Trains and Railroads Books

New Departures is a fantastic look at what other cultures are doing right with passenger rail, and what America (and Canada, for that matter) is doing wrong. It's really a one of a kind volume, because so many books on Amtrak take highly polarized views of what should occur with that agency. Instead, Anthony Pearl illustrates rail policy that actually works in several countries around the world, and explains America's failed attempts at high speed rail. He does not make political judgments (such as Joseph Vranich's "End of the Line" and "Derailed" do), but rather succinctly provides a wealth of information about what actually works. I walked away from New Departures with an immense wealth of knowledge about passenger rail policy and its history in the US and the world. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in passenger rail policy and Amtrak.

I found the book to be the most insightful analysis of passenger rail at the global level I've ever seen. It is a great resource for anyone involved in policy, or for someone who just wants to know 'why we don't have trains like Japan or Europe'. To his credit, Dr.Perl does not come up with a crystal-clear solution for the future of Amtrak. This is reflective of the reality of the mix of economics and politics that is US transport policy, namely that: funding for passenger rail is a subsidy, but funding for road and air is infrastructure.

In this story, a boy named Mijo tells about a problem his family faces: his father might lose his job at the railroad because of the change from steam locomotives to diesel locomotives. What will his family do? What can Mijo do to stop what he calls the "Beast?" In the end, does new technology hurt Mijo and his family?

The book is wonderfully illustrated and written in both English and Spanish. Don't let a youngster miss a good read they can learn from. Changes will sometimes disrupt our lives and we have to adapt to new situations.

As a children's book author, I highly recommend, "The New Engine/La Maquina Nueva" to young readers.

This bilingual children's picturebook, with its full text in both English and Spanish, teaches young children the importance of adapting to new things in a changing, sometimes frightening world. Carlos Encinas' full color, computer-based illustrations add an extra-dimensional quality to the great and powerful engine that comes to the peaceful world of the young narrator. An excellent book for multicultural children who are learning two languages.

Here is an outstanding history and pictorial survey of the late (but still beloved) NYNH&H. The author gives a basic (yet thorough) history of the railroad and describes what it did and how and why it did it. Thoughtfully selected and captioned pictures supplement the well-written text. The book includes maps which will provide readers not familiar with the scope and operations of the NH an idea of "what was where when." The quality of photo reproduction (color, black and white, sepia)is excellent. This will be a good addition to your collection of books on railroads in New England. Also, in this era of drastically overpriced and often indifferently produced railroad books, Lynch's work is refreshingly affordable.

For those interested in Railroads in general, and the New Haven Railroad in particular,you would be well advised to grab a copy of this book. As a 46 year veteran of the NH,PC,Conrail & Amtrak progression, I found it to be very accurate, concise & mostly very interesting reading, bringing the whole history of the New Haven in easily followed chapters (couldn't put it down once I started reading it). Also, there are many excellent photo's. I strongly recommend this book.

This book is simply an outstanding history of the 20th century years of the NYO&W. If you are interested in NY State railroads, the NY dairy industry, or just steam and early diesal era railrods, this is a must have book.I can't say enough good things about the writing, the photographs and the line art illustration. Fantastic!!!

Yet another great book from one of the most underrated railroad historians of our time. Not a stone was left unturned by Mr. Mohowski on his in-depth look at the dairy industry and life during that period along the infamous New York Ontario & Western. Beautifully written with dozens of photos, some of which have never been seen before. I take my hat off to Bob, we are not worthy!!

Summary of state operations by passenger railroads, state by state maps of passenger rail lines, appendix listing by state of trains with location, consist, joint operating roads, origination and termination information and schedule times. Absolutely the very best source of information about long-ago and recent (to the 1950's) operations. It is authoritative and reliable. I bought a second one because the first started coming apart at the spine from constant use. It took a while, but reading and studying it has given me a comprehensive understanding of how passenger trains operated and interchanged all over the U.S.

This is the sort of book that one would describe as a "labor of love." For 99.9% of the population, this is way too much information about an esoteric topic that no one gives a darn about. But if you're a hard-core enthusiast of passenger trains and US railroad history, this is a valuable volume. The first part of the book discusses the railroad history of every state, explaining which railroad routes went where, and why, accompanied by helpful maps. The major cities' railroad stations are also briefly covered. The second part of the book lists every train in the US with Pullman cars (sleeping cars) at midnight on a typical night during the era's heyday. The composition of long-distance passenger trains rarely remained intact between origin and destination; instead, sleeping cars would be added or removed from the train enroute. The lists in this book show exactly where each train would be at midnight, the details of the cars comprising it, and the city from which each sleeping car originated, as well as its destination. If your eyes are glazing over at this point, it's too specialized for you, but some enthusiasts will appreciate this fine tribute to a by-gone era.

My comments will be brief, as the fine review already provided by James Heidel is accurate and complete. I intend only to convince any of those who are unsure of buying this book that this really is a great value. Simply excellent writing combined with ample information has resulted in the best book I have read about railroading.

