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Member	Item		Review/Comment
WPLives 16th Jun 2022		Book Keith M. Kohlmann - Model Realistic Freight Car Loads (2022)	Table of Contents Chapter 1: Steel, metal products, and scrap Chapter 2: Farm machinery and heavy equipment Chapter 3: Cranes, shovels, and hoists Chapter 4: Vessels, transformers, and oversize loads Chapter 5: Buses, trucks, autos, and other vehicle loads Chapter 6: Forest products and building materials Chapter 7: Military equipment Chapter 8: Maintenance-of-way and railroad service Bibliography
WPLives 16th Jun 2022		Book Keith M. Kohlmann - Model Realistic Freight Car Loads (2022)	Model Realistic Freight Car Loads, by Keith Kohlmann, gives many prototype examples of freight car loads from common to unique, and from small to large. Follow along with tons of pictures and drawings showing how to realistically secure loads and operate them. There are hundreds of types of loads, including machinery, heavy equipment, pipe, beams, lumber, boilers, generators, transformers, and many others. The challenge in modeling is making freight car loads more realistic!
WPLives 16th Jun 2022		Book Keith M. Kohlmann - Model Realistic Freight Car Loads (2022)	Model Realistic Freight Car Loads will guide you in making your models more realistic by following prototype practice in securing loads and operating them. Included are a lot of photos of real loads, drawings showing how real railroads secure them to cars, and several modeled examples with tips on making model loads as realistic as possible. You’ll get a variety of types of loads, including: Farm machinery and heavy equipment. Steel and metal products. Buses, trucks, cars, and other vehicle loads. Forest products and building materials. And much more!
WPLives 28th Apr 2022		Book Frank Brehm - Special CZ 70th Anniversary Celebration (2019)	A compilation of information on the fabled California Zephyr, including material originally published in out of print Headlight issues 17 and 18.
WPLives 19th Apr 2022		Book Thomas E. Uharriet - The Memoirs Of Billy Shears (2009)	The Memoirs of Billy Shears, the unofficial memoirs of Paul McCartney, was created with the talents of poet-encoder, Thomas E. Uharriet, and has a foreword by Gregory Paul Martin (eldest son of “5th Beatle” George Martin). Gregory knew the original Paul personally, and also knows the current Paul. The Memoirs of Billy Shears is packed with historically significant disclosure about the Beatles, and about the elite who placed that band on the world stage to launch their global agendas. Crafted with poetic brilliance, this book conveys the historical message utilizing multiple methods of encoding and decoding to uncover gnostic, numerological, mythological, and cultic symbology with layered meaning that pulls you in deeper with each reading. This 2021 single-volume edition has the same disclosures as the box set, but without the color printing, and without the acrostical decoding booklet. This 666-page book (along with extra pages in the back for notes) is a lot for one paperback spine to hold together. Some readers (especially those who have read it several times) wished the spine were stronger. For a stronger spine, consider the hardcover box set found at www.MemoirsOfPaul.com. The Memoirs of Billy Shears is also on Audible. Gregory Paul Martin recorded it using the original recording equipment that his father had used with the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios. That equipment is now located at the prestigious British Grove Studios. While Gregory recorded this book, it seemed as though Paul were telling the story through him. Sitting at that same equipment that the Beatles had used to record their songs, Gregory felt—on several occasions in the recording process—that he himself had actually become Paul. “Considering the subject matter,” Gregory said, “it felt uncanny.” For the most astonishing experience of The Memoirs of Billy Shears, many readers go through it several times. On your first time through it, we recommend ignoring the acrostic, word-stacking, and footnotes. Instead, focus on the story and song meanings—especially on the meanings that are not permitted in the official memoirs. In subsequent readings, add the word-stacking, acrostic, and finally, the footnotes. That approach changes the book so dramatically