Trains and Railroads Books

Aimed at really young readers, this board book serves best as an introduction to Thomas the Tank and his friends. The stories are extremely short and are told using lacid language and the cartoon illustrations that have become so familiar. Each of the six mini-miniture tales are accompanied by a finger tab so young readers can flip to their favorite. There are a lot of better Thomas books out there, but really young fans of Thomas and those who have never met Thomas and his friends, will enjoy this paltry book the most.

This is yet another book of train photos, by which I mean lots and lots of 3/4 (front/side) shots, emphasizing locos. The photos are clear, though somewhat monotonous in composition. Three stars from a reader who would have liked more artistic and varied compositions.
Five stars, however, for the photo captions. The author knows his stuff about the New York Central - e.g., why some pullmans were not on specific Sat. night trains, etc. In fact, I don't think I have ever read such interesting material about how that railroad operated.

This book focuses almost entirely on financial and corporate politics of the Union Pacific and how that plays out with other railroads and the government. Less than 20% of this book is devoted to locomotives, freight cars, track, issues of building new lines, technology, passengers, stations, the products shipped, dispatching, or what it was like to work on the railroad. You won't find anecdotes or stories of battling the elements or dealing with wrecks. An exception is a description of the Salton Sea and the railroad's efforts to control the flooding that threatened the communities around the sea. But the transition from steam to diesel, for example, gets perhaps a page at most.

The personality of Harriman dominates the first part of the book and we get - in great detail - his battles with other railroad presidents. Financing issues, struggles with the always clueless ICC - that's what the focus is on. The author is a little prone to see things entirely from the Union Pacific perspective but since that is probably underrepresented in other writings, so it may be OK.

To be sure, as the book moves into the 20's and 30's there are chapters on labor and other topics -- the streamliners get a little play too. But the author's focus is almost always on the top leaders and how they are dealing with each other as much as anything else.

So am I not recommending the book? No, the book can be a useful antidote to too much railroad fan-based writing that excessively focuses on pain schemes and the shape of air filters. But it is not a fully-rounded portrait of the company as a transportation enterprise and the culture it created.

A great idea on how to venture into Mexico via various train trips mainly focused on how these trips are journeys into Mexico's soul. The author also blends in enough history without overwhelming us all. It certainly turned me on to some areas of the nation I've missed. I also liked how he was able to blend the politics of today with the past and on how so many times throughout history Mexico missed the boat. Plus add to that his obvious love of Mexico, he never allows that pointed criticism of political leaders to descend into the typical "we're superior" Yanqui stance.

The only thing I never get about most travel essay writers, and he is no exception, is how they can travel all over a nation and miss, or never comment on, events involving hundreds of thousands of locals held almost weekly. I'm talking the impact of soccer on Mexican lives. I know this is off on a tangent but I found soccer matches esp. involving America, Chivas, Cruz Azul or Guadalajara brought me more insight into the Mexican psysche than many other better known explosions of color and emotion (i.e., "festivals").

I found this book on a remainder table and coudn't resist the train travel theme. For the first few dozen pages it seemed promising but was, overall, something of a disappointment.

What's missing in this book is an interesting and cohesive travel narrative. It's not clear to me how the author could spend an entire year riding the rails in Mexico and not have more interesting personal experiences to relate. Instead the book is padded with extended sections that could be gathered together and titled "Mexican History for Dummies". Being a something of a history dummy myself, those sections were what kept me reading. But I wouldn't recommend this book to others unless they have an immediate interest in mexican trains in addition to a need for the quick history lesson.

Having said that, it was interesting for me to read about the periodic advance and decline of the national rail system and its impact on Mexico's revolutionary history. In particular, the route from Mexico City to Oaxaca brought back memories of a trip my wife and I took with two friends in 1989. At that time the service was at its peak, with nicely restored sleeper cars featuring ensuite lavatories and comfortable (if small) folding beds. That's a trip we would like to do again but it's no longer possible with the same level of comfort; according to Pindell the sleeper cars are long gone and the train schedules are erratic.

