Trains and Railroads Books

The pictures are darling, but it's the rhythm of the words that pulls you in. By the end of the book, you can whisper the clickety clacks and it sounds like train wheels.

Very engaging book. I like it, the big brother likes it, and the little brother goes crazy for it. They recite it in the car. We also play around with the book to find other short-vowel "a" words in the pictures -- hat, platform, cat, bag, giraffe, trash can (all on the cover).

The illustrations are terrific. They are very clear and full of humor.

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Beautiful illustrations and colors, engaging story, rhyming verses, trains and animals -- what's not to love?!! Our three year olds (2) love it! We've given it as a gift to a child named Zach since "Driver Zach" plays prominently. He loved it.

My kids, 2-1/2 and 5 both LOVE this story and sing it all around the house. We love the beautifully colored illustrations and the light, sing-song gait of the words. We've borrowed it twice from the library and now "Santa" is going to buy it for Christmas, they love it so much!

My son and I love this book. The illustrations are wonderfully fun and colorful. If you follow the natural meter of the verse when you read it aloud, you can actually give your child a sense of rhythm. I just love reading it to the beat of the text.

I was very dissatisfied with this book. It does have excellent illustrations, but the text is rather lacking. It doesn't have a storyline, more of a rhyming description of each picture in the book. For me, it serves a picture book.

I purchased this book for my 5 year old son who LOVES trains. He enjoyed this book so much when he borrowed it from the library, that I just had to buy it for him. The illustrations are so life-like and the rhyming of the words made it easy for him to memorize in no time at all. It is his favorite bedtime story. For any child that love trains, this book is a must have!!

My two year old son is already a train junkie. He pulled this one at random off the shelf at our local library; we read it every night before bed. Sometimes we read the text, sometimes we just describe what is going on in the pictures. The text is a pleasant rhyme about the different kinds of cars on a long freight train (B&O box car, Frisco gondola, Pennsey tanker, etc), counting the cars as they go past the railroad crossing. It is the truly breathtaking artwork that makes this book a keeper--each page a different viewpoint of the railroad crossing scene, with the steam engine, a kid dragging his toy truck, a dog sleeping in the car window, different kinds of freight cars, a group of kids making faces at each other across the track...

I was so sad to see someone describe this book as "boring"! The incredible illustrations spark the imagination. My son loves the boys who can suddenly see each other over the short gondola car, the page where the children bend down and wave to each other under the train, the woman who makes the "ohmygoodness" face at the cow leaning out of the cattle car...we love this book because there is something to talk about on every page. It's our favorite bedtime story.

My son first got this book from the library when he was 4 years old and he is now 7. He loves trains, crossings in particular, and the illustrations in this book are phenomenal. A good book for anyone who loves trains.

This book is an excellant reference for the repair and maintenance of Post War Lionel products. Easy to understand with illustrations and part numbers. Recommend for all owners of Lionel products.

This is kind of the bible for repairing postwar Lionel Trains for me. This is my second copy so I can leave this one in the shop. Great book!!!!

Best book ever bought have used it continuosly since i recieved it.the Book is very informative an easy to read makes working on my train collection easy.

This book like all others for train repair doesn't have a picture(s) of everything that it should and like many others it seems to be a reproduction of Lionel service manual pages - that said I am glad I have it. jdr

If you own and/or operate postwar Lionel trains this book is a must have.
It is the postwar Lionel bible with exploded views,wiring schematics,part numbers, and repair tips. Yes, you will need reading glasses the print is extra small.

My son is 18 months old, and he loves this book. The first day that we had it I must have read it 5 times in a row. It is short, but perfect for an active toddler that usually won't sit still.

My boys love dinosaurs and trains so they love this book. The pictures are super. I don't think its very educational. But its fun, and we all need that!

As other reviewers have stated, the text is very short. It does not work well as a read-aloud bedtime story because the whole point of the book is the pictures. You have to look at the pictures, spending as much time as the child wants on the pictures. It's then you can notice all the details and the pure fun of this book. My 2-year-old loves it, my 6-year-old loves it, my 5-year-old gets bored with it very quickly.

