I’'m new to the world of trains and I’m looking for two good book recommendations. Specifically, I’ve tried reading Trains but have a hard time following all the detail; is there a really good introductory book just about how trains work, that has information like, e.g. this is why tracks are constructed the way they are, this is who owns and builds them and how, this is why locomotives are designed as they are and how, how intermodal works, etc. I’m an engineer so technical is good. I’m looking for a good overview, something that isn’t an 8 volume encyclopedia but also isn’t My First Book of Big Trains or something like that.
Also, is there a good book on high speed trains in particular? Something about on the level of the fast trains special issue Trains had about two years ago without being outrageously out of date or primarily a political argument for or against it, but like above, just something overviewing the technology and status of it?
What you want to read depends on where you live, what you are familiar with, what you are not familiar with, what interests you and what doesn’t interest you. Is it a particular railroad or railroads? Local? Not local? HIstorical and history? Contemporary? Technical? Motive Power? Passenger? Freight? Other? Lots to choose from. So, best and easiest bet is to go to your library and look at what is available, see what piques your interest, what catches your eye or your imagination. Or methodically read them all. As for one single, broad based comprehensive book on railroads and trains, it is really tough because, in my opinion, there hasn’t been a sensational book since Oliver Jenson’s 1975 American Heritage publishing of Railroads of America. So, again, I really think your best bet is to go to your library and feast on what is there and see where it leads…
Sounds like you need to look at the late John Armstrong’s The Railroad: What it is, what it does. Published by Simmons-Boardman; I think it’s about on its fifth edition. Look at that, then come back and ask about any unanswered questions …it’s that good.
The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does - 5th Edition by John H. Armstrong - $44.95 list price
Publication Info: 406 pages (2008) Simmons-Boardman Books, Inc.; ISBN: 978-0-911382-58-7; Dimensions (in inches): 6x9 Description: The fifth edition of The Railroad: What It Is, What it Does is even more valuable than before. Inside you’ll find a comprehensive look at how today’s railroads function-from equipment to procedures and marketing to maintenance. Additional Information: This book is ideal for novices and experts alike. The easy-to-read narrative presents a brief history of railroading from the coal-fed “iron horses” that helped build a nation to the latest generation of EPA-compliant locomotives. You’ll also find current information on new technologies such as ECP brakes and computer-assisted transportation systems. The fifth edition is an indispensable resource for anyone wanting to learn about modern day railroads. The book delves into many facets of the railroad industry including such topics as freight cars, locomotives, track, signal and communication technology, intermodal traffic, operations, labor relations, and design engineering. Softcover.
Consider also:
All About Railroading - Second Editionby William C. Vantuono - - $33.95 list price [He is or was the engineering-subject author/ editor for trade publication magazine Ra
The other posters have made some excellent suggestions. The only negative I have is your local library may not have much on the subject of railroading, so you may have to go farther afield.
At the top of the screen there’s a heading called “Resources”, click on that and go to “Coming Events” then check for any train shows that may be coming to your area. Takes some looking but sometimes you can find real gold at those shows.
www.railroadbooks.biz is a pretty good source as well, I’ve seen him at several shows in the past.
PS: Captain Koloth, did you ever get the tribbles out of your engineering compartments?
Thanks for all the great suggestions. This is exactly what I was looking for. Any other ideas or sources I might want to take a look at? Railroad: What it Is, What it Does looks perfect and I placed an order for a copy (my library doesn’t seem to have one).
I did get the tribbles out, eventually. It was no tribble at all.
I like Railroads Triumphant by Albro Martin. It is widely available. If you want to get a sense of it there are several reviews on Amazon.
Railroads: Their Origins and Problems by Charles Francis Adams is dated but it is a classic. It is also available free on the internet. You can read it directly or print it out.
If you have any interest in the political and financial considerations (as opposed to technical issues) you might want to dip into Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard A. White. Professional reviewers praise the book. Railroad fans are divided; they either love it or hate it. Again, Amazon has over 20 reviews to give you and idea of it. White believes the American transcontinentals were a mistake and should not have been built when they were and should not have had government financing. He meticulously documents his beliefs in over a hundred pages of footnotes.
I don’t believe there is any one book that even begins to cover the topic sufficiently. If you’re interested enough you can spend a lifetime learning about how the US and Canada saw the development of the safest, most cost efficient, and extensive rail network in the world. It’s fascinating.
I’ll suggest five very good books and one website as a start.