that adding the notes makes it feel like a sequel. The book transforms as it initiates the reader! The audiobook, without the distractions of word-stacking, the acrostic, or the footnotes, is especially helpful for your first few times through the book! Although we cannot say for sure that Gregory was, as it seemed, possessed by Paul McCartney when he recorded The Memoirs of Billy Shears, we can say that hearing Gregory read it creates an experience beyond the printed book. It seems mystical. For more about the audiobook, go to www.MemoirsOfPaul.com and click on FREE AUDIO. This edition, with its 180 footnotes, is a significant improvement over the earlier version found at https://jpaulmccartney.com/the-nine-after-9-09-edition-of-the-memoirs-of-billy-shears. Brace yourself for a shocking shift in consciousness. Whether you experience the Memoirs of Billy Shears as the audiobook (edited and narrated by Gregory Paul Martin), or as the Kindle digital book (that likewise does not include theacrostic, word-stacking, or footnotes), or as the hardcover box set (which comes with a free copy of Billy Shears Acrostical Decoding), or as this paperback edition, it will change how you see the world. You will never again see Paul McCartney, the Beatles, Wings, or the whole world, in quite the same way. In whatever ways The Memoirs of Billy Shears comes for you, it is coming to take you away on the amazing tour of the Beatles' magical mystery! NOT THE PROPER DESCRIPTION FOR THIS EDITION
WPLives 19th Apr 2022		Book Edward A. Berlin - Ragtime: A Musical And Cultural History (1980)	Ragtime, the jaunty, toe-tapping music that captivated American society from the 1890s through World War I, forms the roots of America's popular musical expression. But the understanding of ragtime and its era has been clouded by a history of murky impressions, half-truths, and inventive fictions. Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History cuts through the murkiness. A methodical survey of thousands of rags along with an examination of then-contemporary opinions in magazines and newspapers demonstrate how the music evolved and how America responded to it. "The most complete available discussion of ragtime" (Floyd & Reisser, Black Music in the United States).
WPLives 19th Apr 2022		Book Raymond Roussel - Impressions Of Africa (1967)	A veritable literary melting pot, Roussel's groundbreaking text makes ample use of wordplay and the surrealist techniques of automatic writing and private allusion The first and arguably more well known of Roussel's two major prose works, Impressions of Africa is not, as the title may suggest, a conventional travel account. Instead, it's one of the greatest experimental novels of all time—an adventure story put together in a highly individual fashion and with an extremely unusual time sequence—within which the reader is even made to choose whether they would like to begin at the first or the tenth chapter. It's also the only edition currently in print of a major French modern classic that was a great influence on the Surrealist movement.
WPLives 5th Apr 2022		Book Jim Walker - Last Of The Red Cars (1991)	My copy reads "1st Printing" Mark C. WPLives
WPLives 25th Feb 2022		Book Jeffrey T. Brouws - Starlight On The Rails (2000)	The years between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s saw a flowering of railroad photography in America, particularly that which captured the railroads at night. 'Starlight on the Rails', a stylish and moving book of gorgeous duotone photography, offers a poetic glimpse of silent stations, lonely motormen, and the last great steam engines.
WPLives 19th Jan 2022		Book Dave Abeles - Guide To Signals & Interlockings (2021)	Follow along with experienced model railroader Dave Abeles as he delves into signal systems and interlocking plants. Guide to Signals and Interlockings, the newest book from Model Railroader, will give the reader all the information they will need to tackle this complex project with confidence. This 144-page book includes: Explanation of how signal systems work; How different systems can be applied to layouts; Detail on both automatic and more complex systems; Most up-to-date methods for replicating these systems; And more! Great for modeler’s who are building or planning a layout with the goal of adding prototypical signaling and control systems!
