Published Reviews of Books--partial list
STEAM AT ALLANDALE
Railfan & Railroad, January 1999, page 23
Back in the late 1950s an ambitious railfan could uncover true rural steam railroading in Canada long after it had vanished from most of the United States. And a favourite haunt of these photographers was the Canadian National's lines north from Toronto to Allandale, Orillia and North Bay. The focal point of this Ten-Wheeler, Pacific and Mikado country was Allandale, Ontario, where the lines from Hamilton and Toronto converged with a westward network of branch lines and the main stem to North Bay.
Ian Wilson has gathered a wonderful selection of black and white images - and 16 pages of color - from photographers like John Rehor, Robert Sandusky, Howard Ameling, Jim Shaughnessy, John Walsh, Ray Faux, Alan Crompton and Harold Kinzie (thanks to collectors like Carleton Smith, Jim Brown, Dave Shaw and numerous others) and organized them in an attractive and intelligent package to tell the story of the last years of steam in this part of Canada. Wilson is a modeller and a storyteller, and he brings the photos to life with text describing the action while organising the photos in logical and interesting segments, emphasising the strikingly artistic shots but not overlooking the important contextual ones. He crops the photos to retain the "settings" and augments the pure action views with interesting shots of stations, equipment and facilities. Maps and diagrams of individual yards and towns inform without interfering with the artistic presentation of this very handsomely designed book. The motive power ranges from 0-6-0s to 4-8-4s and some really weird gas electrics (as well as a very few appropriated diesels), while the medium/small power like Pacifics and Ten-Wheelers dominates.
In addition to the entertaining text and top-notch photos, the book contains a "Modellers' Appendix" that puts into pure data form details of traffic, locomotive assignments, local industries and typical train consists and on-line duties. This alone is an awesome and invaluable piece of research material. The photo reproduction ranges from good to excellent with and average of "very good," with the photos and text very cleanly laid out on heavy gloss paper.
It would be difficult to put together a book that better depicts a particular railroad than this one - it entertains and informs with grace and style. And the subject matter is as earthy and basic as steam railroading can get. Take a bow, Mr. Wilson; you deserve it.
JIM BOYD
CN LINES, Volume 9, Number 1, page 27
Steam at Allandale is a wonderful new book written by Ian Wilson and self-published by his own Canadian Branchline Miniatures. It tells the story of the operations centred at Allandale, a division point in steam days on the Canadian National System on the shores of Lake Simcoe, about sixty miles north of Toronto.
Through a number of articles in CN LINES in the recent past, many of us have become familiar with Ian's unique writing style in which the reader is quite virtually swept back in time to see, feel, hear and smell the atmosphere of the railway.
Steam at Allandale is Ian's first full book project. He doesn't disappoint us. A great deal of thought has obviously been placed in the preparing of this 192-page hardcover book. The text is thoughtfully typeset in large, easy-to-read format.
The pictures, meticulously gathered from many sources and private collections, carefully (and masterfully) printed exclusively by Dave Shaw and scanned and retouched by Ian Cranstone, compliment the text. There is a centre section of 16 pages in beautiful full colour. There is a comprehensive map in the first pages of the book, which is very handy to refer to when reading and visualizing each subdivision. In addition there are maps drawn of each community, providing a complete picture of trackage, structures and streets, and can be readily related to the photographs.
A chapter at the back of the book entitled "Modeller's Appendix", deals with the documentation of industries and train operations.
As we open any page, and begin to read, we are immediately transported back to the mid-1950's. The nine chapters each take us for a twenty-four hour visit to a subdivision radiating out from Allandale. The locomotives, the consists, the communities along each line, the activities of a typical daily routine are captured for posterity in this thoughtful account of a simpler time, and way of life.
The author has taken most of his research from first-hand accounts enthusiastically submitted by the men and women who worked on these lines, and lived in these communities. Many of these people are the Allandale pensioners, who kept the author fed with concise, correct details and terminology , so that nothing was left to chance in the accurate compiling of this story. Everything is written in the present tense, giving the reader the sense that "I am here, and this in now!"
