Book - Narrow Gauge in the Rockies

[dunnyrail]

Arrived yesterday from World of Books at 26.49, a really good second hand example. Discovered about this in one of my other US NG Books of either the Rio Grande NG or South Park. As it is dated 1993 it will have been available when I was in Chama in 1994 when I bought those two at the bookshop next door to where we were staying! Would probably have been an easier lift home as it covers most of the lines but in a small way. By Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg of Mixed Train Daily another classic on my list to get one day.

For anyone with modest space with a live of US Railways backwoods this is really the book for you, short trains a 2-8-0, an Open and a Coach that short enough? Many many iconic views.

Also shows some pics of the famous sharpe curve and grade on the Unita. Now this is the line if you like big Mallets like the LGB Unita one hauling 2 or 3 vans, a Bachmann Combine Coach, 4ft rad curves (I think these will be scale quoted as 66degrees whatever that means) and you have it made. Shays were also present on this line as were various 2-8-0’s though I suspect the 2-8-0’s never attempted the Baxter Pass where the grades were 7.5% whatever that equates to for us brits who think 1 in something. There was also a Caboose on the Unita that is a dead ringer for the Bachmann Lil Hauler one, ok the windows are a bit different but at last a near prototype use for one.

Thoroughly recommended if you can find a copy.

 

[maxi-model]

And.......I went and bought a copy on the strength of this Jon. Looked at Abe, Amazon & Ebay. Quite a few copies out there. It arrived today and a very interesting book it is. Thanks for the tip off. Right up my street.

K-28 heading the San Juan Express. I think I might just be able to replicate that now . Never realised the RGS ran "shortie" J&S cars. Still trying to find that elusive picture of the Goose 1 with its extra passenger accomodation and enclosed load area. I have one that shows it rear 3/4 and a contemporary rough layout sketchm but not from the front 3/4 to nail it all. Max

 

[Gavin Sowry]

7.5% is 1 in 13.33 in real English. Divide 100 by the % and you get the 1 in x. Not to be confused with a once popular measure, eg .66' p.c. …… the p.c. has nought to do with percent, but means per chain. .66' p.c. is 1 in 100, or 1%.

Puts away quill pen, and waits for the confusion to break out.........

 

[Rhinochugger]

7.5% is 1 in 13.33 in real English. Divide 100 by the % and you get the 1 in x. Not to be confused with a once popular measure, eg .66' p.c. …… the p.c. has nought to do with percent, but means per chain. .66' p.c. is 1 in 100, or 1%.

Puts away quill pen, and waits for the confusion to break out.........

That's pretty horrendously steep for an adhesion line

 

[Gavin Sowry]

That's pretty horrendously steep for an adhesion line

Too right. I went on an RhB line that was 7%, adhesion worked...… and, we went down hill. In polite English, I was nervous.



Top of the 7%, at Alp Grumm.

 

[stevedenver]

Great book.
it was my first ‘strictly’ US ng book. Age 13 i believe.
originally published 1958, mine is third printing, 1964. Mine has a black dust jacket, same illustration.

Has Beebe’s flowery romantic prose. he and charlie clegg , for a time, ran the oldest western US newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise, in Virginia city.

beebe and clegg wrote many wonderful tomes on US railroads, most of which are a bargain used,and hugely informative in a broad sense. all black and white photos.

narrow gauge in the rockies is a great sampler of colorado roads.

otoh, there are many more road specific books with many more photos and depth. Few are as fun to read, however, imho.

not meaning to hijack, but rather thinking i may know some us books , being a yank,

for my forum friends across the pond, interested in US ng,
colorado rail annuals are a sleeper source for some superb ,i like vols 10, 12, 13, and others,. They are well researched and illustrated books on colorado ng. Also, books by Gerry Best and Mallory Hope Ferrell are, imho, superb.

it took me almost forty years!! before i got in depth books on the relatively small and obscure Uintah rwy….truly fascinating. The bender uintah book is almost as good as the sundance 2 volume set, and less pricey.

Denver, south park and pacific by josie poor, and especially the pictorial supplement , are superb for fans of south park.