I’m interested in the following 4 books, but have never heard of them or their authors before (other than Al Krug, whose website I already know has really good technical information, so I can see why he was included). I did a Google search and on this Forum for their titles, but didn’t find much other than a recommendation in a 2004 post by former dispatcher and Trains editor Mark W. Hemphill to get the two “Elements of Train Dispatching” volumes and read them to better understand real-world railroad operations.* So:
Is anyone else here familiar with these books, or their authors ? What do you think of the books and/ or author(s) ? Any other comments/ constructive criticisms/ observations/ recommendations, etc. ? Thanks in advance for any insights that you can provide !
Am not sure what you are looking for in the way of information. I would say that any book on the subject by an expert in the field will give good information and theories. You might also want to read the old AAR Code rules as well as specific railroads’ books of rules of the operating department. Then find some old RAILROAD MAGAZINEs in which the art and interpretation of train orders were often discussed for some “field” experiences. And probably also find old ops and dispatchers who will thrill you with tales of the days of yore and flimseys… The books you mention sound very academic and will probably give you a lot of information, but if you want more, want application, then old magazines and railroaders will broaden what you learn. Good luck, and enjoy!
Another set of books you might want to consider were those by Droge. Kalmbach reprinted his Passenger Terminals and Trains and his Freight Terminals and Trains often pops up at shows and antique stores.
Paul, Thomas White or TAW is a former Dispatcher for B&OCT, and a former Chief Dispatcher for BN. He is currently a consultant for WADOT advising them on capacity projects relating to Sounder Transit. He is a frequent poster to the Trainorders website. He and Dr. Prachl are very qualified to write on the subject. IIRC Dr. Prachl is a professor of Railway Studies at a University in Germany (University of Braunschwieg?).
The books are available from Simmons-Boardman, the same people that publish Railway Age. I have the one on Dispatching and found it informative. It is not very exciting reading, it is, after all, a textbook, but it is packed with information. I recommend it. There is a lot of european and rail transit content, but a lot of it carries over to our country as well. I would definitely recommend it.
I recommend “The Railroad, What it is and What it does” by John H. Armstrong. A dry, but very informative book on all aspects of railroading and the rail industry. It is available at Transalert.com.
beaulieu is correct – Tom White is a smart guy and a good railroader. I’ve enjoyed working with him.
The Pachl book is actually about train control not operations, which are entirely different things. It’s a good book and clearly explains European methods as well as American methods, which is important.
The Droge books are both good to have, but not truly books about operations but engineering texts. The lack of economic explanation makes them opaque unless you already understand the economics and traffic patterns of railroading in the era they were written, the 1920-1950 time period.
The Armstrong book is introductory. Everyone I’ve recommended it to has reported back that they found it extremely difficult to understand. I’ve quit recommending it because you have to know something about railroading to understand it, and if you know that much, you don’t need it.
Thank you for the time and insights of your responses. I already have a small collection of “Railroad Magazine” from back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, as well as the Droege book on Passenger Terminals and Trains and the Armstrong book, so I can pretty well appreciate what you were intending to communicate.
I need to think about this a little more, and figure out better what it is I’m actually looking for here. (I know, this may have been an instance of “Post first, think later”, but what the heck . . . )
In the meantime, I searched to see if any of these are available on inter-library loan (“ILL” = cheap & easy way to check them out without having to buy them), but pretty amazingly, none are, at least not in Pennsylvania, and that’s only the 2nd time that’s happened to me, as I recall. (Next step: Northwestern University’s transportation library) So I may have to spring for one or more of them to get a better look, although at $40 - $45 each that’s very reasonable, considering. If I do, I’ll remember to “pay it back” by posting a review or commentary of some kind here, but don’t look for that anytime soon - it may be a couple of months until I have enough time to do that.
Again, thanks for your comments. Have a good weekend.