This book makes an attempt to be a travel memoir, history book and a political statement all in one. It does not cover any one area very well. Your time would be better spent on concentrating on books that cover these areas in proper detail. The author gets too far off on politics in the second half and it was a struggle to not just put the book away and forget it. There are a few good tales of travel on the Mexican trains, but you have to put up with the rest in between. Not worth the time.

The author does not speak a word of Spanish, yet he presumes to interpret the Mexican culture after riding the Mexican rails for awhile. I have lived in Mexico for years. My wife is Mexican, and I can tell you he missed the cultural boat significantly, as do most non-Hispanic foreigners who pass superficially through our troubled land.

It is impossible to interpret the culture of a people when you do not even speak the tongue. It is a presumptuous thing to even attempt. Instead, he dragged along on the journey a Cuban-American friend to interpret. Yes, a Cuban.

Interspersed with his questionable cultural observations are pages of Mexican history. Those are interesting. That is where he earns his review stars. I give him two because it is history available in a million other places. But he does write clearly.

The author also exhibits an annoying anti-Americanism. Mexicans noble. Gringos bad. As the adolescents often say: Puh-leeze!

This is a so-so book. The historical parts are in good order. The cultural observations way off base.

I've now completed Pindell's North American train trilogy, and have found him to be the perfect traveling companion. If this book is slightly less successful than the earlier ones, it is only because the central metaphor -- trains as history -- sits less comfortably on Mexico than it does on the US and Canada. For those who love trains, geography, or cultural history, this book provides some clean connections.

This gives a very comprehensive account of the various routes on the trans siberian, i'v chosen vladivostok to st petersburg! will have my guidebook close at hand during my trip!

As the title says, I found the book a very useful guide. Since I currently live in China, I was mostly just using the portions for Mongolia, and Russia.

My only complaint is the switching around of currency used. Sometime in the Russian portion prices would be listed in US dollars, other times Rubles, and sometimes in Euros. It would have been much better to pick one currency and stick with it. A minor complaint.

I was overall disappointed.
The guide was useful to plan the trip, but much less once on the spot. Quite a bit of information is erronous or outdated (e.g. restaurants/hotels do not exist or are priced over double of what stated, museums have been closed or moved), which especially in Moscow and Yekaterinenburg led to cross-city walks and travels at the end of which we found nothing. This is especially for what concerns the Moscow to Yekaterinenburg part; pages on St. Petersburg, China, Mongolia and the Irkutsk area were much more useful.
Train and bus info: there is quite a lot of information if you are heading in the St. Petersburg to Beijing direction, but no special indications for if you are taking the opposite direction.
Last point: guide suggestions are generally targeted to a welthier-than-backpacker budget (though Galina in Moscow was great!).

What you'd expect from Lonely Planet--useful but not comprehensive. I would recommend getting both this and the Trans-Siberian Handbook. It can be a little difficult to find (especially if you don't want to wait 6 weeks).

The guidebook is just fine for sightseeing, hotels, restaurants, but for train information, there is almost nothing. Really, almost nothing at all. To take the Trans Siberian, it is very difficult to make stopovers, and get reservations for future trains. And you can't simply board the train in a city or town other than Moscow or Vladavostok, or Beijing. None of this is addressed in the book. So, it's great to have tons of pages of sightseeing information, but for places almost no one will get to, due to the difficulty of reserving future trains.

There is almost virtually no information on how to book the train, or recommendations on how to book it, or where to book it, or the wide range in prices. Hardly anything about the different classes. Hardly anything about the cabins, onboard food, how to buy food at the stations, is there an electrical outlet, train etiquette, etc.

I was very disappoined in the lack of practical information needed. The Trans Siberian is NOT as easy to book as a train from say London to Paris, and the book doesn't address that.

Definitely pay attention to who the authors are for these books. Other books are much better than this one. The story line is weak at best and neither my son nor I want to read it.

