Rutland
Beyond the
Rails
This 1988 Carstens Classic documents the first 25 years of railroading after the demise of Vermont’s famed Rutland Railway!
train related, is aimed at a younger audi- ence. With the holidays fast approaching, this seems like a excellent time to explore one of these offerings.
Now operated under the Vermont Rail System banner, you’ll see the early operations of the Vermont Railway, Clarendon & Pittford, and the Green Mountain Railroad! From the marble quarry pits to piggyback trailers, from steam excursions to heavy freight!
In the early nineteenth century, before the advent of railroads, canals were built to move large volumes of freight. Unfor- tunately, canals were impractical in mountainous areas or where there were frequent changes in elevation. The Deleware & Hudson Canal Company confronted just such a problem at its western terminus. A 16-mile mountain- ous gap existed between the coal mines around Carbondale, Pennsylvania, and the head of the D&H Canal at Hones- dale, Pennsylvania. To bridge that gap, in 1827, the D&H took the bold step of deciding upon the use of an unproven technology–a steam locomotive–to as- sist in getting its coal to market. The D&H developed a plan that involved the use of cable-operated gavrity railroads to get the coal cars up and down the steep grades and steam locomotives to pull the cars on level stretches of ground to the canal head at Honesdale. Once there, the coal would be loaded in barges and float- ed to market in New York City. Since there were no operating steam locomotives in the United States, the D&H sent a 25-year-old representative named Horatio Allen over to England, where the first locomotives were being developed. Allen purchased four small locomotives and arranged for them to be shipped to the United States. One of those locomotives was the Stourbridge Lion, named for the town where it was built, Stourbridge, England. On August 8, 1829, the Stourbridge
Lion became the first commercial steam locomotive to run on a railroad in the United States. The Stourbridge
Lion, America’s First Locomotive, tells the story of that day, the events leading up to it and the locomotive’s subse- quent history. The book is written in an entertaining, yet informative style that should appeal to five- to ten-year-olds. A retired educator and avid train en- thusiast, author Karl Zimmermann is probably known to many RMC readers. His byline has appeared not only in this magazine, but in numerous other hob- by and travel publications, including the New York Times. He is also the au- thor of a number of highly reguarded railroad books.
The book’s wonderful, moody illus- trations were done by Steven Walker, and they provide a nice complement to Zimmermann’s text. The colors are re- produced very well on sturdy paper that befits a children’s book. (Boyds Mills Press is an imprint of Highlights For Children, so one would expect a quality publication.)
Whether it is meant as a book they can read themselves (with maybe a lit- tle assistance), or as a book to be read to them, The Stourbridge Lion, Ameri- ca’s First Locomotive is a nice offering for young people with an interest in trains and history.–CHRIS D’AMATO]
Pacific Electric and the Growth of the San Fer- nando Valley, by David Coscia, pub- lished by Shade Tree Books, P.O. Box 1539, Bell- flower, CA, 90707- 1539. Hardcover, 242 8¹₂″×11″
pages; $65.00.
Kit #716 Lehigh Valley Osgood-Bradley Coach Kit
Expand your
railroading library, order today!
A CARSTENS CLASSIC!
SOFTCOVER ONLY $19.95 PLUS S&H
CARSTENSBOOKSTORE.COM (888) 526-5365
Carstens PUBLICATIONS, INC. 32 Model and photo by Blake Tatar
This is a modified Rapido Trains Osgood-Bradley car with correct roof and window band. It is a craftsman kit and comes with trucks and couplers
Price: $120.00 plus Shipping and handling.
NEW CATALOG: KitBits Catalog #109. Send $3.00 for catalog which will be deducted from your first order.
The Bethlehem Car Works, PO Box 325, Telford, PA 18969
www.bethlehemcarworks.com
Mississippi $5.00; West of the
Mississippi $8.00
PA res. add 6% sales tax.
NOVEMBER 2012
Shipping per kit: East of the
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