H. Roger Grant... The Northwestern, The Corn Belt (CGW), etc
CC
MP173 wrote:Several come to mind:Richard Saunders wrote two excellent books on the merger movements from 1900 thru current. I know one is entitled Merging Lines, but am unsure of the second. Both are excellent reviews of the current railroad route structure.ed
The other is ...... Main Lines: Rebirth of the North American Railroads, 1970-2002
All About Railroading is now available in a Second Edition from Simmons Boardman Books.
LC
When it comes to freight cars, I have plenty of good books to recommend. If there is anything available in print by Eric A. Neubauer, snap it up--always fastidiously detailed and factual. He wrote good summaries of the ACF Center Flow covered hoppers, General American Airslide cars (both fairly dated now, unfortunately), and carbon-black covered hoppers of all builders. The Society of Freight Car Historians has published a number of freight car roster-type books in the past. Whether I'd recommend them for anyone's personal library would depend on what you're interested in--if the title appeals to you, get it!
If cabooses are your thing, grab any book by "Mr. Caboose", Dwight Jones. He's written volumes on B&O cabooses that have left no stone unturned in their research. There are also books by Dwight on C&O's steel cabooses, Western Maryland cars, and--coming up shortly--cabooses of the DT&I.
Some of the greatest books never published are a trilogy of publications on C&O freight equipment, from 1937 to 1965. The first volume, on hopper cars, was published and is now out of print. Two more books cover the remainder of the C&O's fleet--which, during some of this period, was the third-largest railroad-owned freight car roster in the country, behind PRR and NYC! If you're interested, urge the C&O Historical Society to put them out--the work is pretty well completed. The writer has become a bit of a freight car researcher in his own right, and the editor has a fair reputation in these circles as well .
Eric, I was given the first edition of the PFE book, and think it's great! Second edition is supposed to be even better, I've been told.
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)
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
When the Railroad Leaves Town (2 volumns - Western US and Eastern US)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931112142/sr=1-1/qid=1156740477/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-5425401-0955126?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0943549981/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/104-5425401-0955126?ie=UTF8
In addition to telling what happened to the communities after railroad abandonment, These books give a briee history of the lines, why they were built and insight into why they were abandoned.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
I'll add a few:
Nothing Like it in the World, by Stephen E. Ambrose. The story of building the first transcontinental railroad
Landmarks on the Iron Road, by William D Middleton. Great achievements in railroad engineering.
Rio Grande Narrow Gauge, by John Norwood. Story of the Denver and Rio Grande.
Railway Disasters of the World, by Peter Semmens. Accounts of most major train accidents from the 20th century, also provides some insight as to how different railways around the world operated.
Randy Vos
"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings
"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV
I would not recommend "Nothing Like It". Is basically a rehash of parts of the story and strongly biased towards Dodge and the UP.
I would recommend "Empire Express", I can not remember the author and am not at home so can not cite it. Was published farly recently so you should be able to get it new or used at Amazon or Borders.
Mac
A treasure I found in an antique bookstore was a book by Otto Kuehler entitled "My Iron Journey". It's autobiographical, and since Kuehler was an artist (as well as industrial designer), he lavishly illustrated the book. If you can find it, the funniest part in my mind was his description of stealing a French locomotive (he was a German soldier in the first World War) whilst drunk, and accidentally running the poor old steamer into hostile fire. Watch out, Rommel... Kuehler added new meaning to the term "reconnaiscance"!
Erik
PNWRMNM wrote: I would not recommend "Nothing Like It". Is basically a rehash of parts of the story and strongly biased towards Dodge and the UP. I would recommend "Empire Express", I can not remember the author and am not at home so can not cite it. Was published farly recently so you should be able to get it new or used at Amazon or Borders. Mac
I agree with you concerning Ambrose's "Nothing Like It". He cranked out a lot of books in his later years and it shows in the quality of this one. Empire Express is a good book with some fresh insight to the oft told tale of the UP/CP's construction. The citation is Bain, David Haward; Empire Express, Building the First Transcontinental Railroad; Viking, 1999 (ISBN 0-670-80889-X)
On a regional note (and perhaps of interest to those who favor logging roads):
Fairy Tale Railroad, Henry Harter - about William Seward Webb's Mohawk and Malone through the central Adirondacks.
Rails in the North Woods, Allen-Gove-Maloney-Palmer, about logging and other railroads in the western Adirondacks with some information about Pennsylvania.
