Hey folks, does anyone have any good recommends for books, etc to learn more about railroading, locomotives, etc? I’m newer to this hobby but am very interested into learning all about it. Thanks in advance for your help.
This is one of the most book intensive hobbies one can have.
I will throw out for discussion one of my favorites - The Official Guide of the Railways, both recent history (a 1990’s or early 2000 edition) and an older one. This will give a sense of where the railroads run with great maps. The older edition (say 1950’s or 1960s’) will give a sense of history, along with GREAT maps and a view of the passenger trains which once dominated the industry.
These are historical geography books of the industry.
I was given one by a family friend, who worked for the Illinois Central, in the late 1960’s. It was a treasure then and I still have it, battered, torn, ripped, and nearly 100 pages gone.
Ed
“The Railroad - What It Is And What It Does”, by the late John Armstrong. A great primer in railroading. Covers everything.
Best two generic histories: Carl Jensen’s American Heritage History of American Railroads; was done in the 1970s’ but still best comprehensive. Newer is Bill Withune’s editing of RAILS ACROSS America. After that, look for your interests based on geography, depth, history, operations, business, etc. Watch out for broad picture books or even broader but shallower books from non railroad hobby publishers like Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc. National Geographic has broad generic books but not as good as the Smithsonian. Best bet is probably the likes of Kalmbach or Carstens publications. Check the ads in the magazines, read the reviews. Join the NRHS or the R&LHS, the both have good periodicals and source books. Check, too, through individual railroad historical societies. But the best place to start reviewing what you want is your local library…probably quite a variety of titles and subject matter which can point you in the direction you want to go in. Be careful with libraries, however, as they will mix railroad business, history, operations and modeling catagories so you must look in the computerized card catalogue under railroads or trains or history or modeling to find all that may be available.
Model railroad books and magazines can be very informative on certain aspects of and specific real railroads. I’m specifically thinking of the late John Armstrong’s book Track Planning for Realistic Operation, articles on ‘Railroads You Can Model’ and on passenger train stations and yards, etc., as well as modeling all of the different structures and fitting them into a realistic scene, etc.
- Paul North.
OK, very good! I appreciate everyone’s input and I’ll be looking for these resources ASAP! Thanks again. N.
If you want something that isn’t 100% facts and figures and tells you more about how RRers lived in the past, read Set Up Running: the Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman 1904-1949 by John Orr.
Even if you’re not into the steam-era stuff (I’m not) it is still a very good and interesting read.
Have to agree with zugmann, the “BEST” I’ve read in 65 years. OK I wasn’t reading the first 6 but I did have “The Little Engine That Could” memorized by age three.
See also the recommendations under the following heading at this website -
http://www.umsl.edu/barriger/bguides/rrguide.htm
- for the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library at the University of Missouri - St. Louis [emphasis added - PDN]:
"A Guide to Railroad Research
Welcome to one of the world’s foremost railroad research collections and to one of the most fascinating of research pursuits. Railroad research may seem daunting at first; the iron rail left the largest paper trail of any industry before or since! This guide, while it does not cover all available sources, will help you get started. Please ask for additional help at the Mercantile Library Reference Desk (314-516-7247).
GENERAL INTRODUCTIONS TO THE HISTORY AND BUSINESS OF RAILROADING
1.) Railroads Triumphant by Albro Martin: BAR HE2751 .M35 1992 and American Railroads by John Stover: BAR HE2751 .S7 1997 are two excellent scholarly introductions to the history of railroading in North America.
2.) This Fascinating Railroad Business by Robert Selph Henry: BAR TF147 .H45 1946 (</
I agree. I thought Set Up Running is one of the best RR books I’ve ever read
It depends much on where your specific interests lie, but it sounds like right now you want general information. In addition to what the others have already recommended, I’d also recommend The American Freight Train. Also, to learn about modern diesel locomotives, try Locomotives by Greg McDonnell. These two books will help you identify and learn about what you see out on the tracks here and now.
Another one that I just ran across - which I’ve not yet seen myself - is:
All About Railroading - Second Edition
by William C. Vantuono
Publication Info: 112 pages (2006)
Simmons-Boardman Books, Inc.; ISBN: 0911382496 - $28.95 list price
Description: All About Railroading-Second Edition is the book for new hires and young adults who want to learn the basics of today’s fascinating, high-tech railway industry. For more info, see -
First of all subscribe to Trains and Classic Trains; this is the best way to get into this hobby.If you can locate someone with back issues,buy some, they are a great source of information.
I think that it is very important to know where your interests are. Do you have a favorite railroad ? You might start out buying books about it.You might want to learn about the railroads that at one time served your hometown or state. Start out slow, this does get expensive.If you can,find a good railroad bookstore with someone who knows what to buy.
If you are at all interested in steam; get a copy of Steam’s Finest Hour by David P Morgan,it is the best out there. It is worth every penny!
There are several other railroad mags available, some quite regional. Out of deference to our hosts, I won’t mention them, but they are a great addition to subscriptions to Trains and Classic Trains.
If you have an interest in the historical aspects of railroading, books like “The Last Steam Railroad in America” (Link) are also good additions to your library. They may be longer on images than they are on text, but as they say, “a picture says a thousand words.”
Also on the historical angle, considering joining your local/regional chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Many have libraries and archives you may fine useful.
For some great stories, “Working on the Western Maryland Railway,” published by the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society in 1999 is hard to beat. Whether the book is still available is another question.
Yet another one that I just ran across is - though again, I’ve not yet seen it myself - is:
The Railroad - The Life Story of a Technology, by H. Roger Grant, Greenwood Publishing, 2005, 208 pgs., list price $46.95, ISBN: 0-313-33079-4, ISBN-13: 978-0-313-33079-7. See -
http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/GR3079.aspx
- Paul North.
If you want THE CLASSIC I would suggest “the TRAINS WE RODE” by Lucius Beebe & Charles Clegg. Great book!!!
Wowser! That is really an open-ended question! A LOT depends on what your favorite railroads are, where you live, what era you are interested in, etc… You “can’t know it all” (except for a few of us!) and most people specialize. Go to your local library and see what they have. If you find a point-of-interest, see if they participate in the “Inter-Library Loan” program. You can get most any book, from libraries near-and-far, for little, or no cost. Railroad books run from $20 to $100. Rather expensive, but you can buy the ones you peruse and “must have”. I have had good luck with “Amazon” and buy used books from them. The price is right and I have never gotten a damaged book. There are other dealers, out there, so check them out when you buy. Next thing you know, you will “need” a digital camera, radio scanner, video cam, have an insatiable desire to visit “Steak 'n Shake” restaurants 24/7, and forget about girls! Have fun, and don’t ‘foam’ too much!
Hays