Railroaders

Robert D. Turner

The Royal British Columbia Museum

Fascinating history of the railways of Vancouver Island. Chapters cover mining railroads, the Esquimalt &amp; Nanaimo Railway, the Saanich Peninsula railways, the Canadian National railways and the logging railways. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos. With bibliography and decorative end papers. 170 pages with index.

Vancouver Island railroads

Golden West Books

Updated edition 2010. Sixth Printing! Logging by Rail is the dramatic and fascinating story of the logging railroad era in British Columbia when the whistles of the steam locomotives echoed through the mountains and forests of the West. It is the story both of the men who worked on the railroads and of the machines they ran, maintained, depended upon, cursed and loved. It is a story of ingenuity, invention, determination, and hard work. The setting is the vast forests of British Columbia and the remote, isolated logging railroads that were once a vital part of the forest industry. From small beginnings in the 1880s logging lines expanded rapidly through the early 1900s. By the 1920s, the height of the steam era in the woods, there were hundreds of miles of timber-hauling railroads. The Depression and World War II brought more changes to the logging railroads and bv the 1950s, trucking was taking over log-hauling in the woods as the timber accessible to railroads dwindled. As the steam era ended only two major logging railroads were modernized with diesels. Railroad logging was a powerful technology that was used to change forever the landscape and forests in large areas of British Columbia. First-hand accounts from men who worked for a lifetime on the logging trains are interwoven with the intriguing history of the railroads and their equipment. Here is an interesting and detailed picture of the Shay, Climax, and Heisler geared locomotives, the Baldwin and Porter rod engines, the donkey engines and skidders, the speeders and rolling stock that gave logging railroads their unique character. Hundreds of classic photographs capture these machines and the lines they ran on, with their fantastic trestles and their twisting, climbing grades. Logging by Rail is at once a carefully documented history and a sensitive portrait of railroad logging in British Columbia. This 300+ page book contains over 500 outstanding, select photographs, including 20 pages in full colour, specially prepared maps and plans together with detailed text, bibliography and index. Railway/History, 326 pp, 8½ × 11, 500+ b/w and colour photos ISBN 1-55039-065-1, paper, $39.95

Logging by Rail: The British Columbia Story

Sono Nis Press

An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service by Robert D. Turner The dramatic story of the CPR sternwheelers which served the waterways of southern BC, connecting the major rail lines with remote mining camps, boom towns and settlements. These beautiful sternwheelers served the interior for decades and their routes traversed some of the most breathtaking country in western Canada. The Stikine River service of the Klondike Gold Rush era is featured, and new material looks at the restoration projects surrounding two CPR sternwheelers and other early vessels.

Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs

The Princesses were the finest coastal liners on the Pacific coast. They broke all the intercity speed records between Vancouver, Victoria, and Seattle and established an enduring reputation for elegance and beauty that remained unmatched for over sixty years. Their names became legends along the coast and they were the best and often the only way to travel along the British Columbia Coast. The Princess Victoria, Princess Kathleen, and the lovely Princess Marguerite, the last of the coastal liners, are just a few of the beautiful steamships remembered in this all-new volume. This story spans the scenic Pacific coast from Seattle to Skagway. It passes remote coastal communities and logging camps along the famous Inside Passage known to thousands of cruise ship passengers today. Turner's meticulously researched text explores the history, special features and adventures of the Princesses. Recollections of passengers and crew members combined with new historical insights paint an intriguing and affectionate portrait of these beautiful vessels. Included are profiles of Captain James Troup, the renowned steamship designer and head of the service; details of the development of the Victoria terminals, including the work of legendary architect Francis W. Rattenbury; the beginning of the Alaska cruise service; the tragic loss of the Princess Sophia; the log of the Princess Maquinna; the CPR resort at Newcastle Island; the wartime adventures of the Princess Kathleen as a fast transport ship in the Mediterranean; and many other stories from the Canadian Pacific's premier service. This large-format book features a stunning gallery of vintage photographs, many previously unpublished. Rare and beautiful images from the 1940s and 1950s are carefully reproduced, capturing an era seldom seen in full colour. Vintage advertising, artwork, menus, schedules, maps, and other period reproductions bring to life travel in the golden age of the coastal steamships.

Those Beautiful Coastal Liners : The Canadian Pacific's Princesses

The Thunder of Their Passing: A Tribute to the Denver & Rio Grande's Narrow Gauge and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Featuring nearly 500 outstanding color and black and white photographs, illustrations, and reproductions. Complete with detailed text, bibliography, and index. Robert Turner's beautiful and moving tribute to the Rio Grande's narrow gauge and the Cumbres &amp; Toltec is his 14th book on western transportation history. A historian and photographer with an extensive professional background in museums, historic sites, and heritage restoration projects, he has been fascinated by the narrow gauge railroads of Colorado and New Mexico for more than 35 years. His many awards include the American Association for State and Local History's Award of Merit for the excellence of his books. His photographs and articles have appeared in a wide range of books, magazines, and exhibits. This stunning volume chronicles the story of one of the finest preserved steam railroads in North America, from its origins as the Denver &amp; Rio Grande's San Juan Extension in the 1880s silver mining boom, to its present-day operations as the spectacular Cumbres &amp; Toltec Scenic Railroad. The book spans more than 125 years of railroading in the beautiful aspen-covered high country of Colorado and New Mexico. The Thunder of Their Passing presents an insightful portrait of one of the last great steam railroads in America. Included are reminiscences of those who knew the railroad as employees, travelers, and residents. The meticulously researched text explores the history of the railroad, its impact on the region, the circumstances and struggles that led to its long life and eventual preservation, and the unique qualities that have endeared it to so many people. Winter operations, stock trains, snowplows, the classic San Juan passenger train, locomotives and special equipment, and the day-to-day operations of an old and sometimes cantankerous railroad all feature in this enduring tribute. The book's breathtaking gallery of photographs features work of some of the finest photographers to visit narrow gauge country. Included are photos by such masters as William Henry Jackson, Richard Kindig, Jim Shaughnessy, Richard Steinheimer, John Gruber, Steve Patterson, and many others. This is the story of a fascinating railroad that has captured the imagination of travelers for well over a century. Railway/History 288 pp 11 x 9 1/2 over 500 colour and b/w photos, maps ISBN 1-55039-129-1 paper $49.95

