Trains and Railroads Books

This book is a rather dry account of the financial conditions and a listing of the upper administration of the GNR. It would have been more interesting if it contained more information about the human side of the railway--that is its interactions with its various employees; e.g. the engineers, conductors, trainmen, middle managers.

While it would be nice to find a copy of the original hard-bound version, this paperback version is well-done and is an excellent price. Anyone with an interest in the Great Northern, or railroad history in general, will enjoy this book. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book covering the in-depth history of the Great Northern Railway. I have several other books covering the G.N., and this book includes 'new' information and photos not included in the other books. I have been anxious to acquire this book before, but was hesitant to spend the amount asked for in used book shops, etc. This book is excellent for both it's text and photos. If you are a Great Northern fan, this is a wonderful research resource or book to be read for pleasure.

A compilation of superbly reproduced black-and-white period photographs, John Kelly's "Interurban Trains To Chicago" (after an informative introduction) is organized into three distinct and distinctive chapters: Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad -- Skokie Valley Route; Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad -- Sunset Lines; Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad -- South Shore Lines. These legendary electrically powered interurban train lines carried passengers to and from downtown Chicago from the north, west, and southwest areas of the famed Windy City. Offering a visual wealth of vintage photographs, as well as timetables and poster advertising, "Interurban Trains To Chicago" is an especially recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Railroading reference collections. Dedicated railroading enthusiasts and librarians seeking to strengthen and expand their railroading history collections would be well advised to visit the Iconografix website for a complete listing of their many railroad and railroading oriented publications.

I expected a colors photo archive instead the whole book, except for the cover, contains just black and white pictures; even more some of the pictures were already published in others books.

. . . this book wasn't for me. My father-in-law IS from Chicago AND he loves trains. This book will be his Christmas present. The pictures are clear and since I love old pictures, I do like that about it, but I can't vouch for authenticity.

This book is much-more railroad-oriented and a better read than Ann Keating's "Chicagoland - City and Suburbs in the Railroad Age" -- although it is not a great hunk of writing. It, too, unfortunately reads too much like a research paper or dissertation -- filled with quasi-useless statistics to the point of being slightly stat-heavy, in an effort to impress someone.

But there are some great nuggets if you don't mind doing some digging. The book, while well-organized into salient chapters, needed a professional editor to guide the author and also polish up the text. The author frequently repeats thoughts and passages on nearby pages, leading me to believe it was read by some college prof for a grade before it was sent to a publisher, without being proofread.

What a fun read! This will make you feel like a kid again, remembering your Lionel, American Flyer or HO train sets. Mr. Young amazes you with well researched facts and rare illustrations on how dominant the railroad was in developing this great land, and especially Chicagoland. I have found that my consciousness has changed and each time I see a track, wait for a train to pass at a crossing, or go for a train ride, I feel a part of something great and wonderful about America. This is a thoughtful gift for your friends who feel the romance of trains in their lives. Alllll Aborrrrd!

Let me start by saying this book is a treasure trove of information on the developement of Chicago as a railroad mecca. Very detailed information over a wide variety of railroad topics. I did feel as if the author did repeat himself though. He would touch on topics in one section, only to later go back to those topics in their own sections. I had the feeling of "didn't I already read some of this?". Also lacking was any maps that showed the developement of Chicago's railroad network. At the very least, a map of the current railroads and where they go in the city could have been included, and can be easily gotten from the Chicago Operating Rules Association (CORA). I have one on my wall.

So, if you know something about Chicago (who goes where) this book will tell you why they went there. If you don't have a good idea of which railroads are where in Chicago, it may be a bit of a tough read for you.

I like this story because it addresses a problem a lot of young children have when they get overexcited. They forget to listen.

Thomas is chosen to run on new tracks and in his excitement he fails to listen to advice from Sir Topham Hatt, Edward and Thomas' driver.

We have several other Thomas books that were regulars in our bedtime reading collection. I say "were" because my sons are now 5-years old and 4-years old and both are a little too old for these picture books. Aim to read these with your 2-3-year olds.

