Railroad Preservation Resources


Books, Magazines and Videos about Steam Engines and Railroads.

These are books and videotapes that I have found particularly useful.

If you want to learn more about the workings of steam locomotives you might try to find one of the old locomotive catchisms. These books are in a question and answer format and were used by railroaders to educate themselves. These are all out of print, although I have been able to buy copies at railroadiana sales. I have also been able to get copies from the local public library. Your public library may have access to publications not in their card catalog which they can try to obtain from other libraries. The Madison Public Library has done an exceptional job to obtaining these books for me from all over the country.

  • Forney's Catechism of the Locomotive
    The early editions were written by Matthias N. Forney and later editions were revised by George L. Fowler. These books start with basic mechanical principles and in incremental steps explain in great detail the workings of the steam locomotive. They are filled with diagrams and illustrations of steam locomotives, freight equipment and structures such as turntables and water plugs. The first edition was published in 1874 by the Railway Gazette (later Railway Age). The third edition was published in 1911. You can find Forney's on the internet at Ebay. Prices vary based on condition. I have bought copies for less than twenty dollars, which I find to be amazing for this great book.

  • Locomotive Catechism
    by Robert Grimshaw, these catechisms were published from 1893 well into the 1920s by the Norman W. Henley Co. These are similar to Forney's. An advantage is that a reprint was made in the 1960s which may be easier to obtain than an original copy of any catechism.

  • The Steam Locomotive
    by Ralph P. Johnson. Published in 1942 by Simmonds-Boardman. Johnson was chief engineer of the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The book presents fundamental facts regarding locomotive theory and operation. A very impressive work. This book is hard to find and sometimes sells for quite high prices.

  • Basic Steam Locomotive Maintenance
    By D.C. Buell. This book contains chapters on locomotive firing, boilers, valve gear, injectors and other topics. This book has been reprinted and is available from Simmons-Boardman.

  • Locomotive Valves and Valve Gears
    By Jacob Yoder and George Wharen. This book was originally published in 1917, but has been reissued. It is a treatise on valves (slide and piston) and valve gears(including Stephenson,Walchaert, Baker, Joy, Southern and Young). The Authors were professional engineers and worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. One source for this book is Lindsay Publications. They also have other books on steam and technology. You can get their catalog by calling 1-815-935-5353.

  • The Steam Locomotive in America
    by Alfred Bruce. This book was published in the 1950s and is a good overview of the technical development of the steam locomotive. It is out of print, but more readily available than the Johnson book. It contains a great many builder's photos of locomotives, showing the various types and their development. It was orginally printed by Norton, but was reprinted by Bonanza Books. I have been able to find this book on Ebay for reasonable prices. I'd recommend buying it.

  • Articulated Locomotives
    By Lionel Wiener. This book was reprinted in 1970 by Kalmbach Publishing but the reprint is no longer in print. It was orginally written at the peak of steam power and is considered a classic exposition of articulated locomotives. This book is found on Ebay from time to time.

  • Publications of the International Correspondence Schools/International Textbook Company
    ICS published both books and lesson books on steam locomotive technology. They are well worth purchasing. Some of the titles include: "The Steam Locomotive", "Locomotive Management", "Locomotive Appliances", "Locomotive Boilers" and books on each type of valve gear. Expect to spend from ten to twenty dollars per title. Often available on Ebay.

  • If You Want to Learn about Steam Technology...
    If you want to learn about how steam engines work and the meaning of terms like lap, lead, cutoff, enthalpy, and the the like, there are lots of good reference books that are not written for railroaders. One inexpensive source is to check the engineering section of used book stores. I hve found a number of useful books on subjects such as boiler construction, steam engine engineering and the Keenan and Keyes Steam Tables in used bookstores for vary reasonable prices. Also, I have found that books written for stationary steam engine engineers can be quite useful for learning the concepts, although you'll have to wade through some irrelevant (but often interesting) material on stuff like turbines, vertical boilers, and nonrailroad types of valves and valve gears. These books are much easier to find than railroad catechisms. They have titles like: Power Catechism; Steam Power Questions and Answers; and Audel's Questions and Answers for Engineers and Firemen. You can get these books for just a few dollars.

    The following books are more historical in nature and both are in print:

  • Guide to North American Steam Locomotives
    by George H. Drury, published by Kalmbach Publishing Company. A comprehensive history of the development of steam power on railroads since 1900. This work includes railroad-by-railroad histories and rosters and has many fascinating sidebar articles. An incredible amount of information is contained in this one volume. ISBN 0-89024-206-2

  • The Iron Horse
    by Henry B. Comstock. This book is an illustrated history of steam locomotives. The text is very good and the book is filled with Comstock's detailed pencil drawings of locomotives. Published by Greenberg Publishing Company, a division of Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89778-357-3.

    You Can Search for These Titles at Barnes and Noble

    You can search for both current books that are in print and for older, out of print books as well. You can search by title, author or keyword on this search engine:

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  • Video Tapes

    There are many video tapes about steam engines, railroad museums, and preservation. A couple of well known sources are Green Frog Productions (1-800-227-1336) and Pentrex (1-800-950-9333). Both companies will send you a free catalog.

  • Running a Steam Locomotive Videos
    There are three volumes in this title. They are available from SMP Video Publishing, 104 Wool #10, San Fransisco, CA 94110.

  • Rail Magazines

    There are several hobby magazines that cover railroad history and preservation, including Trains, Vintage Rails and Railroad and Railfan. An excellent magazine that covered this field was Locomotive & Railway Preservation, which unfortunately ceased publication in January, 1997. Back copies might be available at your local library.

  • A great webpage, which along with a lot of other information, has chapters from the 1890 book "Locomotive Engine Running and Management", by Angus Sinclair is Railroad Extra. Check it out!

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