WPLives 10th Jan 2022		Book George W. Hilton - The Electric Interurban Railways In America (1960)	From the Inside Flap One of the most colorful yet neglected eras in American transportation history is re-created in this definitive history of the electric interurbans. Built with the idea of attracting short-distance passenger traffic and light freight, the interurbans were largely constructed in the early 1900s. The rise of the automobile and motor transport caused the industry to decline after World War I, and the depression virtually annihilated the industry by the middle 1930s. Part I describes interurban construction, technology, passenger and freight traffic, financial history, and final decline and abandonment. *Part II* presents individual histories (with route maps) of the more than 300 companies of the interurban industry. Reviews “A first-rate work of such detail and discernment that it might well serve as a model for all corporate biographies. . . . A wonderfully capable job of distillation.” —Trains “Few economic, social, and business historians can afford to miss this definitive study.” —Mississippi Valley Historical Review “All seekers after nostalgia will be interested in this encyclopedic volume on the days when the clang, clang of the trolley was the most exciting travel sound the suburbs knew.” —Harper’s Magazine “A fascinating and instructive chapter in the history of American transportation.” —Journal of Economic History “The hint that behind the grand facade of scholarship lies an expanse of boyish enthusiasm is strengthened by a lovingly amassed and beautifully reproduced collection of 37 photographs.” —The Nation
WPLives 10th Jan 2022		Book Jim Walker - The Los Angeles Railway; Yellow Cars (2007)	Local rail-borne transit in Los Angeles began with horsecars in 1874, evolving with cable-powered and later electric-powered passenger vehicles. "Yellow Cars" describes the principal local transit system in and around Los Angeles in the first half of the 20th century. The canary-colored local streetcars formed the inner-neighborhood lines between a vast rail network of main lines known as the "interurban" system, primarily the Pacific Electric Railway "Red Cars," which spiderwebbed throughout Los Angeles County and into Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Rail tycoon Henry Edwards Huntington consolidated several independent lines into this great interurban empire. He sold it in 1910 to the Southern Pacific Railroad, keeping the Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars. These evocative photographs illustrate travel during decades of change, progress, economic setbacks, war, and postwar retrenchment, when streetcar service was taken over by bus lines.
WPLives 29th Dec 2021		Book Spencer Crump - Henry Huntington And The Pacific Electric (1978)	FRONTISPIECE: Henry E. Huntington, founder of the Pacific Electric, enjoys a leisure moment at his palatial home in San Marino. (Security Pacific National Bank)
WPLives 29th Dec 2021		Book Spencer Crump - Henry Huntington And The Pacific Electric (1978)	I also have a copy that reads "FIRST EDITION."
WPLives 17th Dec 2021		Book Bruce A. MacGregor - Narrow Gauge Portrait (1975)	Detailed history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad. The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a 3 ft. narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops to market in San Francisco and provide an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1876, James Graham Fair, a Comstock Lode silver baron, bought the line and extended it into the Santa Cruz Mountains to capture the significant lumber traffic coming out of the redwood forests. The line was later acquired by the Southern Pacific and converted to standard gauge. SPC was incorporated in 1876 to purchase the unfinished Santa Clara Valley Company railroad at Dumbarton Point. Dumbarton Point was then a landing to transfer agricultural produce from the Santa Clara Valley onto sailboats for transport to San Francisco. Railway shops were built in Newark and a 3 ft narrow gauge line to San Jose was completed in 1876. The SPC ferry Newark offered connecting service from Newark to San Francisco in 1877. In 1878 the SPC was extended from San Jose to Los Gatos; and the subsidiary Bay and Coast Railroad completed a line of trestles and fill along the eastern edge of San Francisco Bay from Newark to Alameda. The ferry connection to San Francisco shifted to Alameda as SPC ferrys Bay City and Garden City increased the frequency and reliability of connecting service. Two years and eight tunnels were required to extend the SPC through the Santa Cruz Mountains from Los Gatos to California's third busiest seaport at Santa Cruz in 1880. SPC leased the San Lorenzo Flume and Transportation Company to acquire their subsidiary Santa Cruz and Felton Railroad as a route through the city to Santa Cruz municipal pier. The big lumber transport flume was replaced by a 