Books - Comments / Reviews by WPLives

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WPLives 6th Oct 2021		Book Guy L. Dunscomb - A Century Of Southern Pacific Steam Locomotives (1963)	Century of Southern Pacific Steam Locomotives by Guy L Dunscomb with dust jacket. Includes map supplement and amplifications/additions adn corrections Copyright 1963 THIRD EDITION first printing 1984 480 pages Section One-----------------------19-362 Steam locomotive photographs Section Two--------------------363-433 Corporate history Section Three-------------------Miscellaneous Electric cars, McKeen Cars, Gas Electric cars, more photos, etc. 800 illustrations, 2 color plates, 18 division maps. The historic Southern Pacific, the road whose rails extend from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Salt Lake, and from the forests of Oregon to the Mississippi has operated or controlled over 16,000 miles of railroad. It operated in eight states and the Republic of Mexico; it had the longest north-south route of any railroad on the North American continent; it operated nearly a thousand miles of electric lines, and over a thousand miles of narrow gauge lines, San Francisco Bay and Mississippi River ferry boats, Sacramento and Colorado River steamers, and oceangoing steamships, and now operates, in addition to its rail properties, fourteen hundred miles of pipe lines and twenty-five thousand miles of truck lines. It was in February, 1863, that active construction started at Sacramento on the SP's parent Central Pacific, and was carried on under the management of the famed "Big Four," Huntington, Hopkins, Crocker, and Stanford, until a connection was made with the Union Pacific at Promontory, Utah, in May, 1869. Since that date nearly three hundred railroad organizations have been consolidated to form what is known today as the Southern Pacific Company, and over four thousand steam locomotives have appeared on the scene, and have now forever departed. It is of these locomotives and companies that this book is written, for of all that has previously appeared in print, nothing has presented the pictorial coverage of the steam locomotives that is found here, nor has there ever before been a systematic listing of all the companies, well-known and obscure, that took their place in the forming of the west's largest transportation system. Included as a supplement to the book is a set of eighteen maps covering the SP empire when it was at its greatest, and by the use of these maps and the text in the book, the reader may trace the development of practically every mile of railroad now or previously under Southern Pacific control.
WPLives 6th Oct 2021		Book Guy L. Dunscomb - A Century Of Southern Pacific Steam Locomotives (1963)	158 pages plus 6 unnumbered pages of detail photos. Illustrated by photographs including a color plate at page xii by M.F. Kotowski (also used for jacket art), engineering diagrams and schematics. An excellent book which includes interesting text on robberies, accidents, technical information and pictures of all 60 of these oddly configured 3-cylinder behemoths used in the US. Description Between 1900 and 1950, Americans built the most powerful steam locomotives of all time--enormous engines that powered an industry of colossal scale and intensity. They were deceptively simple machines yet even as the technology was being perfected it was becoming obscure (and obsolete.) Despite immense and sustained effort, they remained grossly inefficient in their use of increasingly costly fuel and labor. In the end, they baffled their masters and, as soon as diesel-electric technology provided an alternative, the steam locomotive disappeared from American railroads. Drawing on the work of eminent engineers and railroad managers of the day, this lavishly illustrated history chronicles the challenges, triumphs and failures of steam locomotive development and operation. CONTENTS PREFACE Page The Southern Pacific Company--5 The Steam Locomotives----------10 Section 1 -- STEAM LOCOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPHS American (4-4-0)----------------------19 Switcher (0-6-0)------------------------77 Switcher (0-8-0)------------------------91 Mogul (2-6-0)----------------------------95 Prairie (2-6-2)--------------------------115 Ten Wheel (4-6-0)-------------------121 Pacific (4-6-2)-------------------------163 Consolidation (2-8-0)-------------181 Twelve Wheel (4-8-0)--------------205 El Gobernador (4-10-0)-----------225 Atlantic (4-4-2)------------------------227 Mikado (2-8-2)------------------------243 Berkshire (2-8-4)---------------------253 Santa Fe (2-10-2)--------------------257 Decapod (2-10-0)--------------------263 Articulateds (Various)------------265 Mountain (4-8-2)--------------------289 General Service (4-8-4)-----------301 Southern Pacific (4-10-2)-------319 Miscellaneous (Various)--------323 Narrow Gauge (Various)--------349 SECTION 2 -- CORPORATE HISTORY General-----------------------------------363 Pacific Lines---------------------------364 Texas and Louisiana Lines----422 SECTION 3 -- MISCELLANEOUS Electric Cars---------------------------434 McKeen Cars--------------------------443 Gas Electric Cars--------------------446 Miscellaneous Pictures----------448 Significant Dates--------------------463 List of Companies------------------475 Last Minute Developments------------------------478 Personal Remarks------------------479 Finis----------------------------------------480
WPLives 29th Sep 2021		Book Jeff Ainsworth - Pacific Electric Volume 4 (2018)	8×11 horizontal paperback, 74 pages, heavy coated stock, full page roster and action photos, index, color and b/w, maps. 2018. LA --- Glendora: South Pasadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Monrovia to Glendora. Southern Pacific's Southen California Electric System. Many types of trolleys: the 300s, 450s, 600s, 10s, 11s, 12s, freight motors.
