Book Nuts

[Murphy Siding]

Amateur Book Review #19

Railway Masterpieces/ Celebrating the world's greatest trains,stations,and feats of engineering
by Brian Solomon
ISBN # 0-87349-323-0 160 pages

This is a book dedicated to things that are cool about railroads. The 3 sections are: Locomotives and Trains, Railway Terminals and Stations, and Railway Engineering. A variety of neat things from around the world is showcased, illustrated with about 75 or so color pictures. You'll like this book if you're into: Steam, diesels,passenger trains, railway history, engineering, bridges, stations, British railways,travel or railway photography.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

Here are a few more books that I would recommend for the pleasure of other railway enthusiasts:

GOIN' RAILROADING - TWO GENERATIONS OF COLORADO STORIES, by Margaret Coel, as told by Sam Speas. Published by Pruitt Publishing of Boulder Colorado in 1991. paperback, 180 pages. Sam Speas was a fireman and an Engineer for the Colorado & Southern, and this book is a recounting of some of his experiences of working for the C&S during the steam era. Very interesting reading. I don't know if this book is still in print. The Colorado Railroad Museum might well have a few copies of it in stock, otherwise look for it in swap meets.

COLORFUL COLORADO RAILROADS In The 1960's by Ronald C. Hill. Published in 1992 by the Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation, Colorado Railroad Museum. 112 pages. Ronald C. Hill was or is a professional photographer and he spent a decade during the 1960's photographing trains at various locations in Colorado. The Burlington Route, D&RGW, Rock Island, U.P. and the Missouri Pacific are all represented in this book, which would make a great coffee table book if you can find a copy of it anywhere.
A lot of the photos in this book are absolutely stunning!

NARROW GAUGE...then and now by Tom Gildersleeve and Nils Huxtable, published in 1993 by Steamscenes of West Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Softcover 48 pages. I bought this book earlier this year through an e-bay auction. This book contains a lot of color photos from the D&RGW and present day Durango & Silverton and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. It's a nice little book if you can find a copy of it anywhere.

RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN ALBUM by Philip A. Ronfor, published in 1989 by Edward J. Crist. soft cover 38 pages. Philip Ronfor spent a good many years photographing the Rio Grande Southern before it disapeared and this book contains some of his best pictures all in color, which were assembled for publication by his daughter. If you are interested in narrow gauge steam and the Rio Grande Southern in particular, then this book I would highly recommend. It is excellent!

North American Steam Locomotives: THE MOUNTAINS by Jack W. Farrell and Mike Pearsall, published in 1977 by Pacific Fast Mail. 380 pages. This book contains black & white photos of 4-8-2s from most of the class 1 railroads in North America. For each road in this book, there is a two-page description of how the road in question acquired their locomotives of this wheel arrangement and a chart of specifications. I acquired this book and it's sister, THE NORTHERNS from a local hobby shop in the late 70's or early 80's and I would suspect that both books are now out of print.

[Murphy Siding]

Amateur Book Review #18

U-Boats
by Greg McDonnell
ISBN# 1-55046-1125 192 pages

Whether you love them, or hate them, you will enjoy this book. This is a history of General Electric U-series diesel locomotives, from their inception through the Super 7 program. Each chapter starts with a blurb about the particular model,why it was built, and who the first owners were. It then smothers the senses with pictures! There are 244 COLOR pictures in this book! (I counted them). The last 16 pages consists of info on models,number built,original rosters, and current owner status, as of 1994 publishing. You'll like this book if you're into:U-boats(a given), locomotives and locomotive history,color railroad photography,American railroads-freight & passenger,Mexican railroads, and fallen flags.

Remember, I'm a lumber salesman, not a writer.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

I could easily add a few more recommendations to my list of books and will probably do so later today. I am thinking about starting a seperate thread asking other members of this forum if they would be interested in recommending some of their favorite railroad video tapes or DVDs. There is a good possibility that someone else has already done this.

CANADADIANPACIFIC2816

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816

Keep in mind that the Sioux Valley Model Engineers Society meets every Tuesday night and that visitors are always welcome. Furthermore, the club will be hosting it's fourth annual "Trains at Christmas" show and swap meet during the weekend of November 19th and 20th. The swap meet will be held in the old National Guard Armory.

