Customer Reviews

The Northern Railroads in the Civil War, 1861-1865

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Review by a modeler
'Northern Railroads in the Civil War 1861-1865' by Thomas Weber is a scholarly work, Anyone modeling in the Civil War Era will find this an invaluable resource. Both layout designers and operators will be able to add realism beyond the expected. Several places also mention running speeds of the locomotives and why those speeds were set. Length of trains, make-up of cars, where and what type,what loads on which routes, and running on what kind of schedule on what type of rail are all details scattered throughout the book. Also how different places and times affected layout and operations.
Thomas Weber tells some great stories which would make great dioramas, such as when the enemy had began tearing up track , and an engineer gunned the engine to full speed ahead. With bullets flying, the outer rail held the train on track for a whole curve and was able to whip back onto the rails after the curve.
Unfortunately, there are no photographs or graphics of any kind.Another aspect I wish Weber expanded more on was the use of Ironclad trains. The Ironclad rail cars make for unusual models, however their use seems to be relegated to the experimental and unusual.Life-Like Trains HO Scale Rail Master Electric Train SetLife-Like Trains HO Scale Powered Old Time Teakettle Locomotive - Baltimore and OhioOLD TRAINS & CIVIL WAR - 2 ViewMaster 3D 3-Reel SetsCivil War Confederate Express Electric Train CollectionMicro Machines Military #17 Civil War Collection

Detailed coverage of railroad operations in conjunction with military movements in the North helped explain why the Union forces were able to move large amounts of troops and material to the front. It also explains how wounded as well as prisoners were shipped to Union lines. A bit more could been written about the use of contraband (newly freed slaves), but maybe there were few records kept on that topic. The author supplies many shipping numbers: locomotives, cars, empties as well as revenue over the war years. The Reconstruction period was briefly examined, but that was not in the scope of the book. Perhaps other authors have dealt with that aspect of railroad development in the United States, l865-l872.

A tremendous amount of research was done by the author, but the first half of the book is an accountant's dream - all figures. The better "meat" is in the second half of the book.