Trains and Railroads Books

This book included two of my sons favorites - Barney and trains. He loves to read about Barney and BJ looking at and riding on all different types of trains. He especially enjoys naming the 19 trains at the end of the book. What a great way to review what we read. I am buying this book for other kids who love Barney and trains.

This is a very nice book. Both my daughter and son liked it even though my daughter likes other things. Well worth the money.

This Bright-and-Early book does not have an Accelerated Reading designation. And while it is described by the publisher as being intended "for an even lower age group" than "Beginner Books", my own Mom-Guessimate for the reading level would be 2nd Grade. I say this because the vocabulary is quite beyond any 'beginner' I've known. Here's an example from one page near the end:

Up peeps the yellow sun!
Green train Percy now is done.
Home now to the Shed.
"Peep, peep"
The Shed is where
Percy can sleep.

Harder words include: clickety, orange, trikes, shadows, clouds, crates, stack, presents, and thick.

Now while all pages do not have as much text as the example above, the vocabulary is fairly consistent in it's difficulty.

Four Stars ::: This is a very nice book that tells the story of two friends who aren't on the same schedule. Percy is taking the mail at night, and Thomas is making his runs during the day.

For babies and toddlers there is a lot to talk about: colors and shapes, animals and things like eggs, bicycles and wagons. Fairly advanced readers could find this good practice if they are still interested in Thomas and Friends. For everyone else, it is a good Read-aloud. We liked the rhyme and colorful artwork. [No still photos from the television show in this book.]

I'm delighted whenever my 2-year old comes over asking me to read this book. It's a story about "Blue Train" (Thomas) and "Green train" (Percy). Blue train does his job during the day, while green train works at night. They are literally like 2 trains passing in the night. The story is very catchy, with lots of cute rhymes, and in fact I usually sing it to my kids. Kids learn while enjoying this book, as almost all the colors are mentioned, and also many different types of weather (sun, rain, fog), and the fact that both the sun and the moon cast shadows. A must for every Thomas the Tank Engine fan!

Britain by Britrail 1999 seems to me to be a welcome addition to the field of travel books.

As we all know, the train has all but disappeared from the travel scene in the USA; in the United Kingdom, however, the train is alive and well. In using this book, you come away with the impression that not only is the train a viable alternative to other forms of intra-Britain travel, but it the preferred way to go in most instances.

Following an introductory chapter giving lots of valuable information on train travel in Britain, the rest of the book is divided into chapters by country by "base city". For each base city reachable by nonstop flights from the USA, the book provides some very useful information about the airport of arrival, including the location and hours of things like the banks or foreign exchange counters, baggage storage facilities, and most importantly, the different means of transportation between the airport and the center of town (time, cost, etc.) In point of fact, the entire cost of the book can well be amortised by using public transit, rail link, or shuttle service rather than taxis.

The heart of the book is found in the sections about rail travel, and the rail stations which the tourist is likely to use. If one is the type of traveler who needs very precise and specific directions to find things, this book does it all for you. Detailed information for each station is provided, including the location of the tourist office (if there is one), the currency exchange facilities, the location of baggage lockers and/or baggage check room, where to have one's Britrail pass validated, etc.

Furthermore, the author suggests, for each base city, a brief description of the major places to be visited, as well as a certain number of one-day sidetrips to points of interest easily reachable by train from the base city.

Finally, the book provides train schedules for trains between different base cities. While these are, of course, subject to change over time, they do provide useful information for the traveler, in particular the length of any given trip (in hours and minutes).

A useful book for anyone planning a trip to Britain.

I truly enjoyed and constantly used the 16th edition, 1996-97. I used it constantly, and it never let me down. The discriptions of areas to see were lucid and enjoyable. Never missed a train, and only bought the newer edition in case the time tables had changed. Now I shall have to compare time tables, and if the same, or almost the same, I shall take the old tried and true edition back to Britain with me. This newer edition would give me a hernia if I have to carry it about with me.

This is a great guide that my family has utilized (previous editions)
on two vacations to London to plan day rail trips to Cambridge, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Windsor and Portsmouth. Gives rail information along
with sightseeing information on about 30-40 cities in the UK. Also, gives
guidance on rail passes and train schedules/timetable. Keep in mind in London there are eight stations which service various outlying towns/cities ( versus two in Manhattan )- the book has alot of good information on the logistics of the London rail system that fans out across Britain.

It also covers Scotland and Wales.