If your younger child likes trains and dinosaurs and loves to spend time just looking at books without needing a plot, then buy this book. If you're not sure, I'd recommend checking it out first to see if it's a keeper for your family.

excellent combonation about trains and dinosaurs and imagination. this is an excellent book about a little boy, jesse, who loves trains and dinosaurs so much. one night, right before bed, his imagination takes him on a train ride with dinosaurs. it's jesse's dream come true!! excellent book for a train or dinosaur lover of all ages.

The text of Dinosaur Train starts out promisingly enough; it is something to the effect of, "Thursday was a day much like any other for Jesse. Trains and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and trains." But it goes downhill a bit from there, like the author created these beautiful images and then decided to add notes at the last minute. Sometimes a speaker is identified by the text, sometimes not; there's one point where some confusion could be the result. I almost think the story would stand better without any words than with the ones that are there. Jesse is the only character with any development to speak of (and I'm not sure there's even much there); removing the text would give us an opportunity to look more closely at other characters. Better text might actually add a plot (the plot, at this point, is basically that Jesse gets on a train, the train tips over, and Jesse tells the dinosaurs how to right the train).
The combination of dinosaurs and trains is irresistible, and I love the details in Jesse's toys and the way clothes somehow look perfectly natural on the dinosaurs. But the text actually makes Jesse seem too bossy to me, and it's amazing that such vibrant dinosaurs can be so submissive.
This concept is as breathtaking as that of the Polar Express, and my 2 1/2-year-old has had us read this book to him about a gazillion times, so he clearly appreciates it. It's just one of those that I don't like reading aloud again and again because the story doesn't do much for me.

This is a great book but you have to be ready for it. i went into it thinking that it would somr murder mystery (one of my favorite types of books) but i was totally suprised. it is a very scary, sad and emotional book. Hannah, the main character, is a very distressed and scared girl because trains scare her a lot, especially when going across country. But after her and her friend, Kerry, discover the coffin of their formeer peer whom they nicknamed Frog in the baggae car, everyone starts confessing to the horrible things that they did to him. and, it's not who you expect. that's all i'm going to say because i dont want to give away the ending. happy reading!

Halfway through this book I wanted to scream stop The Train I want to get off.The book was so boring it revoles around Hannah and her friends from Parker High.They are going on a tour from chicago to San Francisco by Train(hence the name of the book).Yet while on the train in the baggage department they discover a coffin.After reading the tag on the coffin the find out that it holds the body of a classmate of theirs named Roger.None of them liked Roger they all called him Frog.Then they all begin discussing how they treated Roger badly and they start feeling guilty about it.Soon bad things start happening and people are getting hurt.Hannah starts wondering if Frog is really dead?So she and her friends set out to find out.

Hannah and her other high school friends are part of the school's field trip to San Francisco travelling by train from Chicago. Kerry who needs to put on makeup every ten minutes and change clothes every hour is enraged when the conductor takes her vastly too large carry on to the baggage car from her whipped boyfriend who was struggling getting it onto the train. When she goes to get it she finds the coffin of a recently deceased class member is also going to San Francisco. Even though she, Hannah and the rest of the gang had treated the kid they had forced the nick name of Frog onto like a social leper and made his life miserable she throws a tantrum about having to share the train with his corpse which much to her disgust gets her nowhere. When the train enters its first tunnel and the Frog's girlfriend is found nearly strangled to death the terror begins for the gang of friends. Hannah seems to be of special interest to the murderer but she won't tell her friends why. It seems that Frog is not happily staying in his coffin and she and her friends are in grave danger.

It was an enjoyable quick read and is ideal to read if you have to kill a few hours somewhere, maybe even at the train station. You do have to overlook that surely after an attempted murder the train would be stopped at the next town and all suspects removed to an interview room with the local police but obviously they have to stay on the train for the story to happen. I've caught the train from Chicago to San Francisco and it doesn't stop for a half a day in Denver either, it stops at places to refuel yes but not a whole morning and there's no way it would delay hundreds of passengers to wait for one teenager to reappear or not. Also why they would expect the corpse of Frog to be in the very same coffin they rescued Hannah from seems to defy logic. If you can overlook these things and accept the work as pure fiction then this is a very enjoyable read.

This is the only Hoh book I have read yet.When hannah goes on a trip with her friends to San Franciso they never expected the horrors that were in store for them.I would recommend this book for someone likes twists.