This publication covers the complete history of the Chicago & North Western Railway from the initial charter of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad in 1836 through the final years before the C&NW was absorbed by the Union Pacific in 1995. This work is one that a reader will come away having learned the evolution of the former C&NW and the reasons for its prominence in railroad history. It is a must have reference text for any fan of Midwest rails. Professor Grant has included numerous illustrations and b&w photographs from his personal collection and from others that have been crisply reproduced and concisely captioned. The generous footnotes and ample bibliography provided are illuminating and will offer any student of Midwest rail history an excellent starting point for a research endeavor of their own.

ONe of the best Canadian Railway books in recent years. Well worth the price

This book intentionally looks at the gone and nearly-gone elements of railroading in Canada. Semaphores, passenger trains, 40-foot grain boxcars, Prarie branchlines, the Spadina Avenue Roundhouse, paint schemes, nothing that lives on short time seems to have escaped the cameras of Mr. McDonnell or his henchmen. From crisp black and whites of steam engines in a roundhouse, juxtaposed with a scrapper cutting one of them apart a year later to GMD1s tiptoeing across the Prarie to the BC Rail M630 recovered from the bottom of a lake, this book wears nostalgia on its sleeve. I never got a sense of melancholy or loss in the writing, but rather celebration of recording "what is" while understanding that it is soon to become "what was." The book made me more aware that I need to record certain things for my own collection of posterity before there are no more chances left. One other thing to mention---this is the rare volume that devotes more space to the Maritimes than to British Columbia. Not that I have anything BC, y'understand, I've vacationed there three times, it's just that *no one* goes to the Maritimes and *everyone* goes to BC.

Photo selection is extremely strong. There is an excellent blend of scenic shots, where the train is distant, as well as close-ups. There are many night shots, plus quite a few inside roundhouses, where lighting conditions are challenging. Mr. McDonnell's own contributions were notable, stylistically, because of a tendency to frame the train or other subject from within a building (looking out a window, for example). I liked the shot on page 125 of a string of 40-foot boxcars on a soon-to-be-abandoned branch shot from inside a collapsed farm building. The human element is certainly not ignored, and there are several strong photos of dispatchers, engine crewmen, even a guy loading a grain box. Reproduction is uniformly excellent.

"Passing Trains" should be your next purchase if you don't already have it, your next read if you've bought it and haven't read it yet, or your next re-read when you wonder why you should get out of bed at 4 a.m. to drive to BFE, Indiana. This book is why.

This book centers on the history of railroad development and expansion in Indiana and Illinois at the turn of the century as well as the lives and times of the movers and shakers that propelled this activity. I particularly enjoyed reading about where and why certain rail lines were built and then why some of them otlived their usefulness. It is interesting to see what exists in todays world and then read about how it started and occurred during the glory years of railroad construction in the Midwest. The insights on personalities, motivations and strategies of people like Wm. Riley McKeen, his supporters (Chauncey Rose) and detractors (Samuel Ives) were also extremely enlightening and entertaining. I grew up in Illinois and Indiana and always wanted to know more about the history of the Pennsylvania RR "Lines West". (Most PRR history books discuss the eastern portion of the railroad.) This book explains much about "Lines West" in an informative and entertaining fashion.

The extraordinary true story about a scrupulous midwestern entrepreneur who built a small local railroad into a strong regional system -- known as "The Vandalia" -- and resisted repeated efforts to be acquired for nearly 30 years or until he was ready to relinquish the reins. Belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in Indiana or Illinois history or the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad. A highly readable and entertainingly-written research masterpiece addressing an area of corporate history not often broached. Required exploration of corporate minutes, court files and private correspondence. "A railroad's history, telling it through the life of the man who made it what it was." Outstanding photos and diagrams. A keeper.

My son who is now 4 has been a Thomas nut for 2 years. The book/cd combination is great for extra bedtime storytelling!

Buy Percy's Chocolate Crunch with the Cassette! It is a bit more expensive than *just* the book but it is also more fun for kids. My 3-year-old (and his 5 y.o. sister) listens to these over and over while he plays with his buddies.

Narrated by Alec Baldwin (one of the narrators of the television series) Sir Topham Hatt's crew comes alive. The first story is about Percy's misadventures during a water shortage. He tries to stay clean but ends up the dirtiest he's probably ever been. And children just seem to love the idea of Percy's being covered with chocolate. The second story is called Salty's Secret and is about how well Salty relates to those troublesome trucks. Hint: "Yo ho ho and a bucket of prawns, the tiller spins and the captain yawns."

The final story tells how Percy and Harold become friends though at first it seems as if just the opposite is about to happen as Harold starts to take the mail delivery over from the stranded Percy.

This little book with its tape is an excellent way to both increase listening skills and practice `reading' a book. Great fun for Percy fans.

Don't miss this book. Beautifully produced and a fitting tribute to the poster artists of the period.

A beautifully produced retrospective of the posters of a distinctly Canadian company. This book is full of large high quality reproductions of travel posters commissioned by the Canadian Pacific, ranging from classic illustrations to beautiful typography. A must have for fans of vintage travel posters or posters in general, and a good source of inspiration for designers.