This is the photographic odyssey of two railfan friends - a nostalgic tour of the rapidly changing landscape of the 1940s and 1950s,
principally in the Upper Midwest but with an important excursion to Western Pennsylvania . . . delightful . . . a gem.
Don L. Hofsommer, railroad historian and author, is Professor of History at St. Cloud State University. His recent books are Minneapolis and the Age of Railways and Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway, a Photographic History
Charles B. McCreary and John W. Sachse have favored historians and railroad enthusiasts alike with a
wonderful account of their lifelong passion for railroads. The book is a wonderful blend of the shared adventures
and background history the authors experienced while recording vivid images of the passing of the final heyday of
railroading in the Midwest. It is a treasure trove of railroad photography, history, and a superb snapshot of the times.
John C. Luecke, St. Paul-based author, has published, at latest count, ten books on
Minnesota railroad history, including The Northern Pacific in Minnesota and The Great Northern in Minnesota
...the best new rail book I have seen in a decade or more.
The book has 440 pages of photographs and personal tales of chasing trains. BUT it is more.
It is an overview of rail operations from Greensburg PA (a family home), to Wisconsin.
The book has many charts, such as a comparison of the three major railroads' Chicago-Seattle trains,
and track diagrams, such as St. Paul Union Depot...I went first to the SOO LINE section which has a wonderful
summary of SOO passenger services. It has a table of all SOO mixed trains...The book is worth the price.
It is a reference you will often refer to...each chapter is a book unto itself.
Carl Loucks is a Connecticut-based seller of railroad timetables and a long-time scholar of the world of trains.
Growing up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin made the Chicago & North Western a natural subject for two budding railfans,
Charles McCreary and his friend John Sachse... They took their first photos on simple cameras and began a huge quest that culminated in
this very large book of their photos. As they got older, their cameras improved and they became much more mobile, and abandoned their bicycles,
and started to ride on trains in a much broader realm. The Milwaukee Road gets some good attention and then they take on eastern and western roads,
such as the New York Central and the Great Northern. Their fondness for passenger trains is more than obvious. And they cover some smaller roads,
such as the Soo Line and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois. There is a surprising amount of text and analysis to accompany the photos.
And they quote a wide variety of sources, including the Chicago & North Western Historical Society. A typical example of a little gem
is a map of Soo Line passenger train service in 1951. The book is recommended for the rail enthusiast's library, and could make a nice suggestion
for a gift idea.
Joe Piersen is Chairman of the Archives Sub-Committee of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society.
This immense book can be intimidating at first glance, with over 400 pages of text and photos.
But if you're looking for an interesting story of what it was like to grow up in the late steam era, it's spot-on.
Author McCreary has never been widely published, and hasn't actively photographed trains since the 1950s, yet with the
quality of his photos you'd swear he had hung out with the likes of Bill Middleton or Jim Shaughnessy.
On these pages are priceless images: from doubleheading Pennsy K4's to steam on the Baltimore & Ohio, Bessemer,
Northern Pacific, Erie, and others. Early diesels aren't forgotten either.
McCreary ties his railfan stories in with his family tree -- this book is also his family history.
The amount of information is monumental, such as a listing of every arrival and departure at
St. Paul Union Depot in summer 1953. Don't let the simplistic title fool you, this is a monumental,
thoroughly researched, and heavily illustrated look at railroading in the era of transition from steam to diesel."
Steve Glischinski is the Minnesota-based author of Burlington Northern and Its Heritage and Wisconsin Central,
Railroad Success Story. This review appears in the Fall 2011 issue of Classic Trains.