When Thomas gets assigned to the new passenger line, he's so proud that he won't take anyone's advice about taking his time to find the new route. Of course things go wrong and he learns the hard way, succeeding in the end. Nice illustrations complement this lesson on being overconfident and boastful, though I wonder if this is a problem for most kids?

Typical Thomas stays true to type in a story based on the Reverend W.Awdry`s The Railway Series. Colorful illustrations of Thomas and the gang (Sir Topham Hatt looks a bit transformed) grace this tidy little tale, as our loveable but cheeky Thomas learns a lesson. Nearly every child will understand how Thomas` excitement and overconfidence lead him to go too fast and not listen to the good advice of his friends. Everyone has felt that horrible sinking feeling he gets when he doesn`t know where he is, as well as his shame at his behaviour. And we`ll all root for him as he learns his lesson and resolves to become a Really Useful Engine.

This book describes all aspects of unit coal trains operations originating in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming - from the mines and the local railroad (the BNSF Orin Line) through the connecting lines of both UP and BNSF to the final destinations of these coal trains: the power plants. Also included are lots of photographs and listings of all the mines and power plants.

The Powder River Basin is full of coal, just under the surface and waiting to be dug up. Millions and millions and millions of tons of the black stuff are carried yearly in what is one of the busiest high-tonnage railroads in the world. Big trains too, mostly over a mile long, some using more than eight diesels to pull incredible loads over the nearby hills. All the ingredients for what should be a stunning photo book, regrettably it is not this one.

Most of the photos are black and white (twenty four in color) and in so many of them the trains occupy less than fifty percent of the photo area. They are very repetitious, far too many taken from above with the trains in the middle distance, no dramatic trackside shots of huge diesels here, no close-ups of the wagons or for that matter no people either. Not a single photo goes across a spread, for a big dramatic image. The captions to the photos are all in one paragraph blocks surrounded by masses of white space. It all looks so very dull and boring.

There is a strong visual story to tell about the trains of the Powder River Basin but this book is so amateurish that you would be better served by watching a Trains Magazine video 'Powder River Showdown', it has a good commentary and some excellent railroad action.

"Powder River Coal Trains" is a vivid story (told mostly in pictures) of how the Union Pacific and BNSF transported coal from the mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin coal corridor to Power Stations throughout the United States.

In both the Foreword and the first chapter, author Jeremy Taylor gives a straightforward introduction to the "seventy-five miles of windswept high plains" that separate the outlying mines in the Powder River Basin and the background on the development of the mines.

There are 130 color and b&w pictures, as well as graphs and tables. Many of the b&w photos are fuzzy and shot from too far away. But nearly all of the color pictures are sharp and interesting.

Freight lovers and rail historians are sure to take a fancy to this book.

Our 1 year old son never tires of opening the flaps to see what's behind them!

I have four Chunky Flap books. They are all great except for "Surprise, Thomas".

Each individual page in these books is supposed to tie into a central theme. It is a stretch to say that this book follows that pattern. This book is very disjointed. The text is grammatically awkard and fails to tie each page into the party theme.

There are even a few places where the text doesn't make sense such as when the flaps open to reveal clowns and the text says "shoes" instead of "clowns". There are shoes in the picture but I think clowns are the important part of the picture and they are what fits into the party theme.

This book is a nice size to travel with and the flaps are fun to open. However, there are much better Chunky Flap books. I would recommend getting one of those and skipping this one. "Open the Barn Door" is particularly good.

My son Tommy loves this book. Its small size is just right for him to carry it around with him as a security item, I guess. But I've read it to him so many times, and he still loves it. It's been taped and retaped due to so much handling, but that's OK with him. Lots of fun flaps which he loves to open. A great book!

My son is just over 3 and is more of a lots of pictures a little less on the words kid when it comes to books. This has book has several good stories in it, and might be better for a slightly older child or one with a better attention span! The pictures are stills from the series and my son also seems to like the books with drawings a bit more - all that being said he does enjoy the book but it is not his favorite.