CN LINES' own Associate Editor, Ian Cranstone worked side by side with the author, doing layout and design of each page of the book. The printer was so enthusiastic about the end result, that the book may be entered in an international design competition.
Steam at Allandale is, in my mind, a work which has set a new standard in railway special interest books. The text, pictures, format, and layout is the finest quality. The price of $54.95 is an investment which will repay itself many times over in pure enjoyment for years to come.
Reviewed by Rich Chrysler
Vintage Rails, March/April
1999, page 112
Steam at Allandale turns the clock back more than 40 years to the last decade of steam operation on the network of Canadian National lines which radiated out from Allandale, 60 miles north of Toronto and the division point of the 672-mile Allandale Division. Through more than 240 photographs, including 32 in color, the author presents a look at an era before the diesel changed railroading forever. Track diagrams, timetables, and locomotive assignments are included as well.
As the title suggests, steam locomotives and their facilities abound, but there are lots of views of stations as well, and a few internal combustion locomotives creep in. Photo reproduction is superb; the book is visually reminiscent of those produced 20 years ago by the New York Graphic Society. An appendix discussing daily operations is included, primarily for prototype modellers. Steam at Allandale is a very fine effort which will be of obvious interest to CNR fans as well as to steam enthusiasts in general.
April 1999 page 113
For anyone contemplating a traditional-era railroad, read Steam at Allandale, by Ian Wilson. It is the story of a CNR division point and is about the best explanation of how such a place worked that I have ever read. It goes back to a time that we cannot see now, to a way of handling trains and cargo that we need to know about. I'll steal John [Swanson]'s line here: "Read it."
WILLIAM SCHAUMBURG, editor
January 2001 page 26
If your attitude is "I am not interested in Canadian (or whatever) railroads, I am only interested in the XYZ Central," you are not only missing the boat, you are going under for the third time. Chet French, an author and friend who has high standards for his own books, told me to buy Steam At Allandale. Thanks Chet!
Railroading is railroading, and if you want to get a real feel for it in the early 1950's, buy this book. Chapter 1 begins, "Half an hour before midnight, a tender light winks on inside of the Allandale roundhouse and a hostler backs a Mikado onto the seventy-foot turntable." Ian Wilson then proceeds to take the reader through the parade of trains at Allandale. Well captioned photos in this section include Train No. 60's headend cars being worked and two cars being set out for No. 42; the Orillia switcher; the Meaford way freight; and 4-6-0 No. 1350 on its way to Collingwood to double-head a grain extra back to Allandale and leaving on the head end of motor train D-1 as the yard engine adds an express car to No. 41. These are the every-day things of railroading's past, but we seldom see such photos or read captions informative enough to let us know it. The detail rich text adds even more information to these scenes. Wilson is a gifted writer.
Steam At Allandale then takes each line of the Allandale Division as a chapter and goes over it on the way freight, showing the work and providing town diagrams and information on local industries. The train is described while working against opposing trains in timetable and train order territory.
Chapter 8 tells of the Scotia run, known as the "Huntsville Switcher," working at Huntsville. The switcher gets in the clear for Manifest 452, does a little work and then the northbound South River local heads in, followed shortly by its southbound counterpart. Two passenger trains, Nos. 41 and 444, are due within ninety minutes, followed by Manifest 454. Into the mix is added No. 55, the Algonquin Park passenger train. Today's railroading is much different, and it is chapters like this one that unlock how it was done in the days of steam and early diesels. The scenario at Huntsville described above would seem contrived to many modelers today, but this is just one of several that are discussed in the book.
Passenger trains, manifests, rock trains, turns, way freights, it is all here and written in manner that is readable, conveying a lot of information which really gives you the feel of what it was like to work in train order and timetable territory.
If you are looking for stories of fighting snow, hobos, wheelers and dealers, legal data and other railforgetabilia, don't buy this book. The fact that some long-forgotten corporate bigwig signed the articles of incorporation is not here. However, if a very well done book on railroading in the 1950's is of interest to you, then Steam At Allandale is for you.
How much did I like Steam At Allandale? Well, I got fired up and built four Ten-wheelers just as a result of looking at the photos and reading the captions, then I bought the author's second book, To Stratford Under Steam, sight unseen. I will continue to buy every book Ian Wilson puts out.
