NARROW GAUGE BOOKS

George Hilton's "American Narrow Gauge Railroads" is something of a bible for narrow gauge enthusiasts.  Nearly 600 pages of valuable information.

I counted 14 narrow gauge specific books in my library, not to mention other books that have a lot of narrow gauge and standard gauge content (mostly logging books).  Interesting, my two favorites are - in order - 1) The South Park Line (Mallory Hope Ferrell and 2) American Narrow Gauge Railroads! 

Warning - Reading The South Park Line will give you a full-blown case of Narrow Gauge Fever!  My wife was kind enough to allow a detour to the Colorado Railroad Museum a couple of years ago (on our way to Montana, it was a big detour) so I could see DL&G 191 / ex-DSP&P 51 in person.  I'm planning a trip next summer to see Alpine Tunnel and the Palisades, riding my mountain bike up and down the old railroad grades.  What can I say?  It is a very inspiring book!

IF you can find a copy of Bob Shoppe's 2003 book, "Colorado Rail Bibliography", you will find 520+ pages of listings, most of which have something on narrow gauge railroads in Colorado.

ChipR

i'm probably close to last place with one, another M.H. Ferrell book, Rails Sagebrush & Pine, about Oregon's Sumpter Valley Railroad.

There are really too many to choose from but at least one of my favorite narrow, narrow gauge books, i.e. two foot gauge, is, "Ride the Sandy River."

My all time favorite:  "Narrow Gauge In The Rockies", by Charles Beebe and Lucius Clegg.

My favorite is "The Rainbow Route", I also have Ferrell's "South Park", which Gunnison stone water tanks included in there I have modeled, M.C. Poor's "D,SP&P", and "Narrow Gauge in the Rockies".  In a discussion with a Colorado Springs HO kit builder

at a Narrow Gauge Convention, I learned, from laptop files he showed me,  that "The Rainbow Route" needs to be rewritten, with much more information and photos that have come to light.  I'd sure like to see that...

I learned, from laptop files he showed me,  that "The Rainbow Route" needs to be rewritten, with much more information and photos that have come to light.  I'd sure like to see that...

It would be worth the money.

Al

I have quite a few.  My favorites... "Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods" by Bray Dickinson (on the North Pacific Coast RR) and the three-volume set on the South Pacific Coast RR by Bruce MacGregor.

"The Maine Two-Footers" by Linwood W. Moody, one of the most entertaining books you will ever read.

Jeff C

13  not counting double Silver San Juan

I just finished reading Rio Grande -Chasing the Narrow Gauge by Robert Richardson. Great Book. Richardson started the nearby Colorado RR Museum.  Now I'm reading The South Park Line CO Rail Annual #12 by Chappell Richardson and Haught. This one is OK.  Rainbow Route was great too. My favorite ones so far are the 9 book series The RGS Story - Rio Grande Southern by Colman & McCoy published by Sundance Books.  I started collecting narrow Gauge books 2 Years ago when I inherited a HOn3 layout along with a small library. I now have at least 20 books. My latest acquisitions target the Denver Southpark and Pacific which ran through my neighborhood and up Waterton Canyon along the South Platte River next to where I work. The South Park was always a day late, many dollars short and always seemed to choose the steepest way to get anywhere.

My two favorites are Vol. 2 of "Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California" and Mallory Hope Ferrell's book on the Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge. The first book isn't narrow gauge specific, but it has lots of cool little obscure lines running through the CA desert.

Cheers,

Ken