Trains and Railroads Books

This book is a wonderful overview of a subject seldom investigated. Doughty captures the spirit and effort of the different railroads making a last ditch attempt to keep passengers on the rails in the late 1940s and 1950s. A wide variety of illustrations show the futuristic efforts of design and technology that is now being revived to make todays trains better and faster. This book is of interest to anyone who likes thetime period and wants to recapture the days when a new passenger train was an event not a footnote in the news. Not just New York Central's efforts are covered, but the overview of the bigger story as well makes this a value for historians as well as fans.

Ordering a book via internet is always kind of an adventure, you'll never know what you get. But, in this case I was really impressed. The book presents the train, the development of the engine and its coaches up to the bone china which was used with illustrations of good quality and size (even some rare color shots). It was great fun to read and browse.

A good book, full of information on the development of the modern rolling stock (R-type) of the New York City Subway System. Includes a schematic of each car type, and multiple photographs of the cars through the years. Also includes a full all-time roster of passenger equipment, rebuild dates, manufacturer, remanufactuer, and disposition of preserved cars.

If you ever wanted to build your own subway system, this is the book for you! Seriously, this book is the book to have if you are a fan of the NYC subway. It is packed with engineering detail.

Reading this beautifully illustrated poem about the pleasures of riding a passenger train through dusky country and lit up cities is enough to make one wish to go "all aboard!" The illustrations have a sense of motion, in elongated forms, and slightly out of focus distant viewpoints. The rhythm of the poetry adds to the feeling of the movement of the train. The colors are warm golds and oranges and greens, against cool blues and grays. The magic and romance of a train trip are very much in evidence here; let's hope that the children who read this book will have the chance to experience the reality of train travel as well.

Little Lionel Night Train

5 stars

This board book is 10 pages long. The storyline is about a streamlined steam locomotive, the Chesapeake and Ohio line, which is pulling coaches and tank cars filled with milk and chocolate syrup (!). The trip is an overnight journey, which begins at night and ends the next morning. The passengers are looking out of the windows at the various sights and then they sleep on the train overnight. The text tells of the journey, over rails, over bridges, through tunnels, etc. The language in the text is highlighting opposite words such as above and below, up and down.

Because this is a Lionel book the illustrations of the train cars are detailed and accurate, much more so than other train board books on the market that are not published by Lionel.

Both of my children love this book and others in the series. If you like this book please note that this is one of a series published as "Little Lionel" board books. Enjoy!

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.

Just wnated to make sure everyone realizes this book is in print directly from O Gauge Railroading magazine.

Ol' 556 celebrates the Alaska Railroad's early days when courageous men and powerful steam engines battled nature to keep the line open. In the late 1940's, the steam engines were gradually replaced by the new diesel-electric locomotives, but Ol' 556 comes back to life to save the passengers from a horrible fate in this dramatic tale that will thrill boys and girls alike.

Also includes a wealth of historic photos and other educational information sure to please train buffs and hobbiests. Shannon is one of Alaska's most popular childrens book illustrators and rides the Alaska Railroad to reach her cabin in the woods. She talked to many Alaska trainmen while gathering material for this unique book.

In the decade when the United States was building its costly but convenient interstate highway system, Japan, after intense soul-searching, opted to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a transportation technology that many believed to be outmoded.

The result was Shinkansen, the Bullet Train system that stitches cities together with amazing efficiency, economy, and convenience. Today during rush hours on the original 320-mile segment of the Bullet System routes, the passenger equivalent of four fully loaded jumbo jetliners leaves Tokyo every six minutes for Osaka 320 miles away, and an equal number departs Osaka for Tokyo. Racing at speeds averaging more thatn 120 m.p.h., the Shinkansen requires only one-fifth the energy of aircraft to move an equivalent load.

It is likey the Bullet Train never would have developed, except for a short, stubby former farm boy with an explosive temper. His name was Shinji Sogo. His lifetime spanned the period of Japan's transformation from feudalism to work economic power. He was involved in the strugle within the nation between civilians and the militias, and a failed plot to overthrow the government in the tense days that led to Pearll Harber.

Largely unknown outside Japan, Sogo deserves to be known as "Old Man Thunder" and "Father of the Bullet Train."