Customer Reviews

New Mexico's Railroads: A Historical Survey

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This isn't a long review, but I simply couldn't let the only review sit here at a 1-star rating when the review wasn't even on the book. The review was of Amazon's service.

This is a fantastic survey of New Mexico's railroading history, loaded with many photos and covering everything from the famed railroads such as the AT&SF to the A&SM (Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain) railroad whose trestle is famously still seen on a drive up to Cloudcroft, NM.

David F. Myrick is the definitive historian on so much of the Southern Pacific operations: a three volume work on Nevada, five volumes on Arizona, and this, on New Mexico. This is his usual excellent work, that somehow keeps getting updated - and I've picked up each of the updates, religiously! Not quite as thorough as the Nevada and Arizona books, but really good and there just isn't any other work like it out there. Can't go wrong on it.

This book contains detailed information which is well organized and well illustrated. It exceeded my expectations with over 250 pages and over 200 photos.
The author extends his subject area some by including street car systems in New Mexico, railways which connect into West Texas, and both railways and street car systems in El Paso and Juarez. He even includes photos of a collection of 14 old railroad passes.
Throughout the book, he includes information about the economics involved -- not just where the lines were built, but also how and why routes were built and why many were eventually merged or abandoned.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of New Mexico and anyone interested in railroad history.

As a New Mexican born and raised here, and as a model railroader wishing to model some of the Southern Pacific trackage and local rail history, this book has a LOT to offer. Add to that, I now live in Silver City, in the southwestern New Mexico mining district and close to many of the towns and mines listed in this well written book. Tyrone and Hurley with their mining histories are but minutes away and Hachita, Columbus are within reach in a couple hours drive.

The book is great. I've owned it for years. But I looked at it out of curiousity on Amazon and somehow they sent it to me -- not one but two. Of course, I sent them both back, but I'm not going to take another chance with Amazon.