There is something magical about Thomas that I didn't want to buy into at first - and now we're hooked. The story telling and characters are very well done. Each train reminds me of people I've actually worked with! My two year old loves the stories and the character voices I use. There are three stories: 1. Thomas and the Treasure (Salty tells Thomas of a lost treasure and Thomas follows clues to find it) 2. Duncan's Bluff (Duncan plays a coal car trick on James) and 3. Seeing the Sites (Thomas takes tourists to all the sites on Sodor after a challenge from Gordon). All in all very cute and smartly written for toddlers. Nice "realistic" photos too.

Published in 2008, this Thomas book still uses photographs from the television show but now they seem to be better quality -- not murky and dull -- and many have small colorful bands (frames?) around them to set them off. A definite improvement in our opinion.

The 3 stories you get are "Thomas and the Treasure", "Duncan's Bluff", and "Seeing the Sights". If you don't recall the plot of the title story, it's about Thomas' ingenuity in solving the riddle to a story that Salty tells. While everyone else rolls their eyes at Salty's yarn, Thomas takes the words to heart and unravels the clues. And in the end, he is rewarded when a real treasure is uncovered.

In "Duncan's Bluff", Duncan and James come to loggerheads when the two engines disagree as to who works the hardest. Of course, this sets off a competition and when it looks like he is loosing, Duncan cleverly tricks James. But this little slight of track, backfires with unforeseen results.

Finally, in "Seeing the Sights", Thomas gets so caught up in trying to compete with the powerful Gordon that he ends up doing a terrible job showing visitors about the island. This is a stop and smell the roses sort of story. The rose in this case being a delightful day at the beach.

All in all a winner. Though I personally prefer some of the drawn Thomas artwork, this new photo format is very nice and the the stories are good, well written, and the book's bound to please your Steamie lover.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksforKids-Reviews. com

We enjoy reading the book together, but I can't wait for the batteries to go dead. It's so frustrating to try to read the book with the baby constantly pushing the buttons to play the music. We almost have to fight to get the correct buttons pushed to match the story, because he's so busy with the music buttons he doesn't care about the story. Maybe if you have a quieter baby that enjoys sitting and listening, this might be a better match; but my baby is constantly on the move and it's hard enough to keep him interested in a story without the distraction.

I purchased this book for my 17 month old. He loves it. He goes for the book sometimes several times a day. The book is well made in that it will not fall apart: the binding, the part that holds the music, and the thickness of the pages. The book also doesn't stop playing if one of the buttons are pushed. I recommend it.

I'm not a huge fan of interactive books as the sounds often seem superfluous, if not downright distracting. But, this book is comprised of five short songs with Thomas-related lyrics you can sing to the tunes of "The Wheels on the Bus," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain," "Down by the Station," and the title tune, which I think is a "Thomas" original. Thomas is on every page with whichever friend is the subject of that song. The book is a nice size for a toddler to handle; perfect for the 18+ months age recommendation, although you certainly could use it with a younger child. And, each song plays in its entirety even if your little one presses another button before it's finished.

March 24, 2008


Just in case citizens hadn't noticed, 2007, the year "Train Time" was published, was marked by the convergence of three major crises: an infrastructure crisis, heralded by a major report by the Urban Land Institute documenting a $3.5 trillion dollar backlog for repair, which noted that auto-centric transportation systems will have trouble meeting future transportation needs and punctuated by the August 1st collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis; a Global Warming Crisis where the melting at the poles is arriving ahead of schedule and Dr. James Hansen, dean of GW scientists, has lowered the triggering threshold for bad events kicking in from the 450-550 range to 350 ppm of CO2, which we have already exceeded; and an intensifying crisis in US and world financial markets, driven by a bursting housing bubble but spread dramatically by the risky new financial architecture that even the architects don't seem to understand very well. (And oil prices pushed to record highs, staying over 100 dollars per barrel well into early 2008.)

