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This Month's Feature:
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”.
Herb MacDonald’s “Cape Breton Railways - An Illustrated History”
Herb MacDonald’s “Cape Breton Railways: An Illustrated History”
serves as a broad overview of railways in Cape Breton dating from
pre-steam engine times to the present and does a good job of
covering the many ways in which the railways impacted Cape Breton
life, its economy, etc. With that being said, this book is not for
the railfan who cares only about engine rosters, operational info,
etc. While the book does have some information of that sort, it also
has sections about railway labour, tariff policies and how it
affected Cape Breton, the life of railway workers, and it is to be
applauded for this wider range. There is also a good deal of first
hand accounts from railway workers who worked in Cape Breton. The
photos are all black and white, and their quality is good but not
great, as the book is printed on regular and not glossy paper. The
author is pessimistic about the future of ANY railways in Cape
Breton and I believe with good reason, as there is obviously no
bridge traffic and less and less traffic originating in or
terminating in Cape Breton. If you have any interest in Cape Breton
railways or railways in the Maritimes, this book is for you.
For future review suggestions or comments … Email me at:
Michael Berry
mberry7@ videotron .ca
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Michael will review
Eric Gagnon’s “Trackside with VIA: Cross-Canada Compendium |