If you live just a block north of McKennan Park, then I live not far from you, within a matter of blocks. While I won't give you my exact address right away, I will describe my neighborhood. The Ellis & Eastern's mainline is one block west of my house. I cross it every time I go to Sunshine on 2nd ave for groceries or just about anywhere else, such as the post office, a ten minute walk from my house. To the east of me, one block away is the yard lead for the southern end of the BNSF's yard trackage which runs past Howes Oil Company and Sioux Falls Construction. If the Sioux Falls Credit Union were not blocking my view I would be able to see Howes Oil from my front door and even catch a glimpse of the BNSF switch crew at work. Now that I have given you a few pieces of the puzzle, you can kind of figure out the approximate location of where I live.

Have a good day at work, Murphy Siding!

Yes, I understand exactly where you live. You get to hear a lot of train whistles in a day.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

Keep in mind that the Sioux Valley Model Engineers Society meets every Tuesday night and that visitors are always welcome. Furthermore, the club will be hosting it's fourth annual "Trains at Christmas" show and swap meet during the weekend of November 19th and 20th. The swap meet will be held in the old National Guard Armory.

If you live just a block north of McKennan Park, then I live not far from you, within a matter of blocks. While I won't give you my exact address right away, I will describe my neighborhood. The Ellis & Eastern's mainline is one block west of my house. I cross it every time I go to Sunshine on 2nd ave for groceries or just about anywhere else, such as the post office, a ten minute walk from my house. To the east of me, one block away is the yard lead for the southern end of the BNSF's yard trackage which runs past Howes Oil Company and Sioux Falls Construction. If the Sioux Falls Credit Union were not blocking my view I would be able to see Howes Oil from my front door and even catch a glimpse of the BNSF switch crew at work. Now that I have given you a few pieces of the puzzle, you can kind of figure out the approximate location of where I live.

Have a good day at work, Murphy Siding!

[Murphy Siding]

Thank You for the invite, but the kids have something going on at school tommorrow night. I think I met father once, at Schoeneman's.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

YES, Murphy Siding, my father was indeed "Lofty". Dad spent more than 50 years in radio broadcasting, having started with KSOO in 1936. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of "Holiday Inn" in 1986. Dad has been gone since August of 1991, a victim of pancreatic cancer. My Mom died in December of 2001. Some of my friends, particularly the other members of the Sioux Valley Model Engineer's Society refer to me as "Lofty". When you translate the name Loftesness from the original Norwegian dialect, it means "land of the mountains". I can tell some pretty good Ole & Lena jokes.

I will be going out to the S.V.M.E.S's clubhouse out at the fairgrounds at about 6:45 tomorrow night. If you know where that is, why not come out and introduce yourself to me??

CANADIANPACIFIC2816
"Lofty"

[Murphy Siding]

CANADIANPACIFIC2816: Thank you for you contibution. I laughed when I saw where you lived! I live 1 block north of McKennan Park! I believe I saw your name on a different thread. Was you father the radio "Lofty"?

Thanks

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

Murphy Siding:

I too, have a collection of railroad books, and although it is small compared to what a lot of other railroad buffs have, here is a listing of just a few of the books I have acquired all within the last few years. If it were not for the lack of room in my house to store books, I'd likely be buying and reading a lot more.

1. EMPIRE EXPRESS - BUILDING OF THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD by David Haward Bain. Published in 1999 by Viking Penquin. 797 pages in length, including author's notes and index. I acquired my copy of this book through the History Book Club. Excellent reading!

2. NICHOLAS MORANT'S CANADIAN PACIFIC by J.F. Garden, published in 1991 by Footprint Publishing in Revelstoke, Canada. 455 pages in length. Nicholas Morant was the CPR's chief publicity photographer for many, many years and this book contains many of the black & white and color images that Morant made of the Canadian Pacific Railway at many different locations along the CPR's mainline across Canada. For anyone who loves the CPR as much as I do, this book is a must. I acquired my copy through an e-bay auction about nine months ago, and in brand new condition.

