I 'second' all the plaudits given by Ray Bedard.
The 1st words across my mind when I opened my copy were 'massive'
and 'impressive'. I also spoke with Al Holck at length concerning
the book and his first words were 'striking' and 'magnificent'.
Over the years we have been blessed by both quantity & quality of
books relating to the CB&Q. Business scholars agree that Richard
Overton's books set the standard not just for railroad histories BUT
for business histories - period. 'Granger Country' is a one of a
kind'; no other RR to my knowledge (and my personal RR book library
is 1200 vol's & counting) has a book exclusively depicting its socio-
economic environment, it's people and it's very soul. And of course
Bernie Corbin's testaments to his love of the Q meant having motive
power books tht are not just rosters. Add on Al Holck's 380 page
opus to just ONE Division (Lincoln), his & Mike Spoor's separate
color series, Olmstead's 2 photo essays, Hannah's compendium of Q
ETT's (a labor of love), David Morgan's choice of the Q to examine
the rail industry's steam to diesel transition, the Perkins' family
letters & Baldwin's multi-volume Corporate & Documentary Histories to
name just a few, the Burlington boasts one of the one most, if not
the most, inclusive array of histories.
All that said, Bill's trilogy now gives us what I consider the best
in-depth view of a railroad's heavyweight passenger equipment to date.
Any of the 3 works stands alone - Passenger Cars of the Burlington
with its large scale drawings (usually with both sides and ends) and
The Burlington Passenger Roster with all the documented numberings
and renumberings right thru BN service.
What makes this third installment so unique compared to other RR
passenger car books is Bill's intelligent use of brochures, postcards
and other memorabilia to give the reader a sense of time & place,
the 'what & why's'. He appears to have been influenced by 'Granger
Country'; lucky for us!
Bill was also inspired by Dick Overton in seeking as much
documentation as he could reasonably find. Unlike several other
major CB&Q books of recent years, Bill actively sought the help of
primary sources within Burlington fan-dom. Thus you see Corbin,
Douda, Wagner, Masterson, Legner, Hayden & Martin among the many
credited names not to mention a slew of Historical groups & museums;
27 in all.
Lest you think I am being awe-struck, there are a few minor errors
(credit Al Holck) - the train shown at the top of page 149 is at
Greybull, Wyo and the photo on p. 204 was taken in 1906 or later
(date the Basin, Wyo depot was built). But then Dick Overton had
an 'errata' to his Burlington Route book so don't feel bad Bill!
Finally, Bill & his layout firm did a great job - the 324 pages are
chock full of photos and data with very little wasted 'white' space
yet no crowding. A few photos are not as sharp as one would like but
as Bill explains, if the only photo you can find is mediocre it still
beats not having a photo at all. (I recall Bernie saying the same
thing)
Bottom line - there will NEVER be as good or better series of books
on Burlington passenger equipment and usage from the 1870's onward &
the printing quality is outstanding (done in Missouri!)
There is but one problem but it is a VERY serious one. Q fans do NOT
buy books as readily as other RR's fans & modelers do (speaking of
which, Bill includes 2 pages of photos of exquisite models built from
the photos and drawings of his 3 books!).
Far too many of us either procrastinate on book buying OR bother
other people to share their copies. Well folks - this book (like the
other 2 Bill has done) is self-published. I.E. either you buy some
or Bill does not have the wherewithal to do another Q book. The
price is very reasonable compared to other books with less photos and
less 'homework'. Also Bill limited the print run so he will not have
leftovers (I suspect once this is reviewed by Kalmbach's magazines
and hits some major hobby shops, a LOT of generic passenger car fans
are going to gobble it up). Lastly, Bill is offering a real deal of
only $50 total for the 1st two books, INCLUDING postage! (that's
below their list price several years back at a time when book prices
have skyrocketed).
So buy 1 or all 3 but buy them now = make them an early birthday gift
to yourself AND if you have a few extra bucks and live in a
Burlington town, buy one for the local library.
Thanks Bill for nailing down one more major aspect of the Q with this
3rd book on passenger cars. You have spoiled us rotten!!! Gerald
(now head to your check book, get a stamp & get your copies ASAP!)
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:CBQ-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:CBQ-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
CBQ-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|