The website is from the World Bank and it’s surprisingly good. It’s like Railroading 101. It does not focus on North America, but deals with railroads worldwide. Unlike the situation in North America, many national rail systems are hidebound government bureaucracies that diminish their nation’s wealth instead of increasing it. The bank would like to change that.
“The North American Railroad” by James E. Vance Jr. Vance focuses on the role of the railroads in the development of North America, the selection of routes, financing, and importantly, on why North American rail technology had a rapid and profound divergence from European rail technology.
The Chicago & Alton Railroad by Gene V. Glendinning. I recommend this book for one particular chapter. The chapter deals with the literal impossibility of moving people and goods around in the state of Illinois before railroads were built. Despite Chicago, Illinois is mostly farmland. Very good farmland that year after year grows abundant crops to provide food. It was of little use until you could get the crops to the people. Glendinning well defines the problem the railroads solved.
If your library doesn’t have a book, request a copy from Inter Library Loan. They will seek out a copy and you will pay a small fee (usually a couple of $$$) and it will arrive in about a week. This is a great feature from libraries.
I do not know the exact title, but there is an encyclopedia of railroading that is about 1000 pages, written about 10 years ago, that is very detailed compilation of the industry. It will be over your head at first, but it can provide detailed explanation of terms and histories which may be glossed over when you read something.
I would strongly suggest picking up a couple of copies of the “Official Guide to the Railways” for reference. These can be purchased at Ebay or other such locations for $10 or less. Pickup one from the 1950’s or early 1960’s. This will list the passenger trains which ran for all railroads, plus have invaluable maps and listing of freight routes. One can see how today’s system has been developed. With an OG from that period, also purchase one from recent time (within the last 10 years) to see how the individual railroads have been merged and then assets were sold off to form regionals and shortlines.
As your basic knowledge and interests grow, you will find literally thousands of books available…thousands. This is a geeky hobby with literally dozens of routes to pursue. Frankly I don’t give a darn about the mechanics of a modern locomotive, but many do. I love the modern history of the industry, from post WW2, but 1800’s stuff usually bores me. Financial information about the industry intrigues me but is like paint drying to many people.
This is a fascinating industry and hobby for many of us.
MP173, is the book you reference in #2 the “Encyclopedia of North American Railroads”? The editors are William Middleton (also the author of several good books on railroad infrastructure), George Smerk and Roberta Diehl and published by the University of Indiana Press in 2007.
Greyhounds recommends some excellent books and I strongly agree with him on Professor White’s book. A far, far superior book on the subject of the first transcontinental is David Bain’s “Empire Express”.
I would offer another book that while not strictly about railroads, touches on many of the engineering issues faced by the early builders of bridges in America. The book is “Engineers of Dreams” by Henry Petrosky. He discusses Eads, Cooper, Lindenthal and others and their major works.
As others have noted, this is a very rich field to delve into and you can follow your particular interest through many books.
For a somewhat different view to railroad engineering, a fun read is Mike McGinley’s book “Double Jacks”. This is a somewhat autobiographical novel drawing from Mike’s career up through the engineering ranks of the Southern Pacific. Good incite into some of the day to day issues of maintaining a railroad.
There are so many books…most are parochial as to railroad or specific segment of railroading or the hobby. And not one book fits all nor one fan fits all books. I have changed over 65+ years from broad interests to specific railroads and regions; from academic histories to anecdotal histories and back; heavy on editorial content to picture portfolios; from details about construction and machines to the insights of the people who built or run the railroads; from non fiction to exclusive tales of the rails. They intertwine, they segregate, they overlap, they are separate. That’ s why I suggested going to a library and scan the titles and descriptions, leaf through books that are there, then choose what hits your fancy or gets your attention. Or better yet, take one or two of each and read them all before choosing your interests…You might be surprised what you learn about trains, railroads, and yourself. But don’t just choose one.
I don’t know where you live, what your age, what your education, what you are all about…only you can make the final choices which best fit what you think you like or what you want to know at this time.
About 10 - 12 years ago, William D. Middleton ( a civil engineer) also wrote “Landmarks on the Iron Road”, a good overview and history of the past and existing routes, bridges, tunnels, etc. of the North American rail system.
He also wrote 3 books about electrified operations - “The Time of the Trolley”, “The Interurban Era”, and “When the Steam Railroads Electrified”, as well as 100+ articles in Trains and other books. For a beginner, I’d recommend “When the Steam Railroads Electrified” as a good overview and starting point, unless you already know you’re more interested in trolleys and/ or interurbans.