7 miles logging branch in 1883. In 1886 another branch line was built to the New Almaden mercury mine; and the SPC main line was extended from Alameda to Oakland. Additional horsedrawn branch lines served Centerville (now Fremont) and Agnews State Hospital. Commuter trains fed the San Francisco ferries from east bay communities, two daily trains served Santa Cruz, and four daily locals served the logging branch to Boulder Creek. Excursion trains ran from the ferries to resorts of the south bay and Santa Cruz Mountains. Freight trains carried redwood lumber, mercury, sacked lime, gunpowder from the California Powder Works, and local agricultural produce. Southern Pacific control By 1887 SPC was a major California transportation concern; and Southern Pacific paid six million dollars to merge it into their California transportation system. An 1893 winter storm caused a landslide in the Santa Cruz Mountains requiring major reconstruction to restore service. The Alameda ferry terminal burned in 1902 and was replaced with the modern terminal which survived until ferry service was discontinued by the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in 1939. The 3 ft gauge line had 23 locomotives, 85 passenger cars and 500 freight cars before the conversion to standard gauge began. The transition to standard gauge was interrupted by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The line through the Santa Cruz Mountains suffered major damage including a lateral slip of 5 feet in the tunnel where it crossed the San Andreas fault. The bridge across San Leandro Bay was damaged and abandoned. Conversion to standard gauge was completed in 1909. 3 ft narrow gauge locomotives numbered 9, 23, and 26 were eventually acquired by the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company. Other SPC 3 ft gauge equipment was sold to the Carson and Colorado Railway, the White Pass and Yukon Route, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Pacific Coast Railway, the Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation Company, and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Standard gauge operation The track in Alameda could only be used for local service after being isolated by the 1906 earthquake. It was electrified in 1911 and operated as part of the SP's East Bay Electric Lines until 1941. The remaining line from San Jose to San Leandro Bay became part of the Southern Pacific coast division main line; but the southern end of the system from San Jose to Santa Cruz had become a branch line by 1915 useful only to lighter locomotives, but requiring two or three of them to move trains over the grade. Beginning in 1927, it was used by SP's "Suntan Special" excursion trains which came down the San Francisco Peninsula every summer Sunday and took passengers right to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Paul Mallery - Wiring Your Layout (1988)	Table of Contents: 1. Introduction to Wiring 2. Basic Circuit 3. Turnouts, Switches and Crossings 4. Sidings and Spurs 5. Double Track 6. Reversing Loops and Wyes 7. Independent Control of Locomotives 8. Turntables, Control Panels and Cabling 9. Examples of Wiring for Layouts 10. Electrical Possibilities 11. Tricks with Snap-Relays 12. Useful Information
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book John Armstrong - Custom-Line Layouts (1987)	• Ten railroads to build o Complete plans o Simple wiring o Easy-to-build control panels • Layout design principles for trouble free operation • Track planner templates o Design your own layout • Table construction o Flat tops o Open grids o Etc. • Plus much, much more! Table of Contents: 1. Introduction: Planning your model railroad 2. Diagrams for Atlas track layouts 3. Foundations for model railroads 4. Trackage principles and precautions 5. Laying Atlas track 6. Wiring with Atlas components 7. Track plans: basic types & their purpose 8. Ten layouts you can build 9. Designing your own track plan 10. Wye tracks: useful combinations for your planning
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Linn H. Westcott - Practical Guide To Model Railroading (1969)	This easy-to-read book is the most fundamental reference book in the scale model railroad hobby. It answers the questions every model railroader asks, whether he’s ready to add scenery, or just getting started. The first part of the book provides pointers on the hobby of model railroading and the best ways to go about it. This is followed by chapters on cars, locomotives, and painting. After a very practical discussion on ways to operate model railroads for more fun, come chapters on the how-to-do-it of track construction, wiring, and scenery. The data tables in the back of the book are especially valuable, and don’t miss the track-planning template. The chapter on track-planning tells how to use this template with a pencil and a piece of tracing paper to make any kind of track plan for your own model railroad space.
