American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated

by Mark Wegman

The period from the 1890s to the mid-1950s is generally considered the "golden era" of passenger rail travel in America. It was a time of celebrated locomotives and luxurious passenger service, a time when rail technology saw its greatest advances and railroads became the nation's favored mode of transportation. These glory years come alive in American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated, 1889-1971. For this volume, author and illustrator Mark Wegman has researched original railroad drawings and in some cases even paint chips to render more than 160 profiles, front and top views, and interior layouts depicting the steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, along with passenger cars, of three dozen of the nation's most celebrated trains of the golden age. Accompanying the author's drawings are histories of each train, period photographs, postcards, menus, luggage stickers, vintage print ads, and detailed captions. The book is a lavishly appointed journey back in time to the bygone heyday of passenger-train travel.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great coffee table book! For any reader who is interested in trains or vintage photographs, this is a great book. The best illustrated train book I've ever read. Showing floorplans, color schemes, and postcards from various passenger train railways, the reader will learn the history and different luxurios passengers enjoyed back then.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lavishly illustrated picture book of American passenger trains from the 1920s through the 1960s. The text descriptions are short but well-written. I'm happy with this book; it will go in the "keep" pile and find its way onto my bookshelf.