Streamliner Memories (Enthusiast Color Series) (Paperback)

by Mike Schafer (Author) "As the final warm days of summer 1997 drifted by, anticipation mounted for the impending release of a new book that friend Joe Welsh and..." (more)
Key Phrases: dome diners, dome cars, revenue passengers, New York, Union Pacific, Santa Fe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Thousands of railroad enthusiasts regret never having the chance to cheat the wind aboard trains like Santa Fe's Super Chief or Burlington's California Zephyr. Packed with period color photos throughout, this book covers the heyday of streamliner travel from 1930 to 1970, and celebrates the most memorable aspects of streamliner travel--elegant dining cars, cozy lounge cars, breathtaking views from massive Vista-Domes, and retiring to private Pullman sleepers.

About the Author
Mike Schafer has written the MBI titles Classic American Streamliners, Caboose, Roller Coasters and Classic American Railroads.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks International (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760306192
• ISBN-13: 978-0760306192
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,465,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great memories, June 12, 2000

By	Tom Anderson (Cupertino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

What a pleasant surprise to get this book home and discover that it is written by a true lover of trains! Wonderful pictures accompany intersting stories about the author's experiences as a train fanatic. The section covering the Illinois Central and its Land o Corn reminded me of my childhood and the magic of taking the train from Rockford to Chicago for the day. I this the book is worth the price for the photographs but I also think it's worth the price for the narative. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More blunted than streamline., August 6, 2002

By	Robin Benson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a neat idea to produce a paperback that relates the tales of folk who were actually passengers on the great streamliners of the past. Author Mike Schafer managed to cover a lot of miles (and consume plenty of food in the dining cars too) on these trains and his travels take up most of the text, various side-bars give others a chance to tell of their streamline rail adventures. All very interesting but what let the book down for me (apart from the bland predictable layout) was the poor picture selection and the quality of those chosen, too many are soft-focus, blurred, or not really relevant In the acknowledgement the author praises Bob Johnson for having the foresight to photograph the interiors of these trains but his photos are no better than snaps that belong in a photo album and not really good enough to appear in print. If they had to be used maybe a couple of spreads made to look like a scrapbook with hand-written comments would have solved the problem. I think the best visual items in the book are the brochure covers and ads put out by the railroads to promote their trains.

If you are interested in streamline trains the author (and Joe Welsh) have produced much better books, I would suggest `Classic American Streamliners', 160 pages, or best of all, `The Art of the Streamliner' a hardcover 144 page book which (amazingly) costs not much more than `Streamliner Memories'.