|
On Railways Far Away by William Middleton w/ dust jacket
On Railways Far Away by William Middleton
Hard cover with dust Jacket
Pages 294
Copyright 2012
Contents
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
1 WESTERN EUROPEAN TRAINS 3
2 FAR NORTHERN RAILWAYS 69
3 ON THE NORTH EDGE OF AFRICA 119
4 ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST FROM BERLIN TO BAGHDAD 135
5 TRAINS OF THE FAR EAST 157
6 METER GAUGE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 231
7 A GLIMPSE OF AUSTRALIA 253
8 RAILWAY PEOPLE 261
On Railways Far Away
IN THIS LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR,
William D. Middleton invites readers to climb aboard and share 6o years of railroad tourism around the globe. Middleton's award-winning photography records events such as the final days of American Civil War locomotives in Morocco and the start up of the world's first high-speed railway in Japan. He has photographed such great civil works as Scotland's Firth of Forth Bridge and the splendid railway station at Haydarpasa on the Asian side of the Bosporus. Closer to home he has long been recognized for his significant contribution
to the photographic interpretation of North America's railroading history. On Railways Far Away presents over zoo of Middleton's favorite photographs and the personal stories behind the images. It is a book that will delight both armchair travelers and those for whom the railroads still hold romance.
PREFACE
MY FASCINATION WITH RAILWAYS goes as far back as my memory, but it was not until the navy sent me off on my first assignment to Morocco more than so years ago that I began my interest in what were often called "overseas railroads," or, as I prefer, "railways far away." In North Africa, I was much intrigued with such equipment as high-speed French-built electric locomotives, steam engines that were said to date from the time of the Civil War, and brand-new Baldwin diesels that were equipped with "rotoclone" sand-proofing filters for service in the Sahara. My interest in world railways quickly followed.
In the years following the long period in the navy and the higher education that came afterward, this interest sent me off for long tours and extensive travel overseas. My trips on the faraway trains seemed almost always to remind me of something new or different at every stop.
On journeys across Turkey on the Taurus or Ankara Express, I remember in the small hours of the night the pounding of steam cylinders on the 2-8-2 Mikado head engine and a 2-10-0 Decapod helper on the way up over the 2.5 percent Black Hill, the splendid Turkish dinner on board the Wagons-Lits dining car, or the station stop on a hot afternoon as we
completed the long climb from the Mediterranean to the summit of the Taurus Mountains, as small boys running beside the train shouted "buz gibi su! buz gibi su!" (ice-like water!) to riders.
One cold day in Korea I remembered what I was sure was a former New Haven coach, thankfully heated with a retrofitted coal-burning stove for the climb up the snowy Taebaek Mountains to visit the first trial runs of the Korean railroad's new electrics, and how railroad staff in the Far East are typically smartly uniformed for their occupation. I was particularly impressed by the engineman on a narrow gauge 2-8-2, who operated the aging locomotive in an immaculate uniform, complete even to gloves and sunglasses, and occupied his seat with an air of importance that could have come from something like the 20th Century.
I have never become fully adjusted to the high speed with which the surrounding scenery along Japan's Shinkansen line passes by at perhaps iso miles per hour. It was even more difficult when I sat alongside the engineer and watched two trains come together at a combined speed of Soo miles per hour.
On Sweden's Inlandsbanan (Inland Railway), an occasional mishap along the line is a collision between an elk or reindeer and a train; the train always wins. On a trip across the Inslandsbanan we made a luncheon at a place where the train and an elk had collided earlier in the day, and I couldn't help but wonder if the elk had been part of the day's meal. The Inslandsbanan, too, was well known for its ferocious mosquito - the higher above the Arctic Circle, the bigger the mosquito - and the railway even celebrated it with a short trip to visit the "mosquito museum."
My memories for all of these trips were held in now voluminous notes, and even more in the camera that followed me on every trip, accounting for many thousands of negatives. In the expectation that a journal of some of these trips might be of interest to anyone interested in faraway places, I have collected some favorite pictures and recollected some favorite places for readers. I hope they will enjoy the journey, and I hope, too, that remembering their own journeys of far interests will add to the enjoyment.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
