Railroad History in Photographs
150 Years of North American Railroading
Edited by Anthony W. Thompson, Robert J. Church and Jacqueline J. Pryor
This book was selected as a Finalist in the History category for the1997 Benjamin Franklin Award of the Publishers Marketing Association.
For more than 150 years, railroads have been an important part of the life and landscape of North America. An extensive photographic record of these railroads exists, as this book shows, for every part of the country, over a broad span of time. Many individual railroads are represented.
But this is much more than a collection of photographs. Extensive and informative captions bring to life the varied images of locomotives, rolling stock, trains and structures. Diesel locomotives down to the present day are included along with 100 years of steam locomotive history; the same is true for passenger cars and freight cars.
These photographs are drawn from the collection of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, whose 75th anniversary takes place in 1996. The book is part of the anniversary celebration of the R&LHS, and is published by Signature Press in association with the Society. The R&LHS is the oldest organization in North America devoted exclusively to railroad studies, history, and preservation.
"This is a superb photographic collection. The captions are detailed, interesting and well-written. It's a fine job. I like it."
-- John H. White, Jr., railroad historian and author.
"The book captures the sweep of North American railroading history like few others. Anyone, railfan or not, will enjoy this book."
-- Richard Hendrickson, railroad freight car historian.
"The strength of the volume, besides its variety, lies in the research that went into the captions, many of which take up more space than the photographs themselves--sometimes far more--both illuminating what is present in the picture and frequently addressing the development or history of the object pictured." (full text of review available)
-- Richard G. Prince, in Railroad History
"This provides a panoramic view of American railroading from the earliest days to the present. The photos are accompanied by extensive captions, some of which amount to brief assays on various aspects of railroad history. Almost anyone who is interested in railroad history will find much here that is both interesting and enlightening."
-- Railroad Model Craftsman magazine.
Also available: Several full reviews of this book
Particulars: Railroad History in Photographs , Edited by Anthony W. Thompson, Robert J. Church and Jacqueline J. Pryor
Price: $19.95 Size: 80 pages, softcover, 8.5" x 11"; 92 B&W photographs, index, bibliography
ISBN: 0-9633791-6-X Publication date: Dec. 15, 1996