Hannah, Mack, Kerry, Lewis, and Jean Marie are all a group of best friends on a school trip to California by train. Soon after boarding, Hannah discovers that the coffin of Frog Drummond -- a school outcast who was killed in a car accident -- is on board. After telling her friends the news, they all confess to tormenting him; soon their lives are in danger when a deranged stalker, who they believe to be Frog himself, shatter their plans.

"The Train" by Diane Hoh was outstanding! I'm a thriller fanatic, and out of all of the books I've read so far, this is the best! From the first chapter to the last, it's suspenseful. The storyline and setting is unique, in numerous ways. For one, in most thrillers, life-threatening events occur, but there usually isn't an actual death or murder. There was in this book, which turned out to be sad, because it was one of the main characters, and after reading, you get attached and feel like you've lost a friend! Secondly, most books don't completely shock you at the end. You usually suspect everyone to a certain extent. But, the killer in "The Train" was totally unexpected! That is what I call the perfect thriller-chiller! Enjoy!

Also recommended:
a.) "Double Date" by Sinclair Smith
b.) "The Boy Next Door" by Sinclair Smith
c.) "Starstruck" by Richie Tankersley Cusick
d.) All books by Joan Lowery Nixon

This is a great book for kids who love trains! My younger four year old sons love reading it with me and my older six year old son likes looking through it independently. The pictures (photos) are interesting and there is great information all through the pages.

As with all DK books, the pictures are awesome. If you have a train lover, he/she will love this book. And again, DK's books have thick pages so small hands won't easily wreck the pages. Can be for the younger to just look at the pictures, or as my son who just turned 7, loves to read it as well.

We got this from Santa for Christmas, because my (almost) 3 year old son loves seeing the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet trains). We read this book at least 3 nights a week, and he's fascinated with all the parts of the trains that I point out as we go along. He may be a bit young to understand how all of them work, but this book definitely helps increase our fascination. It's really great to find out how the trains evolved, and where they're heading in the future. And Dad is into it, too -- especially when they describe the speeds of these over 50 different kinds of trains!

You can be any age to be a train lover, and this is a great book to pique the interest. DK, please keep making these awesome books!

My son loves this book. His friend loved it so much, I also bought it for his birthday. It's a winner for any train lover.

We (Santa) got this book for my 4 1/2 year old and what a hit. The quality is that of a DK book, not to be surprised. The colors are great and the pictures are just awesome. He will continue to love it when he learns how to read. A big hit, especially for the price.

Both of my boys love this book. This is actually the second copy I bought. My 18 month old used the first one SO MUCH he tore the back off.

This books' illustrations are crude and unimpressive. So is the writing which attempts to rhyme pleasantly but fails. HOWEVER, I learned what the different types of cars are called and what roles they provide behind the engine. I've enjoyed talking about that with my son (20 mos) who LOVES trains. I don't read the text to my son--I just improvise and point things out. You would do better to learn some interesting facts about trains and get a different book. I highly recommend "chugga-chugga choo-choo" by Kevin Lewis with pictures by Daniel Kirk. I got it at the same time and it is a BIG hit. And by the way "chugga-chugga choo-choo" by Kevin Lewis is also an excellent bedtime story. It starts out exciting and active like "good night moon" and slows down and the illustrations become calmer and darker at the end when everyone goes to sleep after the big day.

I bought this book as a Christmas present for my 3 year old nephew who loves trains. He was so excited about this book! We read each page together, me reading and pointing to the words and then him reading while I pointed to the words. The text is so simple that after we read the book once, he practically had it memorized and was really impressed that he could "read" the book. As a Kindergarten teacher, I know that this is one of the first steps to actually reading, so I was very pleased that this book could offer this for him. Also, the page with the "secret stuff" seemed to be a space shuttle or airplane, covered with an American flag. At least that's what I thought, and my nephew (who also loves space stuff and airplanes) thought the same.
I also got the book "This Train" to go with this book and I would give it 5 stars as well.

I stumbled upon this one at my local library. This is a cute poem about train lovers and it has large childlike pictures. There's even additional information about trains on the back and front inside covers which is cool. My son loves the rhymes and insists on me reading the facts and points out things he knows about trains. This inside cover facts are great way for engaging your child about trains, outside of the story itself.

