Information sources on US railroads?

[MattRat]

So, I have a project in mind (a fiction book) that I feel requires information to ensure it is as realistic as possible.

What I need to know is about the locomotives and general history of US railroads between let's say the 1940's to the 1970's, covering things like American Dieselisation and the beginning of Amtrak, but I don't know where to look for such information. And not just mainline operations, but narrow guage and metro too.

This is where the forums come in, to recommend books, websites, YouTube channels, documentaries, etc, so I can ensure that I know what I am talking about. Thank you in advance.

 

[DelW]

That's an enormously wide field you're considering there, in a very large country. You're likely to need multiple sources unless you can narrow down the areas of interest.

One starting point might be Kalmbach's "Classic Trains" magazine:

Classic Trains - Trains

Classic Trains covers North American railroads from the 1940s through the early 1970s. Includes many first person stories and period photos.

www.trains.com

which mentions access via a digital subscription.

The current print issues can usually be found in WHSmith, and I have in the past bought Kalmbach books directly from the publishers (i.e. by post from the USA).

There used to be a bookshop just off Charing Cross Road which specialised in foreign railway books, but sadly last time I tried to visit it had closed.

 

[MattRat]

That's an enormously wide field you're considering there, in a very large country. You're likely to need multiple sources unless you can narrow down the areas of interest.

One starting point might be Kalmbach's "Classic Trains" magazine:

Classic Trains - Trains

Classic Trains covers North American railroads from the 1940s through the early 1970s. Includes many first person stories and period photos.

www.trains.com

which mentions access via a digital subscription.

The current print issues can usually be found in WHSmith, and I have in the past bought Kalmbach books directly from the publishers (i.e. by post from the USA).

There used to be a bookshop just off Charing Cross Road which specialised in foreign railway books, but sadly last time I tried to visit it had closed.

I've kept the parameters wide to not miss anything that I might need. If it helps, I'll lay out what I'm trying to world build, and then see if that helps narrow anything down.

So, what I'm creating involves a 'small' US railroad and it's journey from the last decade or two of steam in the US up to the dissolvement of passenger traffic into Amtrak, and maybe freight by Conrail, and the struggles involved with these changes, with said railway being resistant to them. I also think the railway will be Class 2 size, so I can put what I want in it (being able to include not just mainline steam) without it being too large to manage.

 

[the sniper]

This site is probably worth a look: https://www.american-rails.com/#America Bit of a jumble shop of information, but there's quite a lot of stuff covered if you've got some time to navigate it. I've found the 'Fallen Flags' section to be particularly interesting, as it provides write ups on the many extinct companies that have been absorbed over the years.

 

[MattRat]

This site is probably worth a look: https://www.american-rails.com/#America Bit of a jumble shop of information, but there's quite a lot of stuff covered if you've got some time to navigate it. I've found the 'Fallen Flags' section to be particularly interesting, as it provides write ups on the many extinct companies that have been absorbed over the years.

I don't mind sifting through data, as long as it's a single point of reference. I'll dig through it to see what I can find, but it already looks promising, thank you.

 

[ac6000cw]

I've kept the parameters wide to not miss anything that I might need. If it helps, I'll lay out what I'm trying to world build, and then see if that helps narrow anything down.

So, what I'm creating involves a 'small' US railroad and it's journey from the last decade or two of steam in the US up to the dissolvement of passenger traffic into Amtrak, and maybe freight by Conrail, and the struggles involved with these changes, with said railway being resistant to them. I also think the railway will be Class 2 size, so I can put what I want in it (being able to include not just mainline steam) without it being too large to manage.

Sounds like a smaller North East or New England railroad to me?

I'd take a look at the history of railroads like the Delaware and Hudson, Erie, Lackawanna, Reading, Boston and Maine, Boston and Albany plus the smaller New England railroads. The New Haven was an interesting mixture of steam/diesel and electric operation but more passenger orientated than most railroads and maybe larger than you're looking for as 'model'.

There's a reasonable number of people on this forum with an interest in US railroading who could probably give you more pointers/help (including me) - just ask

Re. Trains and Classic Trains magazines - if you have a digital subscription to those you get access to the entire back issues archive (going back to 1940 in the case of Trains). There is a free 30-day trial 'Trains.com Unlimited' subscription available which covers both magazines and their archives, if you want to take a look around - https://www.trains.com/why-join/

 

[RichJF]

Probably covers nearly every locomotive manufactured & their careers
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/