JOHN SWANSON
Branchline, February 1999, page 19
Steam at Allandale by Ian Wilson was released in August and it was well worth the wait. If you are a fan of the CNR in the 1950s you must have this book. It is a contemporary history of the CNR Division Point of Allandale and the subdivisions radiating out from that point. The book, which is written as though you were there, takes you back to the mid-1950s and follows trains as they travelled on the various subdivisions radiating out of Allandale.
Subdivisions covered include the Newmarket, Milton, Alliston, Meaford, Penetang, Newmarket (to Washago) and Huntsville. Of course there is coverage of Allandale as well. The reproduction and selection of the black and white photos in the volume are spectacular. Dave Shaw handled the printing of the photos and it must have been a labour of love as they are excellently done. You really get a feel for the area and the time. As you travel the various divisions, each chapter is loaded with plans of the various stops. You can easily relate the story in the text to the diagrams and get a visual picture of where the crew was going as they went about their tasks as they entered each town. This aspect of the book is a real boon to the model railroader. While a bit more of the history of the lines might have been nice that is not what this volume is trying to achieve. It really puts you into the 1950s as steam and branchline services were winding down. The competition from private vehicle and trucks was taking over the passenger and LCL business and the diesels were making inroads.
The book is easy to follow and was well laid out by Ian Cranstone. Layout is so important in making a book presentable and Ian has done an excellent job in this regard. If the book has any short comings it is with the colour photo section. While the photo selection was great some of the reproduction is not up to the same standards as the B & W photos in the book. I suspect this may be due to the scanning or printing process. While the colour reproduction is okay, I use the Morning Sun books as colour standard and this effort is not quite up to that level.
The book contains a "Modellers' Appendix" which gives an excellent description of what freight traffic was handled to various stations along the lines. It also includes freight schedules and locomotive assignments. This is a real benefit if you want to do an accurate modelling of any part of the various divisions. The rail plans throughout the book are also a great help for this modelling aspect.
I cannot say enough positive things about this work. It is probably one of the best Canadian volumes I have seen come out in a long time, and it definitely sets a new standard for layout and photo reproduction. If you are a CNR fan, or a fan of railroading in the 1950s, you need to have this book in your library. I hope this is just the first of many volumes to come from Ian.
Reviewed by Paul Bown
Model Railroader, May
1999, page 44
Allandale, Ontario, located 60 miles north of Toronto, was the operational hub of the Canadian National's 672-mile Allandale division. This book, written by Ian Wilson, is a close-up look at Allandale itself and the network of lines around it in the late steam era.
The 9" x 12" book's 192 pages include over 240 black-and-white and 32 color photographs. Also included are clearly drawn and well-detailed maps that show the tracks and industries at numerous points along the division.
While photos of steam locomotives and their servicing facilities are the most numerous, there are quite a few shots of diesels and the surrounding town or countryside.
Model railroaders will find many details to pore over in the photos, maps, and a detailed appendix that discusses the entire division's daily operations. Steam at Allandale is an historic record that appeals to all steam-era fans and modellers.
Marty McGuirk, Associate Editor
TO STRATFORD UNDER STEAM
Branchline, January 2003, page 19
This volume released in 2000 was Ian's second effort in
a series of books covering CNR operations in
This volume centres on
As you move through each chapter Ian carries you back to the mid-1950s. Trucks had made an inroad and passenger service was on the decline but there was still business to be done. At each station along the branch there are track and industry layout diagrams. The text gives a good description of the work that would be undertaken at each station.
As with the other works in the series this is both a
modeller's and an historian's delight. The photos cover the whole range of CNR motive
power from the small 0-6-0 switchers, through the 2-6-0s, 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s that handled
freights on the branches. Not forgotten are the Pacifics on the passenger locals plus the
Mountains and Northerns on the main line trains.
The centre portion of the book is "The Colourful Stratford Division" and this chapter contains 32 colour photos from the various locations covered in the book. As with the other books in the series this work is really exceptional and Ian has set standards that any volume should try and meet.
