Clive Cussler and Trains

 I don't know about trains but he's got some big car collection down the road from me!

That sounds great. He's one of my favorite authors. By chance do you read some of his books?

Clive is a Great Author, I have read most of his The Oregon Files, series books. His Isaac Bell series a my New Cussler Favorite. I don't know if Clive is a railfan or not, but writing novels in the early 1900's it would be hard to avoid involving the railroads, He does seem to make them important parts of the storyline. Isaac's Auto being a Locomobile, made me believe that he was a railfan, I was Surprized to learn that there Really was a Locomobile auto company.

 I have found some discrepancies(sp?) in some of his books, but nothing that made me walk away from any of his books. All in all, I have enjoyed the Isaac Bell series Very much.

Doug

Question, by chance do you or other people have Cussler books they might be interested in selling? I'm interested in purchasing some of his books. Yes the book named the Wrecker had Southern Pacific in it. I think the Wrecker should become a movie. Any other books besides the 3 I mentioned have trains in them of Cusslers?

I'd say Cussler is a fan of historic, exotic, or luxurious examples of most any mode of transportation.  Or combinations thereof.  As mentioned by Choo-Choo Mike, Cussler has a small museum in Arvada, Colorado filled with any number of interesting autos.

Nearly every Dirk Pitt novel featured in some way examples of transportation, some classic and some modern gadgetry.  One of the very early books I read (possibly Raise the Titanic) had Pitt and Giordino flying in Dirk's personal PBY Catalina.  Dirk Pitt also had a personal collection of transport collectibles mentioned in another novel or two, including a pristine Pullman car.  So Pitt had a broad range of interests in transportation, and I suspect they mirrored those of the author.  At least in the car aspect, Pitt's car collection mirrored that of Cussler in his real life museum.

So I think it's likely that Cussler likes trains.  And lots of other stuff too.

Jim

And he has an interesting quirk,too. He just about always names one of the incedental characters in a Dirk Pitt novel  Clive Cussler.

I have all of his books and he is one of my favorite authors.  I am reading one of his latest releases, "The Mayan Secrets," (a Fargo Adventure), right now.  He has a lot of trains in his new Isaac Bell series.  My hero, Dirk Pitt has a railway passenger car in his famous airport hanger home.  Matt

Or Leigh Hunt.  

I can't remember the name of one of his books where there is a train chase from San Francisco heading east where the trains have to roll onto a barge and cross a lake. Very interesting reading for sure. I won't say more in case you get your hands on it but this is probably his best train book other than night probe.

wrawroacx

Your in for a very fun ending to that book! Enjoy!

Dave

You mean the ending of Night Probe?

The other book with San Francisco has got to be The Wrecker. I read that whole book. I'm still reading Night Probe and won't get finished till the end of this coming week. Then the next book by Cussler I'm reading is Skeleton Coast, which I doubt has any trains in it, but I'll wait and see.

I discovered Clive Cussler books at the UK equivalent of High School. I should have been doing something else in the school library. But picked up Raise the Titanic!

Night Probe is a great book and one of my favourites. If you guys ever pick up the book

Clive Cussler & Dirk Pitt Revealed. Clive mentions he was given a Lionel train as a kid.  

First thing I saved up for when I was an apprentice (other than tools) was a Doxa Sub 300T orange dial. 

Nick

I have read most all of Clive Cussler's books.  I haven't found one that I don't like.  For those who haven't read them there are 5 groups of books with reoccurring characters.  They are in a series but can stand alone without any confusion to the reader.  The Dirk Pitt (23 books), Kurt Austin(11 books), and Oregon Files(8 books) are almost entirely nautical stories.  Fargo Adventures (4 books) are about archeology.  Issac Bell series (7 books) are set in early 1900s private investigator and have a lot of trains in them. 

The movie Sahara with Matthew McConaughey was a Cussler book.

They get really far fetched a lot, but it is fiction and a good action stories that make you want to keep reading.

"And he has an interesting quirk,too. He just about always names one of the incedental characters in a Dirk Pitt novel  Clive Cussler."

which is a very lame literary trick.  his stories are great.  the writing, not so much.

that being said, night probe is a good one.

He has also written a book on his real world adventures in finding historic wrecks (it was written before he found the CSS Hunley).  Any number of the stories are amazing, several involve Civil War era boat wrecks, but one is an attempt to find a steam locomotive buried in a river.  I've read a number of his fiction books, but found this book to be his best, IMHO.

The book is "The Sea Hunters."  

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sea-...ussler/dp/1451621035

Bob

I read one.  The writing, not so much.  Opinion.

Just thoguht I would update my topic. I'm almost done reading The Striker by Cussler. This book he talks about the strikers striking coal mines in Pittsburgh areas. This book has quite a lot of trains in it. Obviously the 4-4-0 and 4-4-2 Atlantics are his favorite, because this is the engine he has leading a special in The Striker. Also he has one in The Wrecker. The Striker so far to where I'm almost done is very exciting. I'm dying to find out what happens at the end with the strikers on the ship? I believe the plot takes place in 1913. Where there E6 Atlantics back that far? He also mentions PRR in The Strikers. So from reading this and reading other novels of his, he defiently likes trains. The Strikers and the Wrecker I wish were made in movies or a TV Movie. Both these books are great along with the rest of the ones he's made. I even have The Bootlegger which I haven't read yet. Also, Mirage. Are there other books of his besides, The Wrecker, Night Probe, The Striker that has trains in it? I believe The Chase does as well. I do know he loves boats and he searches for ship wrecks. I don't know if he still does, but I know his son Dirk loved boats and finding shipwrecks as well. He helps his dad out on quite a few of his books. So what are peoples favorite books by him? My favorite is still Crescent Dawn and second place for me would be The Wrecker, third The Striker, and fourth The Storm. My 2 least favorites are Skeleton Coast and Devil's Gate. Devil's Gate to me was very boring. But his other books are great except that one and Skeleton Coast. Just thought I would post since I haven't posted for a long time.

I only came to know of Clive Cussler about 3 years ago.  I've read The Wrecker, The Chase, Arctic Drift, Treasure of Kahn, Polar Shift, The Navigator, Spartan Gold, maybe one or two others.  They can be far fetched, but so what.  I like his characters, plots, subjects and locations.  I also like that you know 'the good guy' will win in the end and that it will be clean descent entertainment.

I get a kick out of how he puts a character in named Clive Cussler for a cameo, to me reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock movies.

Oh, I'm glad I skimmed back through.  I missed the fact that the striker is about Pittsburgh area coal mines and trains.  Growing up 30 miles from Pittsburgh, and now living 40 miles from there, I will have to read that one.

A favorite:  I would have to say - The Chase.  Had to have trains in it, huh?

Thank you, Tom.