Field Guide to Trains: Locomotives and Rolling Stock

by Brian Solomon

Overview

Now you can be the human Wikipedia page of trains--from locomotives to rolling stock.

No Great American road trip would be complete without seeing trains streaming across wild prairies and through thick forests. All kinds of diesel and even a few steam locomotives can be seen, with everything from boxy frontends to curving streamlined bodies. The containers, flat cars, and boxcars pulled by these locomotives carry diverse freight, and the variety of these cars is wide. Field Guide to Trains: Locomotives and Rolling Stock is the source for easy-to-digest information on locomotives and cars. Model railroaders will also find this book indispensible, as it offers myriad ideas for realistic train systems.

The book is divided by diesel-electric locomotives, self-propelled passenger trains, passenger cars, freight cars, rail transit, and preserved equipment at museums and excursion steam locomotives. It also touches on historic diesels, vintage trams, maintenance trains, snowplow engines, and circus trains. Featuring North American and world examples of trains, Field Guide to Trains includes just about any type of locomotive and train car you are likely to see on the rails today, making this book the only available comprehensive guide to locomotives and rolling stock out there.

Bring Field Guide to Trains: Locomotives and Rolling Stock along on family trips to see what rolls the rails as you're traveling. Make a game of how many locomotives and car types you can identify. Buy locomotives and certain car types for your model layout. This is simply the handiest field guide for families and railroad buffs that you'll ever find.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760351260
Publisher:	Voyageur Press
Publication date:	06/15/2016
Series:	Voyageur Field Guides
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Brian Solomon is one of today's most accomplished railway historians. He has authored more than thirty books about railroads and locomotive power, and his writing and photography have been featured in the world's top rail publications, including Trains, Railway Age, Passenger Train Journal, and RailNews. He divides his time between Massachusetts and Ireland.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Part 1 Locomotives 8

Chapter 1 General Motors Freight Diesels 12

Chapter 2 General Electric Freight Diesels 24

Chapter 3 Modern Passenger Diesels 32

Chapter 4 Switching Locomotives 42

Chapter 5 Passenger Electrics 50

Part 2 Self-Propelled Trains 56

Chapter 6 Self-Propelled Diesel Railcars 60

Chapter 7 Electric Multiple Units 68

Part 3 Passenger and Freight Cars 78

Chapter 8 Commuter Rail 84

Chapter 9 Intercity Passenger Cars 90

Chapter 10 Freight Cars 102

Part 4 Rail Transit 120

Chapter 11 Light Rail 126

Chapter 12 Rapid Transit 140

Part 5 Historic Locomotives and Cars 148

Chapter 13 Historic Steam Locomotives 154

Chapter 14 Historic Diesels and Electrics 168

Chapter 15 Historic Streetcars 190

Bibliography 196

Index 203

About the Author 208

Editorial Reviews

This book will be a useful guide for anyone interesting in learning more about railroading today. And like any good field guide, it will be a useful tool for answering
the age-old question “what the heck was that?” whenever a train passes by.”—Booklist

“This book is crammed full of color photos...is also a treasure trove of little known facts"—GoNomad.com

From the Publisher