Stay away from the Thomas stories that involve magic. These stories are poorly written, and introduce an element (magic) that is both not nescessary and, in my opinion, cultish. The original author, Rev. W. Audry, was a Christian father writing to his sick son, and the first stories were filled with Christian morals that, though subtle, are prevalent even today. The tv show is a good example of clean, fun stories that teach kids how to work in harmony with peers of all types (and colors).

Stay away from this new disturbing trend that finds Thomas on the "magic railroad" or needing "gold dust" to fix a problem. These aren't the stories kids and parents fell in love with.

We love everything Thomas, and to be truthful my son gives this a thumbs-up, but I think it's a little sub-par for most Thomas books.

As noted by a previous reviewer, the artwork is very simplistic and unlike many other Thomas books there is nothing noteworthy in the background to talk about with your young Thomas fan.

In this story, Henry is not feeling well, and Thomas has been made to feel unimportant by Gordon and James. Still, Thomas tells Henry that he will go and get 'special' coal for him so that he can feel better.

In the process of obtaining this coal, Thomas stumbles across the *Magic Railroad*. Percy tells Thomas all about the legend. "The engines had heard of the legend of the Magic Railroad and of the beautiful golden engine called Lady, who gave the railroad its magic power. Lady had disappeared long ago, and the Magic Railroad had disappeared with her."

Thomas overcomes his fears, enters the boundary to wherever it is that Lady has been and brings her back to Sodor.

Now all of this would be fine and dandy for me, except for the way that they draw Lady--which is nothing like the nice picture they have of her on the front cover. Honesty, it is just a little weird. Unlike all of the other Steamies, she is portrayed as staring blankly off into the distance. Zombie-like. Whites showing equally, all around her pupils.

Two Stars. Print too small for young children to read. Drawings very simplistic and uninteresting. And Lady, just a little out-of-it.

I'm not sure the story made sense in LITTLE ENGINES CAN DO BAD THINGS, but the Thomas fans will still like it. Its pictures are in bright primary colors, but it uses simplistic drawings rather than the Thomas photographs of the other Britt Allcroft Thomas books. And there's nothing in the background of the pictures to talk about with the kids. We like to read a book over and over and sometimes stop and discuss every picture, so nothing to talk about is a drawback. This is one of those great Thomas paperbacks that are inexpensive, making it easy to collect lots of them.

The book has a very positive message for children, and my son loves it. The only drawback is that it skirts around the plot of the movie on which it is based. Diesel 10 is not even mentioned, so the central plot of the movie is not conveyed. This is fine, unless your child wants the book because he loved the movie. Lady and Thomas are there, and being really useful makes them heroes.

This book is as much about a journey that made history as it is about the Pioneer Zephyr.

The book may not be perfectly written and edited, or illustrated with photos that have been worked on in Photoshop for hours. The book is however, a very unique glimpse into a very special time. Time spent on a train like no other.

The author writes his story in his own words. I wouldn't want to read it any other way.

I learned many years ago if you do not have anything good to say about something, keep your mouth shut. Normally I follow this rule but this book is so horrible it merits comment.

From the photo quality to the grammer to the quality of the paper to the unnecessary "filler" (Railroad Jargon), one must wonder the intent of the publisher. Therefore I place responsibility on the publisher, not the author. The author IS responsible for the technical content of the book which is marginal.

I use the word "book" loosely when referring to this document, it is, at best, a high school term paper with a nice cover.

I do give the author credit for at least trying, I wish I had the motivation to write something.

The previous reviewer who gave this mess a single star was generous with his/her time. The author's "gee whiz" style, his complete lack of writng competance (did this author take English Composition past the 7th Grade Level?), and the publisher's inability to render a clear illustration in the whole book grate on one's nerves so badly that you have to steel yourself before begining another session with this book. This could have been a great book; it isn't, but buy it anyway for the sake of the author's only success with his material - you actually feel that you are there in the mid-30's with the story's key players when you read this mess.