WPLives 29th Sep 2021		Book Jeff Ainsworth - Pacific Electric Volume 6 (2020)	8×11 horizontal paperback, 74 pages, heavy coated stock, full page roster and action photos, index, color and b/w, maps. 2020. On this journey, we are taking another trip eastward from Los Angeles to the San Bernardino---Riverside---Redlands area of Southern California --- known locally as The Inland Empire. We begin at Pacific Electric’s Box Motor terminal adjacent to LA's Central Station. This is where PE's box motor fleet picks up and drops off mail and other freight that was delivered to or picked up from points all across PE’s system. A full Index and two color-keyed maps showing the lines as they existed in the 1920s to about 1950.
WPLives 25th Sep 2021		Book David L. Garcia - Pacific Electric Cars – A Pictorial Journey, 1911-1953 (2013)	As a result, in 1956, the PE exercised a contract clause that essentially forced Metro to buy PE's electrical facilities-which in turn allowed PE to convert all its freight operations to diesel power. The co-authors had access to extensive photo files illustrating PE cars and their operating environment and selected the most effective for use in this book. Two major goals were in mind as this book came together: -----1. To illustrate all the major classes of cars and locomotives acquired by the new PE after 1911 (as well as providing representative images of "legacy" cars inherited from predecessors). -----2. To provide detailed, informative picture captions that can both stand on their own and also provide the seeds for future research.
WPLives 24th Sep 2021		Book Al Rose - Modesto And Empire Traction (1997)	Actually, a booklet, not a magazine. However, "Western Railroader" had the habit of publishing their issues with a volume number and issue number that would look like a magazine. Pretty much all of the Western Railroaders are booklets rather than magazines.
WPLives 24th Sep 2021		Book Francis Guido - Oakland, Antioch And Eastern Ry. (1971)	Actually, a booklet, not a magazine. However, "Western Railroader" had the habit of publishing their issues with a volume number and issue number that would look like a magazine. Pretty much all of the Western Railroaders are booklets rather than magazines.
WPLives 18th Sep 2021		Book Various Authors - The Western Railroader (1960)	Actually, a booklet, not a magazine. However, "Western Railroader" had the habit of publishing their issues with a volume number and issue number that would look like a magazine. Pretty much all of the Western Railroaders are booklets rather than magazines.