3. THE RAILROAD ARTISTRY OF HOWARD FOGG by Ronald C. Hill and Al Chione, published by Cedco Publishing in 1999. 162 pages in length. This book is sort of a collection of some of the best known of Howard Fogg's railroad paintings, many of which command a premium price. I think this book is still available from Cedco and I would recommend it to anyone who has a liking for Howard Fogg's work.

4. BURLINGTON NORTHERN and Its Heritage by Steve Gilschinski, published in 1996 by Motorbooks International. This book should be a must for anyone who has an interest in any of the four roads which merged to form the BN in 1970, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, CB&Q and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle. 192 pages.

5. RIO GRANDE SECRET PLACES - VOLUME ONE: THE TUNNEL DISTRICT by R.C. Farewell, published in 1997 by the Colorado Railroad Museum and the Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. 160 pages in length, including the index. This book describes the D&RGW's tunnel district between Denver and the Moffat Tunnel with a lot of very interesting, detailed information. This book might be out of print, but I found my copy at a swap meet while attending the annual fall meet of the Burlington Route Historical Society when it met in Deadwood, South Dakota in 1998.

6. THE SOUTH PARK LINE by Mallory Hope Ferrell, published in 2003 by Hundman Publishing. 364 pages in length, not including the index. For anyone who has a serious interest in Colorado railroad history, I would recommend this book. I acquired my copy at a railroad swap meet somewhere in Minnesota about a year ago and I paid $60.00 for it, and in brand new condition, when it would normally fetch $89.95. I love old photographs that were taken prior to 1900, using the old wet plate process, and this book has a lot of such pictures within it's pages.

7. CANADIAN PACIFIC - STAND FAST, CRAIGELLACHIE! by Greg McDonnell, published in 1999 by Boston Mills Press. 240 pages. For anyone who loves railroad photography this book is a must. And I would recommend this one in particular to other CPR fans.

8. TICKET TO TOLTEC by Doris B. Osterwald A Mile By Mile Guide for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Published by Western Guideways in 1976. The copy that I have is an updated version which was published in 1992. This book is in paperback form and 167 pages in length. A serious "must have" for anyone with an interest in the Colorado narrow guage roads, the Cumbres & Toltec in particular.

9. TRACKING GHOST RAILROADS IN COLORADO by Robert Ormes, published by Green Light Graphics in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1992. 164 pages in softcover form.
This book may be out of print, but anyone who would like a copy of it might find one in a swap meet somewhere. This book covers abandoned railroad lines in the state of Colorado, both narrow and standard guage.

10. The Northern Pacific's.....RAILS TO GOLD AND SILVER - LINES TO MONTANA'S MINING CAMPS - VOLUME 1: 1883-1887 by Bill and Jan Taylor. Published in 1999 by Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. of Missoula, Montana, 141 pages, softcover. This book is very interesting, and my copy was signed by the authors. I acquired this book through an e-bay auction within the last couple years.

11. THE WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE - A PICTORIAL HISTORY by Stan Cohen. Published in 1980 by Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 120 pages softcover. I bought this book at a shop in Skagway, Alaska after riding the White Pass & Yukon Route in September of 2003. For anyone who has an interest in railroad history of Alaska and the Yukon Territory, I would most certainly recommend this book.

12. THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY of McGEE and NIXON by Richard Green. Published in 1985 by North West Short Line. 270 pages in length. I suspect this book may be out of print by now, but if you can find a copy of it anywhere, then buy it. Warren McGee and Ron Nixon spent their lives as photographers for the Northern Pacific and this book contains some of their best work. I think many of the pictures in this book, even though they are in black & white, are absolutely stunning.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

[Murphy Siding]

Amateur Book Review # 17

Venice Simplon Orient-Express
by Shirley Sherwood 160 pgs. (1983)
ISBN # 0-297-78261-4

This is a book about the history and re-birth of the world's most famous passenger train. It's entertaining and well written, with about 80 pictures, maps and drawings. You'll like this book, if you are into: passenger trains, European trains, European history, tunnels,restoration of train cars, or travel..

Remember, I'm a lumber salesman, not a wtiter.

