Customer Reviews

Locomotive

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When I was looking for a new book about American locomotives, I found this title interesting, but unfortunately there was not much buying information about this book. So I looked for more information at the website of the publisher (Motorbooks International) and there I found the following description; This is an absolute must-have for any train enthusiast! Both diesel and steam locomotives of the 20th century are profiled in this oversize book. The train cars practically plow off the pages of the incredible 2-foot spreads. Solomon is the first photographer to shoot trains with the medium-format film that gives the pictures in this book unbelievable clarity and detail. Hdbd., 12 x 10 1/2, 160 pgs., 50 b&w and 150 color ill.

I do have a couple of good railway books from the United States, from photographers like G. Zolzall / M. Danneman, S. Schmollinger, G. Benson, etc. Most of these photographers use 35 mm SLR cameras (mostly their equipment is described in the books) and in some books you can see the limits of this format very well (some pictures are, in my opinion, blown up too much and therefore too grainy; especially when they are printed on 2 pages). So because the pictures in this book were made on the bigger format, I immediately ordered it.

My expectations were very high; I was dreaming of color pictures as sharp as the black&white pictures in the books with the photos from O.W. Link, but you will not find them in this book. The pictures are not completely different as from another photo books. In a lot of cases still grainy and sometimes the subject is too big (wheels just at the bottom of the page; sometimes parts of the locomotive cut off). That doesn't mean to say that they are bad.
There are 33 big pictures over 2 pages. Problem with such a layout is as well the gutter over the middle of the page. I should prefer a razor sharp image only on one page.
On the text I dont have much comments; not too much, but with the all the interesting facts in it.

When I was looking for a new book about American locomotives, I found this title interesting, but unfortunately the information about this book at amazone.com was very poor. So I looked for more information at the website of the publisher (Motorbooks International) and there I found the following description; "This is an absolute must-have for any train enthusiast! Both diesel and steam locomotives of the 20th century are profiled in this oversize book. The train cars practically plow off the pages of the incredible 2-foot spreads. Solomon is the first photographer to shoot trains with the medium-format film that gives the pictures in this book unbelievable clarity and detail. Hdbd., 12 x 10 1/2, 160 pgs., 50 b&w and 150 color ill."

I do have a couple of good railway books from the United States, from photographers like G. Zolzall / M. Danneman, S. Schmollinger, G. Benson, etc. Most of these photographers use 35 mm SLR camera's (mostly their equipment is described in the books) and in some books you can see the limits of this format very well (some pictures are, in my opinion, blown up too much and therefore too grainy; especially when they are printed on 2 pages). So because the pictures in this book were made on the bigger format, I immediately ordered it.

My expectations were very high; I was dreaming of color pictures as sharp as the black&white pictures in the books with the photo's from O.W. Link, but you will not find them in this book. The pictures are not completely different as from another photo books. In a lot of cases still grainy and sometimes the subject is too big (wheels just at the bottom of the page; sometimes parts of the locomotive cut off).
There are 33 big pictures over 2 pages. Problem with such a layout is as well the gutter over the middle of the page. I should prefer a razor sharp image only on one page.
On the text I don't have much comments; not too much, but with the all the interesting facts in it.