The rumbles of impending change - and their visual clues as well, are being detected by some other very acute observers. John R. Stilgoe, a Professor of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard, and author, most recently, of a book "Train Time: Railroads and the Imminent Reshaping of the United States Landscape (Univ. of Virginia Press, 2007), is a popular lecturer whose unconventional courses teach students to see in their surroundings what their too casual first glances gloss over. He also has a reputation of being one of the nation's great repositories of knowledge on American railroads in their heyday years, 1880-1935. Some of that knowledge was made public in his Metropolitan Corridor: Railroads and the American Scene (1983, Yale University Press). In Train Time, we are given glimpses of what busy Americans stuck in traffic along both coasts often miss: the venture capitalists and real estate investors jotting down their notes in long abandoned railroad rights of ways - in coastal Massachusetts, for example. Rental cars and Texas accents are encountered in Greenbush, MA and Stilgoe ends up in a "cross-examination" that tells him that their interest is many years and many miles from where they are standing, but is based on yet to be revitalized rail lines. Stilgoe is not on a nostalgia trip, however, despite his tremendous knowledge of the old system, and he reminds readers that "replicating the past is foolish, but the possibility of welding the best of the past to the most-choice components of the present makes the study of places like Greenbush well worthwhile."(Page 41). In keeping with the theme and his preference for one word Chapter titles, this one is called "Whisper."

Another Chapter, "Express," reminds readers just how efficient the fast mail trains once were, even compared to contemporary services: "A two-cent stamp on a letter mailed in New York before 5:00 on any business day would buy next-day delivery in Chicago...Canton...Lima...and Fort Wayne too." (Page 152). Private investors today, looking at the plight of first class mail and small packages, airport and major corridor congestion, ask how the old system managed to do it.

Although the general tone and style of writing in Train Time demands very close reader attention, there are brief portions of the Preface and Introduction that deliver the message of the return of the train with the force of a locomotive. Speaking of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a new train location that also caught my attention, he notes that "Albuquerque might seem an unlikely city to institute commuter rail service, but some of the most aggressive railroad reincarnation happens where city councils suddenly abandon hope in highways. In Atlanta, St. Louis and other automobile-centric cities, politicians are initiating feasibility studies and rail-equipment manufacturers are soliciting orders. The Train is returning, an economic and cultural tsunami about to transform the United States." (Page xi). A good portion of the book is centered on the freight rail industry, and takes readers away from the congested coasts to more inland locations, ones also poorly served by the major hub-obsessed airline industry. So the physical locus of change may surprise quite a few people, witness the discussions of the Lynchburg, Virginia region and remote parts of Maine, where state officials are busy laying the rail lines for the future and successfully lobbying Amtrak for increased service. Here's how Stilgoe lays out this image of impending change:

"When the railroad returns, not if, it will not only transform the half-forgotten jewels that lie along the nation's obscure operating railroad routes but also reshape regions far from existing tracks. Return will alter everyday life more dramatically than the arrival of personal computers, Internet connections, or cell phones. Return will remake the United States economy in ways that private-sector savants already anticipate. However difficult it is to imagine a grass-grown railroad track becoming a high-speed, heavily trafficked route, it is still more difficult to imagine grass growing through the pavement of interstate highways. But a least some people with imagination have made the intellectual leap...whether or not they know it, millions of Americans live in an economy waiting for the train..." (Page 14).


Since his book is filled with descriptions of encounters, by phone and field, with "deep-pocketed, long-term" investors looking at rail, especially freight rail lines, his handling of freight rail's future would seem to be somewhat at odds with the financial picture presented in other forums by the I-95 Coalition, which has portrayed freight rail as not being able to raise enough capital in the private markets to make the improvements needed to deal with its congestion problems and outdated infrastructure. This discrepancy can be explained by Stilgoe's main focus away from the worst of the auto- congested coasts where aging rail infrastructure and real estate costs make expansion and rehabilitation very expensive - unless old abandoned lines can be reclaimed.


Stilgoe has sensed the twilight of one transportation age and the beginnings of a new one, even if his emphasis is more upon freight rail than passenger rail. In this reviewer's opinion, for passenger rail, as the demand grows and the economic and environmental storms converge, the inadequate public philosophy which has financially starved the public's transportation infrastructure since 1980 cannot hold. Yet conventional politics is unable to deal with the financial scale of the problem, which is, in reality, more a matter of ideological scale than objective fiscal scale. Sometimes it takes great economic storms to create the tidal surge necessary to lift policy changes over the sand-bars of old ideas.

