my own copy in 1978.
The last book I have special feelings for is the Bill Middleton book on the North Shore "America's fastest interurban"
Randy
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.