WPLives 5th Sep 2021		Book David G. Stanley - The Central California Traction Company (2002)	A Brief History of the Central California Traction Incorporated on August 7, 1905, the Central California Traction Company was originally conceived as a second streetcar line for the citizens of Stockton as an alternative to the Stockton Electric Railroad. September 1, 1907 saw the beginning of electric passenger train service between Stockton and Lodi, in direct competition with Southern Pacific Railroad. By August 1910, the line had reached Sacramento and passenger trains began through service. Almost immediately came freight service as well. CCT's freight operations carried merchandise, livestock and produce (primarily grapes, strawberries and sugar beets). At its Peak, CCT was operating 36 passenger trains a day, over and above its freight operations. Because of CCT's interurban style of operations, CCT used overhead wires in the cities of Stockton, Lodi and Sacramento, but power between the cities was fed by a covered third rail that was energized at 1200 volts DC, CCT was one of the first railroads to use the high tension DC power in the United States. Power in the cities was still at 600 volts by catenary. CCT underwent a management change 1928 when CCT's owning family tried to sell the company to the Southern Pacific. What followed was a struggle for control between the WP, ATSF, and SP Railroads. Ultimately in 1936, the ICC decided that the three railroads would share the CCT. While the struggle for control raged, CCT fell to the economic climate of the times and on February 4, 1933, CCT's last interurban passenger train made its final run. CCT's freight operations continued under electricity, but demands on power created service problems and in 1946 made the switch from electricity to diesel with the arrival of a pair of GE 44-tonners. On December 24, 1947, the CCT dropped their pantographs for the last time... the CCT was dieselized. The Central California Traction Today Currently, the Central California Traction Company (CCT as assigned by the American Association of Railroads - AAR) Operates over two segments of track: 15 miles of track from Stockton to Lodi, and The Port of Stockton Trackage. Service between Stockton and Sacramento via Lodi was discontinued in August of 1998. CCT runs three operations. One operation works out of the former CCT shops on Cherokee Road in Stockton, using CCT #44, a chop-nose former Alameda Belt Line/former ATSF GP7u. and a recently re-built and re-painted CCT 1790 (GP18) This crew will run five days a week between Stockton and Lodi. New customers have turned this job into a 5-day a week operation. The second and third crews work out at the Port of Stockton, where CCT also has its main offices. The crew there runs 6 days a week and uses 4 ex Southern Pacific SW1500's. All 4 have been re-painted into a new version of the red and white CCT paint. CCT also now owns Harbor Belt Lines 102. This unit will become CCT 700 when it is re-painted in 2008. Roster pictures of all of CCT's power is on the Roster & Photos page.
WPLives 2nd Sep 2021		Book Jeff Ainsworth - Pacific Electric Volume 4 (2018)	on the back cover: Pacific Electric No. 1111 climbs "Oak Knoll" on an unusual day in LA area - Significant Snowfall. Private right-of-way at the time, today part of Oak Knoll Ave. at Old Mill Road near The Huntington Hotel in the San Marino area. Photo by Harold F. Stewart Tuesday January 11, 1949 Negative from Craig Rasmussen collection
WPLives 29th Aug 2021		Book Robert Parkinson - Southern Pacific's East Bay Steam Suburban Service (1969)	Image of book was too small for 45worlds parameters so I added the whole picture. My copy is tucked away somewhere in my library. Also note that I was three years off on the date of publication. It should read 1969 instead of 1966.
WPLives 17th Aug 2021		Book Rudolph W. VanNorden - Pacific Electric In Transition, 1911 (1967)	This book, Pacific Electric in Transition: 1911 - Interurbans Special 30, is a reprint of an article which appeared in the January 7, 1911 issue of the "Journal of Electricity, Power & Gas." See J. McMillan, the mainline on Huntington Drive, the Junction of Pasadena, the Government Breakwater in San Pedro Harbor, the Pacific Electric terminal, Hotel Virginia, the long trestle across Wilmington Bay, the trestle on Glendale, "Ye Alpine Tavern", the Circular Bridge at Mt. Lowe, the electrically operated plant at Slauson, the interior of Slauson tower, the semaphore at Watts, the car shops at Los Angeles, a scale plan of their Standard Depot, various types of depots and shelter stations, freight depot at Los Angeles, a roster of equipment, the interior of Pasadena substation, Covina Junction, the interior of the 6th & Main station, and much more. Printing year was 1967. 43 pages.
WPLives 17th Aug 2021		Book Ira L. Swett - Cars Of Pacific Electric, Volume I (1964)	First edition (1964) of Interurbans Special 28 which covers Pacific Electric's city and suburban cars. This is Volume 1 in a three volume series intended to describe every car that ever ran on the Pacific Electric as comprehensively as possible. The text provides detailed information on the cars and their use over the years. Packed with black and white photos (showing the interiors and exteriors of the cars) and detailed schematic diagrams. Covers all Pacific Electric cars which performed local service within cities and those which were designated for the lighter type of interurban work. With rosters showing dispositions. 224 pages. Scarce.
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Various Authors - Glendale & Montrose (1966)	With a newspaper clipping with a photo of the old rail car barn, later a lumber shed for Anawalt Lumber on Verdugo Road.
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Various Authors - Glendale & Montrose (1966)	Photographs and fold-out map. Includes roster of rolling stock, illustrated with photos and scale diagrams. The diminuitive Glendale & Montrose Railway was the only "independent" traction in Los Angeles County, serving the sparsely settled Crescenta Valley for 21 years.
