Trains and Railroads Books

Awesome book, makes for great reading and modeling the NCSTL.

This lavishly illustrated tome covers all types of locomotive from many countries around the world. Understandably, steam locomotives dominate and rightly so, although diesel and electric locomotives are given their due space.

The first section, over 160 pages long, covers the main history of the locomotive, covering broad and narrow gauge, industrial and war locomotives, rack railways, compound and flexible wheelbase locomotives, as well as discussing aspects of various components, such as cabs, chimneys, wheels and brakes. Streamlining, tanks and tenders are all explained. There is even a small chapter on failed ideas. We can laugh at these now, but some ideas that succeeded were probably once laughed at. Diesel and electric locomotives are also discussed, including monorails and multiple unit trains.

Following this section, other sections are devoted to particular types of locomotive. The section on steam tender locomotives is even longer than the first section - almost 180 pages - but it is these locomotives that have always aroused the greatest interest, so that is as it should be. Other sections, covering tank, articulated, electric, diesel and gas turbine locomotives, are much shorter. They are followed by a section titled self-propelled trains, but that is a rather grand title for what I've always known as multiple-unit trains.

At the back of the encyclopedia are various tables and an index. The table on wheel notation names is particularly useful for anybody unfamiliar with all the names. You don't take long studying steam locomotives to learn that a Pacific has a 4-6-2 arrangement, but some of the other names are less well known.

This is a fascinating book for anybody interested in locomotive history.

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.

This book is a great book for any kid who loves trains and in particular subways.. I found them easy to put together and they look nice on my book shelf

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.

This is the most comprehensive and interesting history of this railroad that has been written. The author has taken special pains to insure it's accuracy. It is detailed but not boring. The selection of photos is great. The history of this railroad is very interesting and Robert Mohowski has made it come to life with his research and the production of this book.

Good read about construction of a commuter rail line through southern Westchester County, NY. Its excellent historical references and good writing should make this interesting for non-railfans. Harwood's strength is his insightful business analysis of why and how this very expensive line got built and then abandoned. Reads like a good mystery novel in parts, with Harwood zooming back from fascinating minutiae about routing choices to J.P. Morgan's strategic -- but not entirely clear -- plans for his railroad investments. Fun to read.

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.