"Off The Shelf"
THE CANADIAN TRACKSIDE GUIDE 2013
http://www.marksrrbooks.com/products/canadian-trackside-guide-2013
CRO BOOK / DVD REVIEWS
(Edited by Michael Berry)
When time allows as CRO Production Assistant, I am a voracious collector of railway books. My "Off The Shelf" column will review books and DVDs that I feel would be to the appeal of our CRO readers. I invite you to contact me directly with questions, and with any new publications or DVD’s that would be of interest to our CRO readers for “Off the Shelf”. Contact: Michael Berry <mberry7@videotron.ca>
Here is the link for this book
Derek Hayes’ “Historical Atlas Of The North American Railroad” is an interesting but by no means essential book about the history and design of railroad maps in North America, with an emphasis on maps from the 19th and early 20th century. One interesting fact is that the Canadian edition of this book has a different cover photo than the American one - the Canadian one has a photo by the author of CP 2860 and a BNSF diesel pulling a train in B.C. whereas the American edition has an illustration of a 19th century passenger train on the cover. It is a rather large book, and mostly in colour. It is organized thematically and not chronologically, along themes such as “Extending Outward,” “The Race West,” and “The End of Monopoly”. While most of the book is focused on American railroads, there is some Canadian content, including some very interesting Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific maps, such as the full page spread on pages 122-123 showing the extent of the Grand Trunk Railway network in 1887. For the average railfan the book may be a little off the beaten path, but if you are interested in the history of railroads as I am, you will find this a very worthwhile read.
© CRO October 2013