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Lawrence A. Brough - The Electric Pullman (2013)	About the Author Lawrence A. Brough is a retired metallurgical engineer. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians and has written several articles on automotive history. He is author (with James H. Graebner) of From Small Town to Downtown: A History of the Jewett Car Company, 1893-1919 (IUP, 2004) and Autos on the Water.
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Lawrence A. Brough - The Electric Pullman (2013)	Review Although not one of the major manufacturers in its field, the Niles company produced some notable and well-remembered equipment during the height of the electric interurban railway era. Indeed, among some interurban railway historians, Niles cars are sacred objects. As such, its story deserves to be told and theoretically would be a logical complement to IUP's books on the Brill and Jewett companies. Brough himself is a serious historian who knows his subject and has clearly mined all the sources that seem to exist. -- Herbert H. Harwood, Jr. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Lawrence A. Brough - The Electric Pullman (2013)	Review Electric Pullman is required reading for anyone interested in interurban history. It holds additional appeal for those interested in Ohio history or the junction point between business, society, and technology. ― Lexington Quarterly This book is a highly informative three or four evening read. ― The Villager ✔︎ Helpful Review?
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Jeffrey Moreau - The Pacific Electric Pictorial (1964)	From Forward 1964: In today's motorized society, there is developing a need for some type of swift, economical transportation, to take on the burden of our present traffic requirements and the unimaginable, nightmarish transportation problems resulting from today's population explosion. This book glances into the past, to look at the days when men of vision and ability were the order of the day, when it was just plain fun to ride the big red cars of the Pacific Electric Railway.
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book Lincoln Kilian - A Dog's Life (2005)	Lincoln Kilian's book fulfilled by his family. This delightful and well-written booklet tells the adventures of Boomer Jack, a mongrel dog that first appeared about 1914, and had access to NWP trains and premises from Trinidad to Sausalito until his death in 1927. No one owned him but he was fed and cared for by most of the NWP employees up and down the line. Jack rode almost whatever train he wished, usually in the cabs, and often went to San Francisco on the NWP ferries. Once, he made a wrong connection and ended up in South Carolina! The details of his adventures are wonderfully described. Jack died of old age in 1927 and was buried in the yard at Willits. The last page has a photo of his grave, with a group of NWP employees, dressed in their finest clothes, standing around the grave with their hats in their hands. The booklet contains two photos of Jack himself and many photos of places on the NWP that he frequented.
WPLives 16th Aug 2021		Book H. Roger Grant - Railroads And The American People (2012)	Review Reviews With plenty of detail, Grant brings a bygone era back to life, addressing everything from social and commercial appeal, racial and gender issues, safety concerns, and leaps in technology. But Grant never loses sight of the big picture and the essential role the railroads played in American life. He writes with authority and clarity in a work that can appeal to both casual and hardcore enthusiasts. ― Publishers Weekly (starred review) With its wealth of vignettes and more than 100 black-and-white illustrations, Railroads and the American People does a fine job of humanizing the iron horse. ― Wall Street Journal Consisting of hundreds of vignettes containing a wealth of detailed descriptions and remembrances, Grant's work is highly recommended to train buffs and others in love with early railroading. ― LIBRARY JOURNAL Railroad historian Grant...has written an engaging book of train stories, detailing their social influence from 1830 to 1930...Highly recommended. ― Choice Read this book slowly, allowing the wealth of detail―which is the book's great strength―time to sink in. You will find yourself thinking about certain details after hours, each reader resonating with some different aspect of the map Grant creates. Re-reading, some other aspect will surface...Grant's book leaves you wishing for more. ― Indiana Magazine of History Grant very successfully identifies the countless ways that railroads have touched the lives of ordinary Americans and rail enthusiast communities such as ours as well. ― Michigan Railfan Awards Bronze Medal, 2012 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year 2013 AAUP Public and Secondary School Library Selection, Outstanding rating Gold Medal, Automotive/Aviation/Railroad category, 2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards ✔︎ Helpful Review?