This book covers rail and ferry connections. There is a detailed map of the rail system in Great Britain, making it very easy for me to plan rail travel to different cities in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales). The ferry routes from Great Britain to Ireland and the islands of Scotland are also shown. The book describes many cities with points of interest, restaurants, market places, and general information. The different kinds of Britrail passes are described with schedules for connecting ferries and trains. The are sample rail fares between cities, and an Appendix which lists things like public holidays, passport information, and connections to Eurail. The book starts with arriving in Great Britain, what to expect, how to connect from airports to train systems. I plan to take this book with me on my trip in the fall. This is my first trip and I picked a great book to use!

As unlikely as it may seem, the foundation for Norfolk Southern's management style can be found within the pages of these two books. Brosnan had quite a role in the earliest days of Norfolk Southern and certainly was no admirer of Norfolk And Western as Volume 2 makes abundantly clear.

It is shocking to read of the horrid treatment so many received at the hands of this man. Morgret strives mightly to depict Brosnan in a positive light, but the autocratic manner in which he ruled Southern Railway comes through loud and clear.

For all the blather about Brosnan's "innovations", the case could be made he was simply lucky to have the booming economy of the 1960's Deep South to work with. Al Perlman of New York Central was just as quick to adopt modernized technology and management styles, but was unsuccessful because of the economic situation within the northeast US during the same time period.

This book is highly recommended as one of the best depictions of modern era railroad management.

The evolution of the railroad business was forseen and then affected more by one man than by the entire rest of the industry. The life-story of Bill Brosnan is a compelling account of a man obsessed with ensuring the long term viability of railroads in general and the Southern Railroad in particular. Some readers may be discouraged from reading this book due to its length, but for those who do start it in earnest, learning of Brosnan's timely intiatives and inventions and observing his unique management style make this book hard to put down. The book's sub-title, "The Railroad's Mesiah" is well put and if you have any interest in 20th century railroading or just in business biographies, this book is full of surprises.

This book covers the first year of Chinese rule in Hong Kong, by the reporter Steve Vines, whose articles on Hong Kong for the English paper the Independant were one of the few largely fearless sources of information for Hong Kong residents like myself during the 1990's, in the increasingly paranoid world of pre-handover Hong Kong (the local papers were terrible). Vines pulls a few punches this time around (he now has business interests in Hong Kong), but there is a lot of fascinating information on the place for those of us who left with or soon after the British.

For those visiting for the first time (or simply from the armchair), this book will make a good follow up to the usual Hong Kong classics: Jan Morris' Hong Kong, Austin Coates' Myself a Mandarin, Bo Yang's The Ugly Chinaman, Timothy Mo's The Monkey King, and Paul Theroux's Kowloon Tong - all great for an understanding of Hong Kong (including the bits Hong Kong doesn't like to talk about).

Stephen Vines claims that _Hong Kong: China's New Colony_ is unconventional, as "a personal account of living through" the transition. True enough, as the writing is anything but objective. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to dismiss this writing simply because of its bias, because it is also a very informative look at significant events and issues leading up to, and surrounding, the handover of Hong Kong to China.

The books claims to have a central theme of China's desire to acquire a colony (and hence the title), but I think a more accurate constant theme would be that the potential and likelihood of the Chinese Communist Party to crash the party that is Hong Kong. Throughout the book, the Chinese government is depicted in a thoroughly negative light, making it clear that Vines has little trust for the Chinese government to properly handle the SAR, and dislike for the current regime. This is fine, but it occasionally comes close to obscuring the information the book is presenting.

The flow of the book can be a little jumpy at times, with little logical progression of the chapters. The author often jumps from politics, to economy, back to politics, etc. Clearly the focus of the book is on both the politics and economics of the handover, but it may have been clearer if they were dealt with on their own terms.

Despite some drawbacks, the book deeply explores many key elements in Hong Kong and how the handover affects them. It is in these explorations that this work really shines. It effectively paints a picture of the complications and backgrounds of some of the major issues that cause concern to the people and businesses of the region.

One note of annoyance, Vines is inconsistent with the phonetic transcription of key figures and places. Mao Zedong is most early transcribed as "Mao Tse-Tung" (alongside "Lin Biao", which is transcribed in a different system, p.61) but thereafter always re-referred to as "Mao Zedong". Additionally, the PRC capital is always referred to as "Peking", which is markedly anachronistic in an age where "Beijing" is the standard transcription. For names of individuals who personally transcribe otherwise, it's acceptable, but not for more recognised entities for which another form (i.e. Pinyin) is now standard.

The book is thoroughly pessimistic, but interesting well enough. For those who have an interest in learning more about some of the issues concerning the Hong Kong handover, or even looking for an introduction to the event, _Hong Kong: China's New Colony_ is a good place to start.

Being sofa bound for a week this was a sanity saver. It inevitably is not an in depth history of each railroad but as a large collection of colour images of American railroading with good background information its a steal. The box set even more so compared with buying the individual books.