A Review
By E.L. Nelson

On May 26, 1934 a new and elegant passenger train set out on a "dawn to dusk dash" from the Denver Union Station in Colorado to the Halstedt Street Station in Chicago Illinois. Seeking to set a new speed record, the Pioneer Zephyr, made the 1117 mile trip in a record time of 17l2 hours. More importantly, it ushered in a new era of railroad passenger service that was to continue for decades.

It is probable that the only person alive who made that historic trip is the author of this fascinating book. As the thirteen year old son of a Burlington Railroad executive, he was to spend the entire trip in the engine room of this remarkable train. For the author, this childhood experience left an indelible record of the people and events leading up to this trip. In telling the story of The Zephyr, he relates the detail in a vivid and natural style. The book features many photographs and images that allow the reader to gain an insight into the background of this story. If you are a railroad buff, you must have a copy of this book in your library.

Author Rediske obviously has first-hand experience and lots of facts about the CB&Q's 1934 Pioneer Zephyr. Unfortunately, what he doesn't have is the literary skill to pen a worthy book. This volume should be purchased ONLY by the railfan who MUST have every written word about the first diesel-powered, stainless steel streamliner. For everyone else, there must be a better reference book.

I received this volume as a gift although I desired it and asked for it sight unseen. Had I examined a copy first, I would not have wanted it. The cover illustration is wonderful, but don't expect that crisp detail within the book. Photographic reproduction quality is much less than what is acceptable today. It isn't that the pictures are old (after all, many were taken seventy years ago), it's that they appear as fuzzy, gray-and-white images, not sharp black-and-white photos. Where the author has included vintage articles, menus, etc, they, too, are nearly impossible to read.

My criticism is not limited to the book's production quality. The writer's lack of skill in forming complete sentences is without compare.

If I was to reproduce every incomplete sentence in the book, I would have a volume almost as long as his effort.

I began reading these constant mistakes to my wife one evening: "Comments made concerning the Colorado Burro that eventually made the trip on this train." "Undoubtedly a decision predicated on specifications real or not understood." As an example, there are a total of fifteen "sentences" on page 66. Of these, five are incomplete. In fact, one entire paragraph has not a single complete sentence within it. That's just on ONE page.

One of the book's clever features is a box on many pages of "Railroad Workers Jargon" with interesting phrases and their definitions. They begin on page one and occur sporadically. Unfortunately, the terms on page seventeen are repeated on page twenty-one. This repetition continues throughout the book.

Repetition within the book's thin text is a problem, too, as the author makes a point, or shares an interesting fact, and then repeats it again and again.

To be sure, author Rediske has much interesting information and a first-person experience with the famous Zephyr. What he needs is a competent author ---or, at least, an editor--- to make this book readable.

I suspect this was a vanity press publication as I cannot imagine any bonafide publisher accepting this woeful manuscript and releasing it without major revision.

There are other books about the Burlington's incredible train. ANY of them would be a better choice than this poor effort.

This book does contain a multitude of track plans. The plans overall, however, tend to be sub-par. This is most evident when you compare this book to those written by the Late John Armstrong, or the track plans published in hobby magizines.

The book is helpfull, however, in planning for staging operations and seeing how one can best ultilize avalible space. It is a good book if one is just getting started in the hobby, and needs some ideas to start from. More advanced model railroaders may only get mild amusment from the book.

Very disapointing to say the least. THE BIG BOOK OF MODEL RAILROAD TRACK PLANS boasts "99 complete plans", I beg to differ. I accept the fact that many people do not have the room for large class-1 type railroad layouts, but many of the "shelf" plans are little more than a place to display your scenery talents and some rolling stock, nothing that could accurately be described as operational.