BTW: The "secret stuff under wrap" is a space shuttle, not a weapon as the one reviewer thought. It's a children's book after all! Don't let one clueless reviewer's comments deter you from a great book. Check it out at your local library and see for yourself ... and then buy a copy.

My 2 1/2 year old son has loved this book for over a year, and has it completely mesmorized. I have taped the pages so many times, I am going to have to break down and by another one. The inside cover naming all the diffent types of train cars is awesome. You have to have this book, it is THE BEST.

The artwork is unappealing, and seems as though she is ridiculing people. The tone is too bitter for children, and the book lacks any emotional truth that might appeal to a teenager or an adult. Like most of Kalman's work, this book generally is pointless; like when a college student feels embarrassed after making some vapid comment, and so pretends that it's an "inside" joke.

I read this book last week for an elementary school storytime, and it was a rousing success. Questions and riotous laughter abounded. The giant chicken on the tracks was a big hit, especially. There are lots of small visual gags for the sharp eyed, as well as marvelous wordplay. This is a book easily enjoyed by adults and children alike.

Not since Roald Dahl has a writer spoken to kids with such respect and imagination. When I read this to my 4 year old she was filled with questions and ideas and that is all I need to know. Some people have an unconventional style that fits both children and adults and Maira Kalman is certainly one of those people. This book and the Max series will be included in the lives of all the children I will ever know and they will be the happier, more imaginative and more creative for it.

This book rules. I work at Grand Central TERMINAL (not Station!) and Kalman captures the marevelous energy and wackiness of the building. I can think of few places that offer such a great opportunity for people watching, and "Next Stop Grand Central" portrays this in a bright and colorful way that adults and children alike can enjoy.

Author Maira Kalman takes us on a fascinating and entertaining whirlwind tour of Grand Central Station, "the busiest, fastest, biggest place there is." Meet some of the people who work there from Lenny Maglione who's in charge of the whole building, Wanda who hears complaints, Ed, the lightbulb changer, and Marino Marino who makes oyster stew at the Oyster Bar, to Audrey in the information booth who will answer your questions, Melvin Johnson who helps you find the right train and step aboard, and Frank Chidester who runs the Lost and Found. And watch the travelers, waiting, looking up and down and all around, rushing, eating, and going to work, or play, or appointments, or visits. The action never stops at Grand Central because people need to come and go all day and all night long..... Ms Kalman's creative text is full of wordplay, puns, energy, humor, and fun that will send imaginations soaring, and is only outdone by her bold, busy and engaging artwork. Kids will love poring over all the marvelous detailed illustrations and are sure to find something new and exciting each and every time they open the book. Perfect for youngsters 5 and older, Next Stop Grand Central is an innovative smorgasbord of fast-paced action and fun that transports the reader to this very "grand" place for the adventure of a lifetime. "Trains are trips. And trips are adventures. And adventures are new ideas and romance and you can't ever know what in the world will happen which is exactly why you are going." Jump aboard and enjoy!

I was looking for a reference guide for the signals at the tracks near my house. This book gave me a basic idea (I guess there are too many configurations/railroad) but most of the book covered the early history of signaling. Interesting, but I wanted more of a recent 'field guide' type book. I have 7 signals to look at within a mile bike ride of my house and I still cant figure out 5 of them!

I purchased the book in my capacity primarily as a railroad union officer (BLE&T), and secondarily as an amateur rail historian (former Vice-President, Pacific Region, NRHS). I was hoping to find the book to provide a bit more technical detail than what it contains. Having been involved in several signal related accident investigations, I have found my techicnal expertise to be somewhat lacking when the time comes to interview those railroad employees whose responsibility it is to maintain and repair railroad signalling systems. I don't know that Brian Solomon's book will go a long way towards helping me increase that knowledge; but it does provide a comprehensive bibliography which I am sure I can put to use in reaching my goals in that regard. From a historical perspective, the book is a helpful primer to those who wish to understand the basics of train control methods.

This is a basic overview of all types of railroad signals. It covers the history and development of visual and electrical signaling systems. To get an understanding of how signals work this is an excellent book. Unfortunately no book could cover all signals that you may encounter trackside. Because each railroad has its own signal system, you will have to refer to their timetable to decode local signal aspects and indications.

An easy read with excellent graphics, "Railroad Signaling" is a must for anyone interested in railroads and the technology that goes with them.

