Railroads of Colorado: Your Guide To Colorado's Historic Trains and Railway Sites (Pictorial Discovery Guide) [Hardcover]

Claude Wiatrowski (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pictorial Discovery Guide | Publication Date: June 6, 2004

Claude Wiatrowski, with photography by Claude Wiatrowski. Through informative text, sharp color photography, and historical black-and-white images, Railroads of Colorado invites you on a journey from the railroad's humble and hard-won beginnings to its status as a symbol of our past. Railroads of Colorado also includes ideas for exploring Colorado's railways; both the ghosts of long-gone trains that haunt the mountains and the preserved trains whose whistles still echo off those granite peaks. It also contains other helpful information--such as a map showing the routes of more than 30 Colorado rail lines and a "railroad directory," which lists the contact information for 13 operating passenger trains and trolleys.Explores the fascination these improbable railways inspire, providing the history of these unique railroads, the engineering that paved their way into the mountains, and the men who built and ran them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"carefully researched, entertaining, for those who want to visit and ride, magnificent and unique color photos that leap out" -- Santa Fe New Mexican, 5/4/03

From the Author

For over 30 years, I’ve explored Colorado’s mountains searching for remnants of its historic railroads. I wanted to share the best of my photos with you and tell you the story of steel men who drove iron horses through granite mountains. Thousands of miles of old railroad tracks are now dirt roads or hiking trails. The scenery through which these trains ran is exciting enough but I would occasionally stumble on a water tank or station building or other historic artifact. It was 1973 and I stood atop a 10,000-foot mountain pass surrounded by golden Aspen trees separating a light dusting of bright white snow from Colorado’s deep blue sky. A narrow-gauge steam train chugged around the corner as it had since the nineteenth century and stopped in front of me to quench its thirst from an antique wooden water tank. At that moment, I knew I would be moving to Colorado! Fortunately, you and I can still ride many of these historic trains.

If you are looking for interesting vacation destinations, you’ll find them here. If you are a rail fan and not very familiar with the history of Colorado’s mountain railroads, this is the one book you should read. If you are lucky enough to live in Colorado and do not know the story of how railroads opened up the mountains, you’ll find that exciting saga in my book. After you are done reading, come to Colorado to ride its trains and explore its railroad heritage.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press; Ur Collectors E edition (June 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896585913
• ISBN-13: 978-0896585911
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,304,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, January 15, 2003

By 

Richard Wiener (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Railroads of Colorado: Your Guide To Colorado's Historic Trains and Railway Sites (Pictorial Discovery Guide) (Hardcover)

The narrative and photographs in this book are superlative. I am inspired to get out into the high country and rediscover the beautiful settings and associated railroad history described in this book. For anyone with an interest in great outdoor Colorado landscapes, railroad photographs, a well written history of railroads in Colorado, this book is a must read. In this book, Claude Wiatrowski has displayed his talents as an outstanding writer and photographer.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Colorado Railroad Guidebook, December 2, 2002

By 

Brooke Smith (Woodland Park, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Railroads of Colorado: Your Guide To Colorado's Historic Trains and Railway Sites (Pictorial Discovery Guide) (Hardcover)

Nicely done "coffee table style" book with excellent photography and content, appealing to both the Colorado railroad history buff and newcomer. The book is well organized for easy reading or for just browsing the photos and captions. The text for each railroad includes a guide for exploring historic locations, as well as tips for riding current tourist railroads. Also included is a reference map showing statewide railroad routes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview for the non-specialist train enthusiast, December 28, 2003

By 

Robert K. Furrer "Swissboy" (Sempach, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Railroads of Colorado: Your Guide To Colorado's Historic Trains and Railway Sites (Pictorial Discovery Guide) (Hardcover)

This book is sure to kindle even the smallest flames of love for old trains. If you are looking for any particular details about a specific old railroad, this is not the book for you. Instead, it appeals to all for whom old railroads also have a certain emotional appeal. The texts are intriguing and very well written. The pictures, as well, are captivating. Many of them benefit from the beautiful fall colors this area has to offer.

The only reason that I do not give this book five stars is that I feel its layout conveys a certain "restlessness" that contradicts the topic it deals with. Also, some pictures that I don't think deserve it get a full page, whereas others are tiny insets that would have benefitted from a somewhat larger reproduction. And any photograph that goes across the crease should be outlawed, anyway. At least as long as the crease affects the main subject. A case in point is the fine picture of the Manitou & Pikes Peak steam engine on pages 40-41, or the Royal Gorge train on pages 80-81, whereas the Silverton train on pages 114-115 is not affected very much.

But aside from these (overall) minor points, this is a book that deserves a wide distribution. That special combination of a beautiful landscape and fascinating remains of a century old train culture comes across very well. It will thus appeal beyond the train lover community. And it invites visitors to Colorado to explore new areas, e.g. to go into areas that don't have active trains anymore now.