[Murphy Siding]

Amateur Book Review # 16

The Routledge Historical Atlas of the American Railroad
by John F. Stover 144 pages ( 3/4 size)
ISBN #0-415-92140-6

This is a railroad history/railroad map junkie book. (insert my face here![:)]) This is the book I'd write, if I was a writer. It traces the history of American Railroads (go figure), using lots of black and white pictures and railway maps(50). The best part is a snapshot of 26 major railroads in 1950. Included is a lot of side information,charts, and graphs. Where else could you learn that Rhode Island had 100 miles of trackage (as of 1995), and that Texas had 10,803. I may have to loan this book to Lotus098 for train trivia questions. (Or use it as a reference book to answer them[:-,]).
You'll like this book if you're into railroad history and maps.

Remember, I'm a lumber salesman, not a writer.

What have you read that you enjoyed?

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

Old timer: Which Link book is the one with all the nightime pictures, like the one with a NW steamer going past a drive-in movie?

Steam Steel & Stars is mostly his nighttime images as well as the drive-in shot. I have the other Link book he mentions and I think it also has it, but that's one that's packed away.

Thanks. I've seen both of these books before.. I've got to start looking for the S,S &S book for my collection.I'm not much of a steam fan, but Winston O. Link's work is classic!

[eastside]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

Old timer: Which Link book is the one with all the nightime pictures, like the one with a NW steamer going past a drive-in movie?

Steam Steel & Stars is mostly his nighttime images as well as the drive-in shot. I have the other Link book he mentions and I think it also has it, but that's one that's packed away.

[Murphy Siding]

Old timer: Which Link book is the one with all the nightime pictures, like the one with a NW steamer going past a drive-in movie?

[Anonymous]

Quoth Eastside:

"Link, O. W., photographs. Tim Hensley, text. 1987. Steam Steel & Stars. Harry N. Abrahams. Inc. An excellent coffee table book of Link’s best pictures of N&W steam. I really regret not having bought any of his prints when I had the chance."

There's another Link book out that's better than SS&S. It's called "The Last Steam Railroad in North America".

More photos, better text, same size as SS&S.

Also, if you're interested in great photos of N&W steam, get "The N&W as I Knew It". It's another coffee table book of B&W photos by August A. Thieme, who started out taking photos about 1939. Thieme worked from Norfolk west to about Northfork on the Pocahontas Division; did the Abingdon Branch and the Shenandoah Division.

Drury's "Guide to North American Steam Locomotives" is a superb reference. It's the same size as all the other Kalmbach railroad reference books. For a non-railroader, Drury is extremely knowledgable about railroad subjects (he's the only guy I know who can rival the late John Armstrong in this respect) and is an excellent writer; he has no trouble explaining stuff in the most readable manner.

Old Timer

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MP173

Not quite an Amateur Book Review #1

Main Lines
by Richard Saunders, Jr.
ISBN 0-87580-316-4, 436 pages

The author follows up his Merging Lines book with this post Penn Central look at railroading, economic style. Other than the pleasing cover photo of a BNSF stack train, one will not find any photography in this book. This is not a book to purchase if you are looking for stunning photography of the world of trains...or if one is looking for say the differences between an SD40 and SD45. This book explains the complexities of the railroading as it existed from 1970 to the present.

Saunders covers in detail (but not too much detail) the PRR - NYC merger, the eastern railroading problems, the bankruptcies of Penn Central and others, the formation of Conrail and the economic rebirth of railroading. The author makes up for the lack of photographs with a large number of 3.5" x 4.5" maps explaining the evolution of the industry. The maps are not meant to show detail, but to give overviews.

I am currently reading the book for the second time and am finding it more interesting than the first time thru.

For you economic railfans on this forum...and you know who you are, I would strongly suggest adding this book to your liabrary. It is not only a very readable history book, but a valuable resource covering current railroad economics.

Remember, I am just a decal salesman and not a writer.

ed

ed: Thank You very much for the review. I wondered if I was the only one reading (or writing) this thread. I look forward to hearing what else of interest you've found to read.[:D]

[MP173]

Not quite an Amateur Book Review #1

Main Lines
by Richard Saunders, Jr.
ISBN 0-87580-316-4, 436 pages

The author follows up his Merging Lines book with this post Penn Central look at railroading, economic style. Other than the pleasing cover photo of a BNSF stack train, one will not find any photography in this book. This is not a book to purchase if you are looking for stunning photography of the world of trains...or if one is looking for say the differences between an SD40 and SD45. This book explains the complexities of the railroading as it existed from 1970 to the present.