Where Did the Tracks Go in the Western Adirondacks, Michael Kudish. Third edition of his outstanding books about railroads in the Adirondacks. The second ran 500 pages, this would have been well over 700, so it was broken up into three separate volumes - Western, Central (including Webb's railroad, and due out last spring, but it won't be out until next? spring), Eastern (date TBA), plus the addition of a fourth volume about the railroads of the Catskills.
You'll have to search for them yourself, although I do know that all three are in print now.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Mike Bednar's outstanding books about the Lehigh Valley Railroad and railroading in Northeast Pennsylvania are also on my list.
I'm 3/4 done with The Fallen Colossus, about the formation and failure of the Penn Central. Today I got my copy of The Men Who Loved Trains.
I'll have to find a ggod book on railroading's famous personalities. Robert Young semed to be a real piece of work. Alfred Pearlman and Stuart Saunders have always been interesting to read about.
As promised- a *book report* for Ed/MP173: The Fallen Colossus by Robert Sobel.(1977)
This is a book about about the lead-up, formation, and ultimate failure of the Penn Central. It gives a historical background of NYC and PRR, and the eastern railroad scene that lead up to collapse of PC. Good explanations are given for the "why it happened", and "why it was bound to happen", not just simply "what happened". Fortuneately, there was a little more depth into the personalities of the major players than is usually given on this subject. I know Ed will like this book, as it goes into some detail on the financial aspects of what was going on behind the scenes leading up to the bankruptsy. The financial part is written so that even I understand it-a bonus. The most interesting part to me, was that it was written in 1977, but a lot of the goings-on in the PC finances made me think of Enron, and the dot-com collapse. I think if someone wrote another chapter, with 30 more years of eastern railway history behind us, the understanding and the story would be even better! I've read The Wreck of the Penn Central a couple of times. In comparison, it almost seems like the magazine version of the whole story. 345 pages, and not a sinle photograph. This was a book worth reading, even for someone who never saw a PRR,NYC,PC, or even a CR train in his life.
MP173 wrote:Murph:The Men Who Loved Trains is the logical next book for you to read. It dovetails nicely into the historical perspective of The Fallen...Also, you should consider the Richard Saunders volumes on mergers in the railroads. Excellent discussions, a bit dry at times, but extremely informative. I got both from the local library, I should just open the wallet and add to my library.ed
Ed-I've read both of the Richard Saunders books. I agree with your description of them. Last night, I read most of the first chapter of The Men Who Loved Trains. It's interesting, and I like the author's style.
Thought I'd restart this thread. Any new book recommendations?
Limitedclear wrote: Thought I'd restart this thread. Any new book recommendations?LC
You've got time to read? Filed your income taxes yet?
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
jeaton wrote: Limitedclear wrote: Thought I'd restart this thread. Any new book recommendations?LCYou've got time to read? Filed your income taxes yet?
No time. Looking ahead to my next plane trip. As to taxes, I don't worry about it as I generally get a refund. After all, I'm in the railroad business...
Several that we found useful in our March article would be "To Hell in a Day Coach", by Peter Lyon, Lippincott 1968, which provides a wonderful overview of the rail industry up to about the publication date; plus Dave DeBoer's book "Piggyback and Containers". Also it goes without saying that two of the best recent industry overviews have been Rich Saunders' "Merging Lines" and "Main Lines", and I'm not just saying that because some of my previous writings were quoted in both.
J. Giblin
Literarily speaking, this may be "coals to Newcastle," but after I read The Wreck of the Penn Central and The Men Who Loved Trains, I tackled Richard Saunders, Jr.'s, Merging Lines (1900-1970) and its historical sequel, Main Lines (1970-2002). Both volumes are wonderfully written and mesh well; in fact, those who first read Merging Lines can skip all of Chapter One of Main Lines! Saunders has created a nice strong narrative based on the assumption that the evolution of American railroads from the turn of the last century 'til 2002 is best organized and analyzed according to corporate RR mergers. And it works; or at least IMHO it does. Saunders is the kind of writer who makes dull stuff compelling -- not everything is a tale or corporate skullduggery or bios of heroic individuals -- and I liked it all. Of course, the author can't spend as much time on the Penn Central demise as The Wreck of the Penn Central, Fallen Colossus or No Way to Run a Railroad; but even so I learned a lot about that sad chapter of American railroading history. Time-consuming, but not particularly difficult (he doesn't dwell on corporate history any more than he has to), and IMHO well worth the trouble. - a.s.
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