Reviewed by Paul Bown
STEAM OVER PALMERSTON
Branchline, February 2002, page 16
The third volume from Ian Wilson covers the CNR operations at Palmerston, Ontario, and the branchlines in the Bruce Peninsula that were served out of this busy hub. Like Ian's previous two works, Steam At Allandale, and To Stratford Under Steam, this book is excellent. Palmerston and the lines that radiated out of it were a mecca for railfans in the last decade of steam and many well-known steam photographers ventured there. As you work your way throughout the volume names such as John Krause, Jim Shaughnessy, Phil Hastings, Jim Brown, Robert Sandusky, John Rehor and others populate the credit lines. The photos they took were excellent and they have been well reproduced in this book.
Ian's works follow a consistent pattern. He transplants you back to 1954 and you follow the trains and crews as they go about their work day. The book commences in Palmerston with the early morning influx of traffic. The crews go about their tasks and trains are set up to venture along the various branches. Each chapter deals with a different branch radiating out of and serviced by the Palmerston terminal.
A timetable indicating the stations heads up each chapter. You then board the mixed (most branches were served by Mixed Trains at this point in history) and travel off up the branch. The text tells what went on at each town and what industries were served. There are accompanying photos for most locations plus a detailed track plan for each stop. The track plan is a great reference to give you the feel of what is going on in the textual description.
If you are a modeler what a great way to set up a realistic operation. Ian provides all the information you would need to emulate any of the branches or Palmerston itself. The period represented is at the time where most passenger business had already shifted to cars. What was now commencing was the loss of LCL freight to trucks. It was also near the end of the period where a single ageing industry supported a small town. The branches themselves would disappear over the next 30 to 40 years.
The book is supplemented by a section of colour photos from the territory covered. All the pictures are interesting in themselves. There is some repetition of the locomotives in the photos, but then again, there were only so many locomotives assigned to Palmerston. Many of the scenes are from the chase of a train as it traversed the branch. As well, there are some interesting facts that can be gleaned from the photos. On at least two occasions the baggage car on one of the trains is from the New York Central, in one situation a light-weight car, in the other a heavyweight car. It was something I never expected to see in that part of the province. Apparently they were leased by the CNR to cover business upswings. The assortment of US road freight cars seen in the many photos certainly is an aid to the modeler.
This is another tremendous volume from Ian Wilson and Canadian Branchline Miniatures. As with the first two volumes the layout was by Ian Cranstone and he has created another masterpiece. They continue to produce books that have set new standards that all producers must try to meet. This book and the first two volumes occupy a prime spot in my bookcase where they are quickly available for reference. I only wish Ian would tackle the CPR or the NYC in Ontario for a future project. I understand that he still has more CNR ideas up his sleeve.
Reviewed by Paul Bown
Railfan & Railroad,
April 2002, page 24
I apologize for being behind the curve on presenting this admittedly biased review, but I just recently was able to look at two of the three volumes lan Wilson has published on Canadian National steam operations in June 1954. (the third is Steam at Allandale). The bias is that I am very fond of both high-quality black & white photography and Canadian steam locomotives. So, following these simple criteria, my recommendation is to buy these well-presented and finely printed books.
Almost all of the pictures I have never I seen before, and there are some real gems that go well beyond just engine pictures. Each volume, following a similar format, contains a couple hundred b&w photos, almost 40 color views (some technically great, others only so-so), scores of track diagrams and line maps of each town on the lines emanating from the principal city, and a few operating timetables. The excellent line maps will help historians and model railroaders • understand how the railroads fit into their local socio-economic environment. At the end of each book is a table of all locomotives assigned to the town in question during the 1950s (profusely annotated) and a descriptive list of the passenger, freight and mixed trains that frequented the lines.
These volumes, produced by a young local Ontario resident with a definite passion for the subject, are the result of exhaustive research and interviews and present things as they were in June 1954 (but of necessity using pictures from the mid-'50s until the end of steam). Photographs range from engine portraits to panoramas of mixeds dashing across rural Ontario to superb night and roundhouse shots. The material is presented very well, the author placing the reader in the historic scene by recreating a number of events based on actual workings, timetables, the comings and goings of commerce and people, interchanges of goods and, of course, both the humdrum and excitement of daily railway worker life.
