Trains and Railroads Books

Iconographix is a publishing house dedicated to providing personal, academic, and community libraries with thematic compilations of historic photographs drawn from diverse pictorial archives from around the country. This is especially true of such visual railroad memorials as John Kelly's "Chicago & North Western: Passenger Trains Of The 400 Fleet" offers an historical 'window in time' perspective on the Chicago-Twin Cities 400 commuter passenger trains that plied their way through such upper Midwest communities as Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Wisconsin's North Woods, Upper Michigan, and southern Minnesota. This was an era where the Chicago & North Western offered their passengers speed, luxury, safety, and $1.25 dinners. In addition to full-page black-and-white photos of the trains themselves, browsers will also encounter photographs of stations, advertisements, and railcar interiors. A superbly organized and presented archival volume, "Chicago & North Western" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any railroad buff's personal reference collection.

Collected and organized into a book, these photos give an overall impression of the big engines of railroad history. I wanted to get a feel for the work my grandfather did as brakeman in Minneapolis. This book includes two spectacular wrecks and some precious human group photos, so it fulfills my purpose very well.

Classic American Locomotives by Charles McShane is the 1909 classic reference detailing steam locomotive technology. Offered to railroading enthusiasts is an impressive and expertly detailed description of how the steam engine of a locomotive is constructed, including an informative exploration and delineating of the workings of every part ranging from slide valves and steam injectors, to lubricators, pressure gauges, pneumatic brakes and more. Every single aspect of locomotive construction is studied, in considerable but accessible technical depth. Classic American Locomotives provides an inherently fascinating and meticulous dissection which is especially recommended for Railroading History reference collections and anyone who is curious about how a steam powered locomotive works.

The book presented a nice historical pictorial growth of railroads in the United States. There were many pictures of engines and passenger cars, many of them in color. One section of the book depicted the "Golden Age" of railroading with many of the famous passenger trains highlighted. An enjoyable book for anyone interested in passenger trains.

Nicely comprehensive encyclopedia/dictionary of nearly all American manufacturers of toy trains. Plenty of pictures and price guide information. This is the broadest in scope single book guide that I know. Very useful reference.

A great book by an obviously intelligent bloke, I personally would have liked to have found out more about the author's family. I hear that his father S. W. Amos has written books on electronics and that his son, John Amos (23) is a mover and shaker in the financial services industry. I digress, the book is good value for money and I truly recommend it to all model railway enthusiasts!

I bought this book earlier this week at a large bookstore chain, and I can't put it down. It's a wonderful book to keep looking at over and over again.

The Complete Encyclopedia of Locomotives is a hardcover picture book of all of the major classes of steam, diesel and electric locomotives from all over the world. Each page is packed with color photos and text (which is secondary to the pictures)which outline the history of each country's locomotive history.

The book is divided by nations. It begins with Britain and North America and then a list of european, asian and african countries. However, the book is mainly devoted to the locomotives of Europe. It is just fascinating to look at all of the different locomotive designs from all over the world, how they evolved and the future of the modern locomotive.

There's also coverage of Japan's Shinkansen locos as well as a separate chapter on planned high-speed trains.

There's very little coverage of EMUs and DMUs, both of which technically can be considered locomotives, but to cover these would require a much bigger book. But I still feel these should have been included more than they are in this book.

The biggest disappointment to me is the sparse coverage of the American locomotive. While there are some nice pictures of early American steam locomotives, there is virtually nothing on the modern American high-horsepower diesel locomotives. No coverage of the SD70/80/90 types, or the newer GEVO and SD70Ace hybrid locomotives (maybe the latter was not well known at the time of printing). Nor was there any pictures of the famed GG-1 or UP 'Big Boy' locomotives. It's just odd that these were left out. There were several pictures of the Genesis Amtrak locomotive and the new MP36 in service by Chicago's Metra.

The British section also seemed small, given their variety of diesels (which are not as attractive or as big as American diesels, but it is very sparse as well).

All in all, if you have any interest in the design and history of locomotives, this is a MUST, esepcially if you have an interest in european motive power.

Given that this book is hard cover and full color, you CANNOT go wrong with the price!

Get one if you can!

EXCELLENT DETAILED PART LISTS,ENGINE AND TENDER EXPLODED VIEWS,INCLUDES LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER IDENTIFICATION,FEATURES,
DATES OF MFG,AC/DC SPECIFICATIONS,WIRING DIAGRAMS(ENGINE AND TENDER)EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN YOUR AMERICAN FLYER ENGINE AND OPERATING CARS AND ACCESSORIES,FOR MANY MORE YEARS TO COME,WELL WORTH THE COST!!!!
NOTE:THIS BOOK IS NOT AUTHORIZED NOR APPROVED BY AMERICAN FLYER
OR BY THE A.C. GILBERT CO. OR THERE SECCESSORS.

This book presents a maximum amount of information in a minimal space. Selected locomotives from around the world are included, illustrating the full spectrum of steam locomotive development. The book is chronologically organized, with an index. Each of nearly 100 locomotives has a color drawing, statistics, and commentary included. Yet, the book fits in the average pocket! An excellent reference for the steam locomotive buff.

David P. Morgan's editorship and molding of "Trains" Magazine have outlasted him, a true testament to a visionary. He took the founder's concept and gave it discipline, vitality and credibility.

This volume draws together the best of his writing. Whether he is describing a mundane ride on a now-forgotten train or the thrill of seeing a streamliner at speed, his prose is riveting. The photos, while not Mr. Morgan's, all complement each story and open windows on the past, proving that black-and-white pictures can have as much impact as the best in color.

Thankfully, Mr. Drury has memorialized Mr. Morgan and his stellar contributions in this work, so that future generations who are attracted to the rails, and to the magzine, can understand who made it possible. (Would that Mr. Morgan's successors at the magazine remember his contributions as beautifully as Mr. Drury has.)