Micheal, thanks for the review. Is Jim Boyd a member of one of these
lists? If so, then why did he not get input from so many of the good
sources that are here, or at least some proofreading and more photos?
For $60, failing to cover early BN (or late predecessor schemes),
mis-titling the book, and at least 4 gross mistakes is a bit
overpriced...:(
Cheers!
Jan Kohl
www.castlegraphics.com
Micheal Farley wrote:
> Burlington Northern In Color Volume 1: The Urge to Merge
> by Jim Boyd
> Morning Sun Publications
> $59.95
> Release Date: July 1, 2007
>
> This book is the first of a three volume set covering the Burlington
> Northern. The title is a little deceiving in that there is only one
> photo of
> a Cascade Green locomotive in the book, and it is on the last page in the
> preview for Volume 2. That photo features the CB&Q GP40 in the
> experimental
> "Hockey Stick" scheme. Other than this last-page preview and the
> introduction, there is little if any mention of the Burlington Northern in
> and of itself.
>
> The book is divided into four chapters, one for each of the predecessor
> railroads. Each chapter offers a very brief history of the railroad,
> followed by a photographic chronology of the road's motive power. The
> photos
> start with the final days of steam and ending with the final diesel
> purchases by the railroad, and showcasing the unique tendencies of each
> railroad. The exception to this is the CB&Q, who's SD45's and U23C's
> are not
> covered. I believe this is because they were delivered in the "Hockey
> Stick"
> version of Cascade Green, though they were CB&Q locomotives. Each chapter
> also contains a map of the railroad and an All-Time Diesel Roster. The
> photography is outstanding, the bulk being Jim Boyd's personal work. Some,
> but not many, of the photos have already been published in other works.
> Morning Sun's color reproduction is also of a very high quality.
>
> Unfortunately, this book also contains some contradictions, and factual &
> spelling errors.
>
> 1. The book states in the Northern Pacific section (page 40) that James J.
> Hill died in 1920, while in the Great Northern section (page 69) the year
> given is 1916. Four other sources in my personal collection confirm that
> 1916 is the correct date.
>
> 2. The introduction (page 4) states that 1968 is the year of the first
> merger proposal, while the Northern Pacific section acknowledges the 1904
> Northern Securities, which was the first real attempt at merger by Mr.
> Hill
> himself. The Northern Securities was formed in 1901, and struck down in
> 1904. Merger applications also occurred in 1927, 1961, and 1967.
>
> 3. In the Northern Pacific section (pages 38 & 46), the book refers to the
> NP towns of Bismarck and Mandan South Dakota. They are in North
> Dakota, and
> several maps printed in the book verify this. Bismarck is also spelled
> incorrectly.
>
> 4. In the Great Northern section (page 83) there is a page dedicated
> to the
> first production SD45, Hustle Muscle. A common mistake is made here
> stating
> that the locomotive was donated by the BN to the Lake Superior Museum of
> Transportation in Duluth, MN. It was donated in 1988 to the Great Northern
> Railway Historical Society, who still owns the locomotive. It resided at
> LSMT for several years, but now is housed at Minnesota Transportation
> Museum's Jackson Street Roundhouse facility in St. Paul, MN.
>
> Overall I am happy with this book, but the errors disappoint me especially
> for the price. There are enough people interested and plenty of
> information
> available to prevent such mishaps in a book that will be considered a
> historical reference.
>
> Those are my two-cents. You can buy a lot for that price, eh?
>
> Micheal Farley
> Fargo, ND
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
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