I worked as the BN Roadmaster's Clerk at Northtown for five years and had an excellent working relationship with the Signal Department. By reading this book, I now understand the complexity of signal installations.

This book is written in a way that a lay person can appreciate how the different types of signals operate in relationship to each other. Brian Soloman speaks about the signal systems in various part of the country work (and are different from the BN's) and has pictures of same.

This book is a must for railfans.

Ed Burns of Anoka, Minnesota

Brian Solomon's Railroad Signaling book is one that has been missing from the ranks of books about railroads for many years. There has not been a general publication about the sometimes perplexing and interesting world of railroad signaling aside from GRS's book of many years ago and an article in Trains magazine from 1957. Anyone who really wanted to understand these things, had to either befriend a railroad signaling engineer or maintainer, or become one!

So, while the need was great, and this book could have been a welcome addition to a serious railfan's or modeler's library, there are enough troubling points about this book that make me want to caution you about it.

Mr. Solomon decided to take a historical approach to the development of the art and science of signaling. While that is as good an approach as any, the unfortunate result was that about two thirds of the book discusses things that are seen only occasionaly in museums. Also, he is obviously fascinated by the old semaphore signals as the vast majority of the pictures in the book are of those rather than the newer types that are in use today. He also spends a lot of time developing the history from the 1870's to the 1970's and then has a very brief chapter about the advances that the computer age has brought to bear since then. The is one small subsection on such an important topic as PTC and none on CBTC which are the two main technological deployment of the early 21st century.

Another irritating problem is the frequency of typos throughout the book. At one point I was totally confused as to whether the signal protecting a grade crossing of old was called a wigwaG or wigwaM since both appeared interchangeably in the same paragraph.

The layout of the text was also rather confusing with some concepts being given after descriptions of how they were used. I had to look in advance of my reading for the technical diagrams to try and figure out what he was writing about. Unfortunately, some of his diagrams are incorrect as well.

On the good side, he does cover both American and British practices which therefore explain over 90% of what is used around the world today. Being an American author it is no surprise that he focuses most of his attention on American practice. It would have been nice though, to have more of an explanation of the differnces in, for instance, the use of divergent routes vs American speed routes.

The author does provide many of the rules that are in use in various locations and points out that these are examples as each railroad and transit property essentially following their own preferences.

So my conclusion is that while this was an excellent first effort, it needs to be thoroughly revised and recast to be the premier book explaining the arcane art of railroad signaling.

Outstanding book for the railfan and the photographer. Very good prices. I paid $40 when it was new for hardback and don't regret a cent of it. I can't tell you how many times I have looked at it.

Steinheimer and Winston Link are among the TOP rail photographers. I haven't seen anybody else do so many night flash scenes and it is fascinating to see how he did it.

The printing on slick paper is unsurpassed for clarity and awesome photos.

Every railfan of N&W at the end of steam should have this book. I have bought 3, 2 given as gifts.

The late O. Winston Link was truly an innovative photographer. He did much night photography because he was able to control the lighting. In addition, he loved the old steam locomotive. In the late 1950's he made several forays from his New York City office to the Norfolk and Western Railroad to photograph the last of these steam giants in operation.

The result of these sojourns is this book, and what a book it is! An ancient adage has it that a picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures may be worth a few more! They portray an era that is unfortunately long gone. The steam locomotives are placed in the context of those times. The world is richer for Link's work.

Of particular interest to the student of the technical aspect of photography are photographs and explanation of what Link had to do in order to obtain these photographs. There is a lot to learn from this master of the art.

This book is destined to become a classic in the annals of photography if indeed it is not already one. A copy of it belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in either railroads or photography. What's more, at a price of $[money], this book is a steal. If you do not yet own a copy of this book,you should purchase one as soon as possible.

Fantastic photography of steam locomotives. Link makes these machines appear to be massive beasts running through the nightime streets of small-town America.

What can I tell more about this famous book from the well known photographer? If you like perfect sharp B&W pictures taken at night with steam locomotives, but also from people working with trains or at stations, this is the book you should have.

I bought this book years ago when it was first released and was disappointed to see that many pictures are printed over 2 pages which means the fold is cutting the beautiful pictures in two. Also, these pictures look so much better when presented on a white background, why on earth did they use black?
The pictures themselves are of course the best railroad pictures ever taken and print quality is superb!