Featuring nearly 500 outstanding color and black and white photographs, illustrations, and reproductions. Complete with detailed text, bibliography, and index. Robert Turner's beautiful and moving tribute to the Rio Grande's narrow gauge and the Cumbres &amp; Toltec is his 14th book on western transportation history. A historian and photographer with an extensive professional background in museums, historic sites, and heritage restoration projects, he has been fascinated by the narrow gauge railroads of Colorado and New Mexico for more than 35 years. His many awards include the American Association for State and Local History's Award of Merit for the excellence of his books. His photographs and articles have appeared in a wide range of books, magazines, and exhibits. This stunning volume chronicles the story of one of the finest preserved steam railroads in North America, from its origins as the Denver &amp; Rio Grande's San Juan Extension in the 1880s silver mining boom, to its present-day operations as the spectacular Cumbres &amp; Toltec Scenic Railroad. The book spans more than 125 years of railroading in the beautiful aspen-covered high country of Colorado and New Mexico. The Thunder of Their Passing presents an insightful portrait of one of the last great steam railroads in America. Included are reminiscences of those who knew the railroad as employees, travelers, and residents. The meticulously researched text explores the history of the railroad, its impact on the region, the circumstances and struggles that led to its long life and eventual preservation, and the unique qualities that have endeared it to so many people. Winter operations, stock trains, snowplows, the classic San Juan passenger train, locomotives and special equipment, and the day-to-day operations of an old and sometimes cantankerous railroad all feature in this enduring tribute. The book's breathtaking gallery of photographs features work of some of the finest photographers to visit narrow gauge country. Included are photos by such masters as William Henry Jackson, Richard Kindig, Jim Shaughnessy, Richard Steinheimer, John Gruber, Steve Patterson, and many others. This is the story of a fascinating railroad that has captured the imagination of travelers for well over a century. Railway/History 288 pp 11 x 9 1/2 over 500 colour and b/w photos, maps ISBN 1-55039-130-5 cloth $59.95

Engineering & Transportation

Transportation

Updated edition. A complete and detailed history of the CPR in B.C., from the glorious days of huge steam locomotives and elegant dining, to the luxurious Canadian and modern diesels hauling coal and containers. Included are the personal stories of the men who built this railway, and the enormous construction problems, hazards, frustrations, tragedies and engineering triumphs. Detailed accounts of day-to-day operations, endless battles with winter snows and mountain grades. The steam era of the 1920s to 1950s receives particular attention. Over 400 dramatic vintage photos capture the CPR's first century in British Columbia. Winner of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association's Award.

West of the Great Divide: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia, 1880-1986

An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific's Trans-Pacific Ocean Liners by Robert D. Turner From Vancouver and Victoria on the west coast of British Columbia, across the North Pacific by the great circle route that skirts the Aleutian Islands, to Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong and the Philippines; this was the realm of the Pacific Empresses. For fifty years these beautiful ocean liners provided a fast link with the Orient. The Empresses brough tea, silk, spices and produce from the Orient and returned with Canadian cargoes. The first Empresses came to the Pacific in 1891, providing a fast, reliable steamship service connecting the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway with the Orient. The ships were the beautiful clipper-bowed Empresses of India, China and Japan. Later, as steamship design advanced and the service grew, the larger, record-breaking Empress of Russia and Empress of Asia joined the fleet. The Empresses consistently broke speed records for the North Pacific and set standards of service and reliability few steamship lines could match. While there were never more than four Empresses in trans-Pacific service at one time, they dominated the North Pacific until World War II. The war brought a dramatic end to the service as all the Empresses were pressed into action as troop ships. The Empresses sailed in troop convoys with some of the mightiest liners in the world. Air travel dominated the post-war years and the Empress fleet was never replaced on the Pacific. And so the elegant liners passed into history, Robert Turner's carefully researched text is accompanied by complete fleet lists, darwings, maps, 375 photographs and three full-colour reproductions. Beautifully designed and printed, and of the same high quality as its companion volume, The Pacific Princesses, The Pacific Empresses is an essential addition to any history or ship-lover's library.

The Pacific Empresses

The Pacific Princesses: An Illustrated History of Canadian Pacific Railway's Princess Fleet on the Northwest Coast

History

Americas

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Robert D. Turner. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Robert D. Turner

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Robert D. Turner. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Railroaders

Vancouver Island railroads

Logging by Rail: The British Columbia Story

Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs

Those Beautiful Coastal Liners : The Canadian Pacific's Princesses

The Thunder of Their Passing: A Tribute to the Denver & Rio Grande's Narrow Gauge and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

The Thunder of Their Passing: A Tribute to the Denver & Rio Grande's Narrow Gauge and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

West of the Great Divide: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia, 1880-1986

The Pacific Empresses

The Pacific Princesses: An Illustrated History of Canadian Pacific Railway's Princess Fleet on the Northwest Coast