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book John Armstrong - Track Planning For Realistic Operation (1986)	“Here’s a book that belongs on your desk or table when you’re planning your next model railroad. Or, if you’ve already started layout construction, it belongs next to the saber saw and the electric drill. Mark it up, paper clip notes to its pages, dill a hole and hang it on the benchwork. Track Planning for Realistic Operation is your indispensable working manual. For real satisfaction you need the two big R’s-realism and reliability. Railroad practice in moving freight and passengers efficiently is discussed as interesting and essential background, in later chapters you translate these desires into practical curvature and grade standard for your gauge suitable for your space. The “by the squares method” developed by author Armstrong makes it easy to determine on paper the best possible mainline arrangement. Handy tables and charts present fundamental trackwork relationships. Chapter 10 gives step-by-step examples. Diagrams in Chapter 11 illustrate layout schemes that have been proven in a variety of situations.” 11.1”x8.0”x0.3”, 100 pages.
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Linn H. Westcott - HO Railroad That Grows (1989)	HO Railroad that Grows by Linn Westcott-8 easy steps-Start on a sheet of plywood-Including scenery, bridges, wiring. WE know that model railroaders get as much fun out of building a Christmas or birthday railroad as out of operating it later. That's why The HO Railroad That Grows has a unique plan of attack. Traditionally a model railroad is built by completing all the framework, then track and wiring, and finally all the scenery. We break tradition here to do a little of each several times over. After each stage of construction, the railroad is in good working order and looks completed. This method not only spreads out the fun, but should any part of the work seem like a "big job," this method divides it into easily completed small tasks. If you wish, build the railroad only as far as Stage 1. This will take only a few evenings. Later you can always grow the railroad a little more at whatever pace you wish to set for yourself. 1958, 64 pages
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Bill McClanahan - Scenery For Model Railroads (1988)	Chapters include: Short Course in Railroad Geology, Materials and Techniques, Hard-Shell Scenery, Zip Texturing, Trees and Shrubs, Water, Details and Blending Background Scenery. Take your scenery to the next level! Ever wonder how to build that beautiful scenery you see in the pages of Model Railroader? Wonder no more! Expert scenery builder Bill McClanahan shares his techniques, tools and methods, taking you through the process of scenery building step by step. Enhanced with additional photographs and text, ‘Building Scenery’ puts years of scenery building experience right into your hands. You can create beautiful scenery. Not sure where to start? Looking for foolproof methods? Bill McClanahan takes you through the steps to create beautiful scenery and terrains for your model railroads and dioramas. Breaking down the process into simple steps, you’ll quickly learn how to work with various materials to create the look you’re after. Learn how to create convincing rock castings, install them on your model railroad, and apply realistic coloring effects. The results will be nothing short of amazing! From concrete jungles to lush forests. Convincing roads and structures are just as much a part of scenery as are rivers and trees. Bill McClanahan introduces methods and materials for making realistic streets and parking areas, and how to blend in these man-made features into the natural surroundings of your model railroad. Real streets are made from concrete. Why not use it for your model? This book will show you how! Bring on the snow. Scenery on your model railroad can be anything you want it to be, representing any time of year! Special chapters highlight how to create the effects of old snowfall and bare winter trees on your model railroad or diorama. The results will make you reach for your hot cocoa. Appropriate for any era, any scale. One of the great things about scenery is that few features are scale-specific. Aside from certain trees and man-made structures, Bill McClanahan’s methods can be applied to any model railroad representing any modeling era or scale. Updated and refreshed with new photographs and additional information. This book is an essential new book for any model railroader looking to build realistic scenic effects. From the basics of ground cover to building tall evergreens and detailed deciduous trees, from enhancing track to applying ballast, from creating deep riverbeds and making convincing water, Bill McClanahan’s methods will make you feel comfortable learning new skills and ideas. Don’t let a lack of scenery on your layout hold you back from realizing your dream.
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Peter J. Thorne - Easy-To-Build Electronic Projects For Model Railroaders (1988)	This is a good primer for electronics in general. The book explains basic electronic parts and their functions. Not much effort is given to schematics because all circuits are drawn as finished assemblies. Concepts on improving locomotive performance are also explained and will give modelers plenty to think about. Improving throttles and switch machines also explained. Other projects like operating signals, walkaround throttles, train detection and sound are given in easy to understand formats. DCC is also covered, although in 1988, DCC was somewhat primitive at the time so only so much could have been written. Recommended to any model railroader who wants to add realism to his layout using electronics but does not know how to get started. - 64 pages black and white photographs, drawings -
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Linn H. Westcott - How To Wire Your Model Railroad (1953)	Classic guide to wiring your model railroad set. Illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and detailed diagrams.