John Stilgoe is thinking ahead, and he documents the private rail investors who are doing so as well. At this point, the private rail investors seem to be ahead of public transportation policy, and especially public funding. The book has lots of examples of affluent citizens pushing for public rail transportation solutions to their nightmare commutes and desire to access remote vacation areas. How many readers have noted - or read about the private rail cars tacked onto the back of Amtrak Trains - a look back to an earlier Gilded Age from our own 21st century version. It's gems of observation and information like this that make Stilgoe's Train Time must reading for citizens and policy makers concerned with where we are headed - and who want to make sure that public transportation policy serves the broader public good. That may or may not correspond with where private investors and powerfully connected citizens want to take us.

William R. Neil

Stilgoe's book is very timely and current. Most railroad writing is backward-looking nostalgia. This is a book about the future, but it finds and brings to light rail successes of the past: Railway Mail Service, Express, frequent passenger service to small towns. Most Americans are oblivious to transportation issues, especially rail. Few give any thought as to how their UPS packages make it from Seattle to Maine. This book gives compelling examples of what worked well in the past and how weed-filled tracks may rise again in importance. This book is recommended for those interested in the future of passenger and freight rail, and for those looking to profit in rail stocks and other investments. Many of Stilgoe's insights are not commonly reported elsewhere in financial and news media.

John Stilgoe has written several fascinating books ... including Metropolitan Corridor and Outside Lies Magic. He has a fluid, lyrical style and a keen eye for details. Unfortunately, his latest effort is a big disappointment.
Train Time reflects the prose style I've become accustomed to. But, this time, the underlying thesis is confused and confusing. He repeatedly mentions that realtors and speculators are seeking out old railroad maps and timetables. But what they are supposed to be doing with those items is far from clear. Stilgoe is evidently trying to make a case for the return of the railroad to prominence, but I was left to wonder what the driving factors are supposed to be.

brilliant book. as a former train-hopper, hitchhiker and railroad tramp mr shepards book rings true from start to finish.

the first part of the book is a fascinating piece on the infamous ftra. mr shepard does an exellent job exposing much of the urban myth surrounding that group and lets hobos speak for themselves instead of inserting middle-class psychobabble to explain their strange world.

the last two parts of the book are poignant and moving meditation on what it truly means to be an outcast of our consumer society. told thru fictional characters mr shepard puts back the human face on the hobo. love and redemption is the hobos. as well as pride and dignity.

Here's a suggestion: Consider reading the two fiction selections in this book first, then read the essay on the Freight Train Riders of America(FTRA). I read the book cover to cover and I think Lucius Shepard scoops himself by detailing too much in the essay. As a result the fiction stories had less impact. The essay is a fascinating account of his time riding freight trains across America while researching the FTRA, which is rumored to be a highly organized crime ring consisting of hobos operating out of train switch yards across the country. Shepard found little of this organization and many more lost and broken souls. He used this research to craft two stories; Jailbait and Over Yonder. Both are good reads and reminiscent of an inward turning Theodore Sturgeon story. However neither one lived up to my expectations as I had enjoyed other Lucius Shepard stories in the past. Again I think much of the characterization was blunted by the superb descriptions of real people that are found in the earlier essay.

Over Yonder is about Billy Long Gone. A loner that hops a phantom train to a land of hobo limbo where everyone is cured of their physical addictions. He soon realizes that he not much better off than before and in the end he opts for a dangerous ride into the ghoulish unknown. This story has a fantasy element so the entire collection is categorized as science fiction and Fantasy, where Mr. Shepard has produced many works, but it could easily be considered general fiction. Jailbait is about another loner, Madcat, that is on the run from the law. He hooks up with an under aged girl, and first time train rider, who has just seen murder. I liked the way the young girl is portrayed, we don't quite know her motives and Shepard weaves some elements of the divine into her scenes so that the reader is not sure if she is savior or devil. All together good but I expected more.

Author Lucius Shepard personally experienced life riding the rails when he investigated the Freight Train Riders of America for "Spin" magazine. Two Trains Running is a collection of his fictionalized stories based on the experiences he gained from personally living among a vagabond culture. Gripping, with realistic dialogue and following flawed characters struggling to make sense out of life, Two Trains Running is an unforgettable, highly recommended read that fairly pulses with the raw power of reality.