These books are not random collections of pictures accompanied by mundane captions, but a series of chapters telling and recreating separate stories about railway life in Palmerston (branch line hub) and Stratford (division point and shops) and on radiating lines. The author takes us to hang around stations and engine houses, ride freights and mixeds into the countryside where annstrong turntables are used, observe passenger cars being shunted from one train to another and watch engines fly overhead at the Stratford shops.
It is particularly interesting to learn how freight trains and mixeds interacted with their shippers, how and why different branches used different power, how rebuilt locos are broken in. For the motive power men in the audience, the Palmerston book is mostly about 2-6-0s, 4-6-0s and some Pacifies. The Stratford volume shows bigger power, mostly 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s (both plain vanilla and in various degrees of streamlining) and the occasional Hudsons, Pacifics and switchers.
Of interest to all, but particularly local historians
and authors wanting to see another approach to conveying information through words and
graphics (the book is maybe 2/3 pictures and 1/3 words). Model railroaders will find these
books of great use too, since a reader will gain a good understanding of how railroads
operate in their environment, thereby helping a
modeler design and run a more realistic model empire. My recommendation, after hearing
affirmative opinions on the Allandale book from discriminating friends, is to buy all
three books in this limited edition series. I hope more follow.
TOM KELCEC
STEAM THROUGH LONDON
Railfan & Railroad, August 2003, page 13
February 2003 saw the debut of the fourth volume from this author, covering 1950 main line steam operations in and around the southwestern Ontario main line division point of London.
Sharp, superbly printed and reproduced b&w shots never seen before, plus occasional color views (alas, not so sharp but of good color) give us a fine feel for freight and passenger train operations at such locations as Bayview, Dundas, Brantford, Paris, Woodstock, Chatham, Windsor and Sarnia. Of course, operations at London proper are covered in depth. As in the prior volumes, track and town line drawings are presented throughout, giving CN aficionados as well as modelers a bird's-eye view of the relationship of the railway to structures and commerce. Locomotives assigned to London, Sarnia and Windsor are presented in text form, sample train profiles are included, timetables appear here and there, and a list and profile of all passenger trains operating during the period is included as well. The book has eleven chapters, each focusing on either a specific location or subdivision. Also in parallel with the prior volumes, the text attempts to convey to the reader rail operations on Friday, June 25, 1954. Of course, the photos span a variety of times.
We start at the Paris Junction coaling dock, as Vanderbilt-tendered 4-8-4s handle freight and we learn of CNR's initial plans to handle the final years of steam. We then proceed to watch trains at Bayview Junction., Dundas and the Niagara escarpment, then ride a wayfreight from Brantford to Galt. Chapters on Brantford, Paris and the Princeton-to-Dorchester line follow, with many pages subsequently devoted to London. The last four chapters cover main line action at Samia, the 46-mile line from Hyde Park to Clinton, the Longwood and Chatham Subdivisions, and the terminal at Windsor, across from Motown.
Half the value of Wilson's books is the photos, the balance the detailed descriptions of day-to-day operations that give the reader a good sense of how the railroad was being run at the time. Covered are through and way freight assignments, switching of local industries, the purpose and patronage of passenger trains, how freights and passenger movements were integrated, why particular locomotive types were given particular assignments, how men tamed their machines, and the 24-hour-a-day orchestration of a myriad of activities great and small.
This research required the files and recollections of those who lived the experiences, so this is a semi-transcript of "oral history" that may have been lost except for this effort. Photographically, not every image is a perfect action or roster shot, but each helps illustrate the story, and most match the text well in proper photojournalistic style. Overall, I felt as if I was there in space and time, whether on a fast passenger powered by a Hudson, or switching a local industry. Those familiar with the Strasburg Rail Road will notice sisters of Nos.31 and 89 here, seen in regular service. This is another fine work and well recommended for CNR fans and those interested in Ontario history. Hurry, though, if you want a copy, since Volume One is sold out and the press run is very limited.
TOM KELCEC
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