This book displays all the old classics that I as a child remember my grandfather working with at the railroad depot in my hometown.

A review for a used book is really a review of the reseller. The folks that sold it get 5 stars from me and the book is what it is a helpful guide to repair of postwar Lionel products. It was so nice that my son took it and won't give it back. jdr

Ounce for ounce and for its' price tag you can not go wrong. This book lists all the information about Lionel trains that you will ever need when repairing trains.

What a fun book to read. This book lends itself so well to a riveting read aloud. Add your own voice accent and song rhythm as you rollick your way through the subway scene that is so aptly captured. Fun for the reader, fun for the hearers!

It's funny to think about the preconceptions a person brings to a book. When I picked up the picture book, "Down In the Subway" I was thinking it would be one of those staid and serious tales about what the subway is like. There would have been explanations about trains and lines and who built the tunnels and stuff like that. And I'm sure that there are books out there that list such information. This just isn't one of them. Nope, this is a Caribbean-infused tale of one boy's amazing subway trip. It's bright and fun and offer a great deal of surrealism for the kiddies.

Oscar and his mom and little brother are taking the 1 Line on the subway home. Oscar's a little shy, but he keeps looking at an Island Lady sitting on the train near him. The lady, "smiled a fine Islands smile" and asks the boy if he'd like to know what she has in her bag. Before you know it she's pulled cooled island breezes from its depths. She's removed the sea itself, delicious island foodstuffs (ackee rice, salt fish, callaloo, pineapple, and coconut tarts), as well as a Calypso Man. She pulls out a steel drum band and then an entire Island town itself. Then, in the midst of the entire subway car dancing and partying to beat of the band, Oscar and his mom reach their stop (125th street). They wave goodbye to the mysterious Island Lady and they never see her again. But that's okay. Oscar's remembered her song and, "sang it so much, pretty soon his baby brother could sing it too".

Author Miriam Cohen has truly penned a "Cat in the Hat", Manhattan style. But where the Cat's bag only held objects that wreaked destruction, the Island Lady's bag contains objects that bring a whole lotta good times. There's a great rhythm to the text of this tale. The repetitive phrase, "don't you know", ties the book together. The trippy Calypso Man's song offers a beat (which, if you can find a calypso tune to attach to it, could definitely be the high point of the text). There's a lot of life and verve to this tale and it's a pleasure to read. In a way, I wish the illustrations matched it perfectly. For the most part they do. Though they initially look to be cut paper pictures, they're actually just bright paints. The images pop out at you so brilliantly that you assume they're layered colored paper. Some of the perspectives are a little screwy here and there, but on the whole they're fun to flip through. If there is a severe flaw in this book, however, and it's the inclusion of the 125th street subway stop. I think author Miriam Cohen has visited that stop or she probably wouldn't have included it. Illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg, however, has obviously never been there. 125th street stop (on the 1 or 9 Line) is one of the rare elevated subway stops out of doors. In the illustration, however, this line is supposed to be underground. Greenberg assumed all subway stops look the same and drew it without doing her research. Naughty Greenberg. Naughty.

But that's the extent of my criticism. On the whole, "Down In the Subway" is a great what-if story. It combines the realistic workings of mass transportation with the bright n' shiny rhythms of the sweet Caribbean seas. This book would be a fine pair with the similarly rhythmed, "Chicka Chicka Bang Bang". Consider them both for your next storytime, but only if you've an ear for bouncy texts. This book would definitely suffer if it was read by someone monotonely toned. So hep yourself up on caffeine and read the joyful text of "Down In the Subway" when the mood is right. It'll make you hunger for more.

Of all the Christmas gifts I have received, this book has to be one of my favorites. A great many old and new photos and illustrations. Rather than grouped by category, entries are alphabetized as in a standard encyclopedia. A great variety of subjects are covered: the very first steam engine inventors, steam, diesel, and electric building companies, their founders and the engines they built, various car types, track gauges, some famous railroads in North America and other parts of the world, well-known railroad and engineering feats, and more. Appendices list production figures for General Motors/EMD, Alco, and General Electric (what, no Baldwin?), as well as railroad mergers, all up to around 1992 or so. The entry I found most interesting was that on Australia, with its haphazard lack of any coherent rail development, resulting in several different track gauges that proved a real headache in later years.

While not comprehensive (and not claiming to be so), this encyclopedia is a well researched and written reference work, and is certainly a bargain as well. --- Paul H!

The Encyclopedia of Trains & Locomotives is a great source of information for novices and experts alike. It also includes some very detailed appendices that are unequaled. Overall, it is a wonderful reference for the price