Moving on to the larger layout plans, it doesn't get any better. They all seem to be based on just a few basic designs with only minor changes like an additional siding or where the railroad is based in the world. You're left with the feeling of "if you've seen one, you've seen them all." Another point to consider is, not everyone wants to build a multi-level or spiral layout to gain operational ability. I also don't think that most people want a design that requires a turntable or wye at each end. If they do, then there's plenty to be happy about. Most of the plans seem suited to small steam powered logging railroads or for someone with a huge imagination to fill in the blanks.

It isn't my desire to bash anybody, but at least in my case, it didn't even offer a fresh idea. Mr. Schleicher's book, "Building your next model railroad" offers many good tips and ideas on the actual building of a layout, but this book is a real let down. My advice is to look elsewhere.

An excellent book about designing a small to medium layout. Many track planning books assume that we all have huge basements and rarely focus on smaller spaces, like a spare bedroom.
At first glance, a number of the plans seem similar. When you study them closer it becomes clear how a plan can be transformed by adding an around-the-wall shelf or changing a part of it. I think this sort of evolutionary designing gives a lot more insight into the design process.
The shelf layouts are nice and show how you can build a layout in a very compact space. They look more like British designs, which usually have a visible station and some staging sidings.
The room-size layouts pack a lot into a modest room. By adding a second deck the operations are substantially increased albeit at the cost of more complex construction. There is a relation between the space and the amount of model railroad that we want to fit in. If you want to squeeze in more mainline run in a small space, sooner or later you have to consider multidecking. It's up to the reader to decide if the extra effort is worth the trouble.
This brings me to the observation that most plans in this book feature point-to-point type operation. The emphasis is on smaller lines like shortlines, logging railroads or secondary lines of larger railroads. A logical choice as this sort of railroad is far better suited for a small room than trying to model the Union Pacfic mainline in HO in a 9x9 room. If this isn't your cup of tea then this book is probably not for you.

Many of my issues with this book were covered in another review. Most of the "plans" are really just a couple tracks. The diagrams aren't clear enough for a book on track planning (for a magazine writeup, maybe, for a book of plans for practical use, no). The plans are repetitive and derivative of each other. And, as previously noted, there is very little breadth of offering - over and over you see the same format of layout: for instance if you have any significant-size space but don't want a multi-deck layout, you're out of luck.

It's not 101 layouts, it's 101 variations on 2-4 basic ideas...

This publication is not much better than a phone book. It basicly states that such-and-such a trail exists, and gives some contact information. No mention of access points or parking - it even does not tell you where exactly the trailheads are... In the age of internet, I would consider such a book nearly useless.

"1000 Great Rail-Trails" lists USA's rails-to-trails conversions throughout all 50 states and Washington, DC. About 2/3rds of the rail-trails have a smooth surface (asphalt or smooth gravel) acceptable to mosts trail users like bicycles, mountain bicycles, walkers, roller bladers and wheelchair users. The other 1/3rd tend to have a rougher gravel and/or ballast surface and could be difficlut to many trail users. The book is well organized with the listing of each trail featuring the name, length, surface, general location, address and/or phone number for each trail. Further information for detailed trail resources lacks.

It is a book really worth reading again and again.

My son makes me read this book every night before and it is TORTURE! Every character is mean and nasty, the language is very British and obtuse, and frequently the stories just don't make sense. I moan every time Jackson asks for this book, and I call it 'the PEW book of all time.'

This book is a real shame. So many kids, including my own, love Thomas and his friends. But this book teaches nothing but how to lie, laugh at another's shortcomings, and foul language. One engine tells the train cars to "shut up!" because they are picking on another engine. That is supposed to teach a moral lesson to my children? I don't think so.

Another disappointing note: my son received the engine named "Diesel" as a gift. This book makes him out to be a bad engine. How is my son supposed to feel about his gift now?

I do not recommend this book to anyone.

My son loves this story. We have the story itself recorded on tape so that he can just play it... otherwise we'd lose our voices reading it over and over. With bright pictures and an articulate story (with a moral: the honest hard working engine wins out in the end over the wicked arrogant one), this book others in the series have our son completely charmed. It keeps him busy for hours!