Classic Trains

by Hans Halberstadt

Featuring more than 30 beautiful, historic trains and locomotives, this exquisite volume--big and horizontal, all the better to capture the length and breadth of the cars and tracks--paints an intimate portrait of North American railroad history. Firsthand accounts of life on the rails, more than 150 dramatic photographs, and a close look at how trains transformed the continent's landscape, society, and history make this a thrill for any railroad aficionado. The story begins with the dawn of the steam era and goes through the golden age of railroad travel and on to the current day. The classics on these lavishly illustrated pages include the tiny, treasured Best Friend of Charleston, the celebrated Twentieth Century Limited Streamliner, and high-speed models that cross the country today.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2003

About the author

I trained to be a documentary filmmaker and worked in that industry for about fifteen years before getting involved with book projects. The basic techniques involved in designing a film project apply just as well to non-fiction books so the transition was easy. The books turned out to be more fun, more filled with adventure, and more profitable than the film work so I gradually took on books rather than films.

Although I hear a lot of people complain about the difficulty of getting a book contract, that has never been my experience right from the start. And I never have "writer's block" or any of the other typical complaints of our peculiar breed. Telling stories has always been fun for me and I will explain how and why in a blog on this site.