Disneyland Railroad Book - Second Edition!

UPDATE: I received the edited manuscript from the publisher the other night for review. I will be choosing photos for each chapter this weekend, and hopefully a trade paperback version will be available by the end of August, and the full-color hardcover should be available at the end of September.

 

This may sound funny, but as I re-read everything all in one place, even I'm a little surprised by how much information is packed in the book. I'm really looking forward to seeing it with all the new photos and drawings.

 

Please remind us of this as this book becomes available. Best of luck with this project.

 

Brad

 

I'll second that!  I'm definitely in on a hardcover copy. 

 

Andy

 

I'd third it., but it sounded like you had to be one of the Kickstarter supporters before the deadline to participate.

 

I could be misunderstanding how Kickstarter works, but the impression I got when reading the site was that they would produce exactly what was necessary to satisfy the various supporters.

 

I did not get the impression that "extras" were part of the equation.

 

Do I have it right, Steve?

 

[edit:seems I was not understanding Kickstarter.  Sorry if my post made anyone worry!]

 

-Dave

No Dave,

 

I'm not sure what the edition size will be; I believe the smallest run most printers will do is about 2,000 copies; I expect this edition to be far larger.

 

The Kickstarter campaign was just to raise funds up front to be able to do the costly print run in color. People who contributed could get various rewards, with higher contributions receiving a copy of the book for "free."

Book sounds nice as I m a Disney fan.Please let us know when it will be released and how to obtain a copy.

This would make a nice Christmas present to myself (from my wife of course).

 

Ron

Darn you Steve, I have bought all of your DRR books, now I HAVE to buy another.  

Thanks Bob! I think you will like the new book the best of all.

OK, my mistake.  I saw all the references to various versions of the book for all the different contribution levels (and some seemed very much in line with what might be considered a reasonable price for the book), and I read too much into it. 

 

I've got one of the earlier editions, but I very well may need to pick up the updated one based on the new content described.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

-Dave

 

Just got back from Disneyland. Can't wait for the new book Steve.

Good to hear, Joe! Disneyland has some neat trains, with very unique histories. Walt ended up being a pretty good railroad preservationist.

 

The photos and illustrations are currently being laid out with the text. I've seen a few test pages from the publisher. It shouldn't be long now! 

Here's the book's cover! The artwork is an oil painting I did about 15 years ago.

 

 

 

Ah, the early days, the water tank on the engineer's side. Love the near photographic oil. Looks like a birthday or Christmas present to myself, depending on timing.

The cover looks great. That's an awesome job on the oil painting. Beautiful!

Steve ..  a little off topic but do you have anything on Walt's steam engines long before Disney land.  Gregg  thx.

Gregg...what are you looking for?

 

Michael Broggie probably covered the subject best in "Walt Disney's Railroad Story." It's stlil in print.

Okay! The trade paperback version is not on Amazon!

 

The Disneyland Railroad - A Complete History in Words and Pictures

 

The full-color, hard cover edition should be available later this month!

 

You can also see the Table of Contents and read a couple excerpts from the Theme Park Press website:

 

The Disneyland Railroad Book

I sort of remember going to the movie theatre  back in the early 50s and the preview had  live steam engines running around.  I'm guessing it was Walt Disney.   What year did Disney Land start in  California &  Florida? The Movie may have been Treasure Island,, still one of my favourites. Sorry I'm late replying.

Walt indeed was a pioneer in the live steam hobby in the late 1940s. He had a 1/8 scale 4-4-0 American named the Lilly Belle (after his wife) and matching freight consist that he ran around his backyard in Holmby Hills, CA. The success he had with that railroad, entertaining people with a train in an outdoor environment, led directly to the creation of Disneyland in 1955.

 

This subject is definitely covered in great detail in Michael Broggie's book.

Update: For those waiting for the hardcover, all-color version, publisher Bob McLean posted this on the Kickstarter site:

Despite the best efforts of all involved, the hardcover version of DISNEYLAND RAILROAD is still with the printer. I hope to have copies in hand within the next 2-3 weeks. I'll keep everyone posted. Sorry for the delay!

 

Recently watched the PBS documentary on Walt Disney and look forward to this latest book.

Okay, proof copy of the all-color, hard cover edition was approved by the publisher, and has gone to press! Should be just a couple weeks now.

 

I have the First edition! The Disney railroad books are the best!! Going to Disneyworld tomorrow .

 

rat

Thanks Rat! Have fun...should be gorgeous down there this time of year.

Steve,

 

Any word on the hardcover copy yet?

Yes, I am wondering too.  I'd like to get a copy. 

I e-mailed Bob McLain, the publisher, on November 18 requesting the status of the hard-cover copies. "Another couple of weeks, best guess" was the reply. So I am hoping to see them very soon! I am as anxious as anyone to see how they turned out!

How can I get a copy?

Once available, you should be able to purchase through Amazon. It's possible they will also be available directly from the publisher. I'll try to find more details, and get another ETA update (seems like I've been saying "Two weeks more" since September).

Please make sure to really review the pictures and make sure the images are set at the highest resolution. I have an older copy that has some images that are more pixelated than I would like in my books. 

 

Thanks great books. I am happy to have them on my shelves and good luck against the other Disney train book that I see on the shelf at Barnes and Nobels. Who knew that 2015 would bring such a wealth of Disney train books.

The pictures are better this time, Silver Lake, with more variety, especially showing the railroad in the 1950s/60s. But the book is text-heavy. I wanted to get the history in writing.

 

I have the "other" book (All Aboard! The Wonderful World of Disney Trains, by Dana Amendola), and can vouch for its high quality.

 

Thankfully, we're really not in competition--he covers all Disney trains, whether animated in cartoon shorts, or train appearances in Disney movies, or the railroads at several theme parks. It's very broad, and is a nice overview.

 

Mine is highly focused and highly detailed, geared as much to rail fans as Disney fans. You won't find the name of the manufacturer of the mechanical lubricators in Dana's book, or detailed histories (almost biographies) of the engines (particularly the three Baldwins). But Dana's book features wonderful never-before seen photos and concept art.

 

Why not add both books to your library?

Suzukovich, looks like the book will also be available on-line through B&N as well as Amazon. Retail price will be $39.95. The publisher tells me to expect books for me to sign and ship this week.

Steve thanks. How do I get a signed copy or are you signing them all? Your going to have a case of writers cramp if that's the plan!!!

No, not signing them all--just the 75 or so that are rewards to some Kickstarter donors. Let me see what I can arrange with the publisher to get you a signed copy. Worst case, you can always send your book to me. medial mail isn't that expensive.

Thanks sending a copy for you to sign would be the easiest. I am glad it's only 75 or so. Writers cramp most definitely put a cramp into running trains. Looking forward to the book.