Trains and Railroads Books

My son loves Thomas, but he did not enjoy the book as much as I thought, he would.

I received this book (first edition) for Christmas as a boy, and although at the time I was looking for something more generic regarding railroading, I was pleasantly surprised with it, and over the years it has become one of my favorite train books.

Railroading was probably not the most dangerous of professions or means of transportation, but as the dust jacket attests, it certainly wasn't the safest. I was surprised to learn how often steam locomotives actually blew up, sending giant hulks of boiler and iron hundreds of feet into the air, or literally miles from the scene of the accident. Until new designs in car couplers and car construction were invented, many passenger cars would actually "telescope" into each other when wrecked, with the obvious results of death or maiming of passengers. Factor in things like split rails, bridge wash-outs, incorrectly aligned track, bad weather...there were many factors that could lead to severe accidents on the railroad.

This book provides interesting photos of just about every imaginable type of train accident, some of which are very old. While the text explains the different types of accidents that can befall the railroad, it also provides insight into how the railroads have progressed technologically and the impacts those advances have had on railroad safety.

Overall, the book is a light read for an adult, but it kept me captivated as a young person. The photos are what make the book, and like a moth to a flame, will make you come back again for another look.

This is for smaller children just starting off w/puzzles, but it is hardy and a good book to take places w/the child to entertain him/her. I'd buy it again and recommend it...especially if your kid loves trains like mine do.

Describes an Eurostar train and has maps. English channel train information was of interest as well as present and future information.

This is the second book for children written by William Trombello. Children will understand a train's journey from the time it leaves the repair station to when it arrives at the station. Children will be taken on a journey of knowledge with Engineer Obie, Mechanic Mike, Carl the Carman, and Brakeman Bob. With colorful illustrations, children will see what each part of the train looks like, how it works, and learn what its function is in making the train go. Children will also learn about the different, but important jobs each person has at a train yard and on the train itself.

As children read along, a train at the bottom of each page shows how much they have learned and how much they still have to go on their journey into the world of locomotives.

At the end of the book, Trombello shares a warning with children about being safe around trains. He also shares his inspiration to write" How a Real Locomotive Works", and a little history about a train called "Little Obie".

Despite it's rather insipid title, this is a fine book. It gives a good overview of toy train history, tips for restoration and repair, and some very detailed advice on building and operating a toy train layout. If you're interested in prewar tinplate toy trains, this is an excellent first book to buy.

Bought this for a little boy who was mad on trains. He loved it.

Okay, Ringo Starr is not the best narrator, and the pictures are a bit fuzzy and not all that great having been taken from the TV series video tape and enlarged past what their quality would support; and Thomas (on the cover) does look like his going to `hurl', but little people just don't seem to care and so we give this book and cassette, Four Stars.

There are 4 stories in this collection:

Trouble for Thomas
Thomas Saves the Day
Thomas Goes Fishing
Terence the Tractor

For those of you who can't remember the plot lines I have summarized them below.

In `Trouble for Thomas', kind Edward trades jobs with Thomas so that our favorite Steamie is off to end his boredom by pushing freight cars instead of coaches. The cars get the better of him though because he hasn't listened to Edwards advice. (A frequent Thomas problem.)

In `Thomas Saves the Day' it is poor James' turn to get into trouble with those troublesome trucks. They force him to go off the line. (Wooden brakes, you know). Thomas saves the day by quickly getting the break-down train to the scene, where fortunately James is embarrassed, but unhurt. At the end of this story, James gets new brakes, and Thomas gets his own branch line and Annie and Clarabel.

In `Thomas Goes Fishing', we find out that Thomas loves to stop and watch the river, unfortunately fate and his driver seldom allow him to do so. When he meets the other engines he repeats his dissatisfaction and says, "I want to fish." But they would all say the same thing in reply: "Engines don't go fishing."

Trouble comes when Thomas stops at the river station for water and the pump is out of order. His driver and fireman use a bucket to top him off, but unbeknownst to them, they have put fish in Thomas' boiler. Steamie chaos (and a bit of a stink) ensues.

In `Terence the Tractor', Thomas gets himself into trouble when he bangs up his much hated snowplow so that he actually can't wear it. And when a heavy snow falls, he gets stuck. Terence comes to the rescue and Thomas finds out that `caterpillar treads' are good things indeed.

Four Stars. My son plays this CD over and over and over, all of its faults forgiven. (Our original cassette version went to a friend.)

This book is a good read for anyone who likes narrow gauge trains. It is a good primer for gilsonite mining especially for fans of the Unitah Railway. The writing quality is high and most of the pictures, although limited in number, are clear enough to help in modeling. All in all, an enjoyable railroad read.

Very satisfied with the book. Nice history. The book was in good condition and was shipped promptly.