Off the Main Lines: A Photographic Odyssey (Railroads Past and Present)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.35 (962 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0253008328 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-08-19 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Richard Steffen said Every Iowa Railfan Should have a Copy of Off the Main Lines. I chose to order the book because I have met Don Hofsommer and sat through an amazing slide and movie show of his several years ago. I recall stating that he should publish his works. This is not his movies, but since his childhood in Iowa less than forty miles from my home, I jumped at the chance to buy the book. Much of it is Iowa. Not all, but much. Regardless, the side notes and great images make the price worth the purchase.. Enjoyable book I rated it a four, rather than a five, as a few of the captions are so light of a typeface they get lost in the photograph. This should have been caught before the book went to press. You get a lot of photos for your money even with this being a softcover book.Most of the photographic coverage is the upper midwest and Colorado narrow gauge. Photos are very well reproduced.. How railroading was a good review of railroad operations in the midwest with an emphasis on Iowa.It is always amazing how different things were back then compared to the Railroads of 201How railroading was Gene Bowker a good review of railroad operations in the midwest with an emphasis on Iowa.It is always amazing how different things were back then compared to the Railroads of 2014.easy to read, good writing style, and the photos were good. They are snapshots over the years and each of them tell a story. .easy to read, good writing style, and the photos were good. They are snapshots over the years and each of them tell a story
Hofsommer records the end of branchline passenger service, the demise of electric railroads, the transition from steam to diesel power, as well as the end of common carrier freight service on the Colorado narrow gauge. Off the Main Lines carries readers along out-of-the-way railways in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, and South Dakota to see the changes that occurred on these lines from the 1940s to the 1990s.. In this visually stunning and comprehensive photographic essay, railroad historian and photographer Donovan L
Hofsommer is Professor of History at St. Cloud State University and president of the Lexington Group. Donovan L. He is author of Steel Trails of Hawkeyeland (IUP, 2005) and (with H. Roger Grant) of Iowa's Railroads: An Album (IUP, 2009).
The book’s eight chapters of text material is an interesting blend of historical fact and personal reminiscence, and traces the author’s own personal 60-year rail odyssey to a variety of 'off the beaten path' locations." Michigan Railfan. Relatively few points are in need of correction or clarification. Within its 320 pages, there are 454 black and white pictures. Parker Lamb, author of Railroads of MeridianWriting quality of the introduction, photo captions, and brief conclusion is excellent. I strongly recommend publication.John Spychalski"If you miss the Milwaukee, recall the Rock Island, suffer from the loss of the Soo Line, maintain sadness for the Santa Fe, can't forget the Frisco, absent-mindedly buried the Burlington Route in oblivion or still maintain romantic recollections of the Katy, you'll find Dr. Hofsommer's Off the Main Lines exatly where you need to be!" Lexington Quarterly"This volume presents a 'dif