Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada

Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada
Author: Omer Lavallée
Publisher: Markham, Ont. : Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2005
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 9781550418309

Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada is a survey course about one of the most interesting chapters in Canadian railway history. The late Omer Lavallee's original work was published by Railfare Books in 1972, and soon sold out. Long-sought by collectors, historians and railway enthusiasts, his excellent material has now been expanded (over 40 percent) by the author's long-time friend and collaborator, editor Ronald Ritchie. Omer Lavallee's survey indicates the Province of Ontario, Canada, was the birth place - in July 1871 - of the first narrow gauge steam-operated public railway in North America . . . and the Lingan Colliery Tramway in Cape Breton may have been - in 1866 - the first narrow gauge steam-operated railway in the Western Hemisphere. Two dozen different railway systems are covered within the book's twenty-five chapters. There are 192 rare photographs - including a section of 66 full-color photos - interesting sketches, and informative maps of each line to show route details. These are keyed to an overall map, pinpointing the railway's exact location within Canada. Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada contains listings of railway mileage, chronological and geographical facts about each system, and locomotive information. Several other useful features include: time-mileage charts, 50 diagrams, charts and tables, equipment rosters for virtually all the railways, and gradient profiles of three steeply-graded mountain routes. The book includes a specially-commissioned painting by famed railway artist Wentworth Folkins, illustrating Newfoundland Railway's Overland approaching Port-aux-Basque on the last lap of its 547-mile journey from Newfoundland's capital city, St. John's.

The Birth of California Narrow Gauge

The Birth of California Narrow Gauge
Author: Bruce A. MacGregor
Publisher:
Total Pages: 673
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780804735506

This long-awaited study, the magnum opus of a leading railroad historian, describes the conception, construction, and early operation of the first narrow gauge railroads in northern California. It is lavishly illustrated by some 600 photographs and drawings, almost three-quarters of which have never before been published. The topic is approached through an unusual lens: the history of the relatively small but extraordinarily inventive contracting and engineering firm of the brothers Thomas and Martin Carter. The Carters were able to reduce the cost and complexity of light railroad construction to the point where local narrow gauge lines could initially compete with the state’s notorious railroad monopolies. Pioneering a mobile manufacturing operation that could supply locally funded short lines with rolling stock (which traditionally came from East Coast manufacturers), the Carter Brothers began with a line to serve Salinas Valley wheat farmers, desperate to achieve an independent means for conveying their crops to the wharf in Monterey. The narrow gauge railroad that resulted was an act of political and economic defiance, but ultimately a hopeless assault on the "Octopus"—the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads. Rallying around the example set in Monterey, a narrow gauge movement in California flourished in the mid-1870s, with the rapid launching of five more companies—the North Pacific Coast, the Santa Cruz Railroad, the Santa Cruz & Felton, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, and the South Pacific Coast—all of which drew on the Carter Brothers for manufacturing and engineering. Soon, Thomas and Martin Carter were not only selling railroad supplies and engineering to all six short lines, but had won management positions with the strongest, the South Pacific Coast. Until personal and financial disaster overtook them in 1880, the Carters were at the forefront of not just a new business, but a new technology.

The Skyline Limited

The Skyline Limited
Author: Robert D. Turner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1994-01
Genre: Narrow gauge railroads
ISBN: 9781550390407

This is the dramatic story of the Kaslo & Slocan Railway-the Great Northern's narrow gauge-in the rugged Slocan Mountains of BC's West Kootenay district during the 1890s and early 1900s. Here too is the superbly illustrated account of the beautiful sternwheelers that connected the K&S with other Great Northern branch lines. The Skyline Limited is a fascinating chapter in the stories of the Great Northern and the Canadian Pacific.

Canadian National Steam!

Canadian National Steam!
Author: Donald R. McQueen
Publisher: DC Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Canadian nonfiction
ISBN: 9781927599006

A Locomotive History of the People's Railway. An illustrated history of CN's more than 4300 steam locomotives. It is so detailed, so full of photographs and information, the premier volume will then be followed by seven rosters. Canadian National Steam is an updated and expanded text based on Clegg and Corley's Canadian National Steam Power, outlining the history and technical development of steam power as influenced by the different CNR Motive Power Chiefs. Its 248 pages includes a summary of all locomotive classes with wheel types, road- and builder-numbers, a list of all predecessor and subsequent owners of CNR power, a builder's list of CNR steam power, a bibliography and an index. There are 147 photos of historic locomotives, most in operation, exhibiting their awesome power and evoking pleasant memories of nostalgic days gone by when trains took everybody everywhere. Spectacular cover illustrations are in full color. The book contains 43 tables and an extensive series of appendices -- 47 in all -- covering across-the-classes items such as livery, sales, leases, appliance application, (including compounding, gearing, superheating, feedwater heating, smoke deflectors, stokers, oil burners, cab and tender designs). There's also a guide to the individual locomotive roster volumes. The subsequent roster volumes will be available later in 2013, and only on a "special order -- no returns" basis. They will contain the individual locomotive rosters by CNR classes according to similar or related wheel arrangements (including Newfoundland Railway and the Central Vermont Railway). Every steam locomotive will be listed, and the roster will provide all the information historians, rail enthusiasts and transportation buffs would ever want to know (and then some), including build data, ownership history, appliance history, class notes. More than 1200 photographs, with informative captions, will appear in the roster volumes, which will feature sturdy wire binding, permitting the roster book pages to open completely flat. Many readers will welcome the opportunity to own this historic series. The original Canadian National Steam Power, published in 1969, has been out of print for almost forty years after selling thousands of copies. Since then, CN has become "North America's Railroad", and is widely recognized as the most efficient, best-run railway of all on the continent, and perhaps in the world. This new series will be a valuable entry in every CNR enthusiast's library, and is sure to become a rare collector's item.