Saunders covers in detail (but not too much detail) the PRR - NYC merger, the eastern railroading problems, the bankruptcies of Penn Central and others, the formation of Conrail and the economic rebirth of railroading. The author makes up for the lack of photographs with a large number of 3.5" x 4.5" maps explaining the evolution of the industry. The maps are not meant to show detail, but to give overviews.

I am currently reading the book for the second time and am finding it more interesting than the first time thru.

For you economic railfans on this forum...and you know who you are, I would strongly suggest adding this book to your liabrary. It is not only a very readable history book, but a valuable resource covering current railroad economics.

Remember, I am just a decal salesman and not a writer.

ed

[MP173]

Murphy:

I have a couple of the CAR and I have to agree...great books, without being too heavy.

I will jump in with a book review of Main Lines. I hope this is satisfactory for you Nanaimo...it is the least I can do for all the terraserver applications you have shared.



The review will follow.

ed

[Murphy Siding]

Amateur Book Review #13, #14, #15 (because I'm too lazy to do three)

Classic American Railroads ISBN # 0-7603-0239-1

More C.A.R ISBN #0-7603-0758-X

C.A.R Volume III ISBN# 0-7063-1649-X

by my favorite railroad writer: Mike Schafer

This set is railroad fan paradise! Each book is about 156 pages. Covered are the histories of the 44 *most classic* American railroads. Each railroad gets a chapter with map([:D]), and a dozen or so color pictures. You can lose yourself in one of these books for hours. You'll like these books if you're into: railroads,trains,railroad history,passenger trains,nostalgia,steam,1st generation diesel,maps,railroad photography,or railroad forums.


Remember, I'm a lumber salesman, not a writer. (And not a very good typer either).

[Murphy Siding]

Amateur Book Review #12
Railroads Triumphant
by Albro Martin
ISBN# 0-19-503853-3 428 pages

A somewhat concise history of American railroads up to 1988, all written in short,sweet 2-3 page *chapter-ettes*. Light on pictures,devoid of maps,and with a scattering of drawings, this book reads like it was written by a history professor. It was.
You'll like this book if you're into railroad history.

Remember, I'm a lumber salesman, not a writer.

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside

Drury, George H. Guide to North American Locomotives. Kalmbach Publishing Co.
Lists every North American Locomotive in the 20th century, a real necessity if you like steam.

Can you tell me more about this book? I have the Historical Guide to North American Railroads. Is it as good, and detailed as that? Is it half sized, like the locomotive guide?

Thanks

[CShaveRR]

Of all of the railroad books I own (and we're talking about close to a thousand), I've found that the most useful has been The Railroad--What it Is, What it Does, by the late John Armstrong (sadly, there will be no more updates by this gentleman--I bought all four editions!). It has a marvelous diagram, for example, explaining signal aspects and indications, and where you'd be likely to find them.

I have a few Official Guides, but have found the modern ones (published every other month) to be virtually useless compared to their old counterparts. Since I'm first and foremost a freight car freak, the Official Railway Equipment Registers take up a couple of shelves down here, with many more that can't fit. They get used, too.

For buying new books (which I rarely do any more, since I lack the room to put them), I've found that the best place around is the Border's in LaGrange. Not only that, but while you're browsing through a railroad book you can glance out the adjacent window and catch that train you heard going by on the BNSF triple-track raceway!

I favor going to used-book stores. You never know what gems will turn up there. Haven't done that for a while, though--it always looks like someone's gone through there and cleaned 'em out, except for a couple of battered books by this guy named Beebe. (In that department, my wife and I both think of how good Denver was for finding good used books--we brought home a suitcase full the time we went there about 30 years ago.)

Anybody have any books in their library by a guy named Shaver? [}:)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside
Bob

The Great Book of Trains is another of the books that contains many of the sideview paintings that I asked about earlier:

The above book gives credit to a "team" of artists but mentions in particular, David Palmer and Diana and John Moore in the credits.

Bob

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