WPLives 13th Aug 2021		Book Guy L. Dunscomb - Locomotives Of The Western Pacific (1954)	Fascinating pictorial history of the steam locomotives of the Western Pacific with rosters and schematic diagrams. Also includes short histories of: The Deep Creek Railroad; The Reno branch; The Nevada-California-Oregon Railway; The Sierra Valley & Mohawk; The Boca & Loyalton; The Northern California extension; The Sacramento Northern; The Central California Traction Co.; The Tidewater Southern; The Indian Valley; The Alameda & San Joaquin; The Alameda Belt Line; The Oakland Terminal Railway. Also includes photos of WP interurban cars, Budd rail cars and two ferry boats as well as details about roundhouses and turntables. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos. With maps. Spiral bound. 140 pages.
WPLives 10th Aug 2021		Book Ira L. Swett - Lines Of Pacific Electric (1957)	Cover Photos: Top Left: 1375, 1249, 1226,1245 & 1239 at San Sevain on San Bernardino Line, April 15, 1944. (JS) Top Right: 1458 on Santa Ana River Bridge near Colton, January 1, 1941. (ILS) Center: 1202 at Riverside Barn; 150 in rear; July 7, 1938. (JW) Center Right: 1203 near Baldwin Park in 1945. (BJ) Left Center: 1730 (00157) at San Bernardino in 1917. (MC) Lower Left: 999 on Eaton Wash Bridge on Sierra Madre Line, 1947. (DB) Lower Right: Station Yard, San Bernardino in 1944, showing troop Trains. (MC)
WPLives 10th Aug 2021		Book Ira L. Swett - Lines Of Pacific Electric (1957)	Interurban Press Special No.16, Part 1, Supplement 1.
WPLives 10th Aug 2021		Book Doris B. Osterwald - Cinders & Smoke (1998)	Guidebook describes scenic viewpoints, plants, wildlife, geology, history along the route. Many photographs and maps.
WPLives 10th Aug 2021		Book Joseph A. Strapac - Northwestern Pacific Locomotives (2019)	Table of Contents Foreward---------------------------------------------------------------------------4 Chapter 1 - Introduction-----------------------------------------------------6 Chapter 2 - Narrow Gauge Locomotives--------------------------22 Chapter 3 - 4-4-0 Locomotives-----------------------------------------38 Chapter 4 - 0-6-0 Switch Engines--------------------------------------72 Chapter 5 - 4-6-0 Locomotives------------------------------------------82 Chapter 6 - 2-6-0 Locomotives-----------------------------------------132 Chapter 7 - Tank and Geared Locomotives----------------------144 Roster of NWP Steam Locomotives---------------------------------156 Sample NWP Locomotive Record Cards---------------------------168
WPLives 10th Aug 2021		Book Joseph A. Strapac - Diesels Of The Espee (1975)	Author---Joseph A. Strapac
WPLives 10th Aug 2021		Book Fred Codoni - Northwestern Pacific Railroad (2006)	About the Authors Coauthors Fred Codoni and Paul C. Trimble have selected the finest of the 13,000 images cared for by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society. Codoni, a fourth generation Marin County resident and editor of six historical periodicals, and Trimble, author of three previous Arcadia Images of America titles, tell NWP's story, from its inception to today's still mostly intact and publicly owned railroad.
WPLives 8th Aug 2021		Book Ira L. Swett - Official Car Records, Pacific Electric Railway Co. (1964)	FRONT COVER PHOTO: Interurban car 890 rumbles south through Redondo Beach toward its terminus at the tiny yard at Clifton. The date is December 10, 1939---and the palm trees and the morning mist paint a nostalgic backdrop for a noble car. (JAH-HFS)
WPLives 7th Aug 2021		Book Scott Inman - Northwestern Pacific Railroad (2019)	TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4 Chapter One --The Last Years of Steam ----------------------------------------9 Chapter Two --The South End ------------------------------------------------------18 Chapter Three --The Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad -----------------64 Chapter Four --The North End -------------------------------------------------------72 Chapter Five --The Post-Southern Pacific Era ------------------------------103 Eureka Southern Railroad -------------------------------------------------103 California Northern Railroad ---------------------------------------------106 North Coast Railroad / "New" Northwestern Pacific ---------108 Rail-Ways, Incorporated -----------------------------------------------------113 Current "Northwestern Pacific" ------------------------------------------113 Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit -------------------------------------115 Chapter Six --Connecting Railroads ---------------------------------------116 Arcata & Mad River Railroad ----------------------------------------------116 California Western Railroad -----------------------------------------------118 Hammond Lumber Company ---------------------------------------------124 The Pacific Lumber Company --------------------------------------------125

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