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Ron Tarjany - Modular Railroading (1980)	You're probably reading this book for one of two reasons. It could be you're a novice in model railroad construction. you've read about the techniques in model railroad magazines, maybe you've even seen several modular groups n operation, and now you'd like to use on for developing your own operational system. But, you don't know how to get started. Whether you're a novice or an advanced modeler, you will find information in this book that will have you consider before deciding to build a modular layout. You'll learn to ask yourself the proper questions about the appropriateness of the module for your own personal operation needs, about your purpose in designing a layout, and whether you wish to participate with group operational set-ups. You'll learn to ask yourself about what sort of trackage, equipment, time and budget are required to produce a finely detailed module. You'll also learn what problems to look for when constructing the layout - form framework to final scenery. You will lean how to maximize the fantastic advantages of modular operation. You'll learn how to stage and control operation on short-line track-age, how to customize structures and scenes and how to show off the module to your audience. This book has been written to be read selectively, read what you need first. For advanced modelers and master builders who must plan and examine new techniques, section three and four is for you.
WPLives 12th Dec 2021		Book Jack R. Wagner - The Last Whistle (1974)	Lavishly illustrated history of the Ocean Shore Railroad which ran down the California coast until supplanted by Route 1.
WPLives 11th Dec 2021		Book Joseph P. Saitta - Traction Yearbook '84 (1984)	Cover Photos Front Buffalo, New York is about to begin revenue service on its new light rail line. In this photo, a two-car test train is shuttling back and forth on Main Street. Within the next year, Buffalo's main thoroughfare will be transformed into the most elaborate and colorful pedestrian/transit mall in North America, served exclusively by new light rail vehicles built by Tokyu Car Company of Japan. Joseph P. Saitta Photo Rear Portland, Oregon is another city currently readying itself for the beginning of light rail service. Freshly-delivered from the Bombardier Corporation's Barre, Vermont plant, #103 is seen being tested along a two-mile stretch of track in suburban Gresham, eastern end of the line. Portland has ordered 26 of these modern vehicles, which are based on those already operating in pre-Metro service in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tri-Met/Bruce Forster Photo
WPLives 11th Dec 2021		Book Joseph P. Saitta - Traction Yearbook '84 (1984)	Survey of electric street railways, trolleys, trams and light rail systems in the US, Canada and around the world. About half the book is a description of the latest news in each area followed by a black and white pictorial section. Also includes list of all cities with systems. With numerous maps. 128 pages.
WPLives 11th Dec 2021		Book Bruce A. MacGregor - South Pacific Coast (1968)	Fascinating history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad, a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz and Alameda, California with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. Built by James G. Fair who made his fortune on the Comstock Lode, the railroad was a gamble that paid off well. This book describes the origins, construction and operation of the railroad, its clashes with the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific, its positive economic impact on the previously isolated areas around San Jose and Santa Cruz that it served, and the railroad's demise in 1908. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos. With schematic diagrams and several maps. End papers show vintage ads for the railroad. 280 pages with index.
WPLives 11th Dec 2021		Book Various Authors - Trolleys To The Surf (1976)	Stated first printing: Spring 1976
WPLives 6th Dec 2021		Book Tom Dill - Southern Pacific's Scenic Coast Line (2003)	Southern Pacific author and historian, Tom Dill continues his coverage of the vast system - all in vivid color! Not only are the Coast and Los Angeles Divisions covered, but also the Western Division - the major feeder to the Coast Line. There are loads of steam and first generation diesels with a touch of second generation diesels as well. See Santa Fe freights detouring on the SP due to the 1952 Tehachapi earthquake, demonstrator diesels working the Coast Line, and much more. A must have for steam, diesel, or Southern Pacific fans. 128 pages, over 260 color photographs.

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