Spirit of America Bookstore
Railroads in Fiction
![Compartment C, Car 293 [1938] painting by Edward Hopper](images/EHcompartmentC1938_236x270.jpg "Compartment C, Car 293 [1938] painting by Edward Hopper") "Compartment C, Car 293" [1938] by Edward Hopper [1882-1967] click for larger view |
here on page 1:
early railroad fiction 1925 1950 1980 on page 2:
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"There was a time when nothing moved faster than a train . . ."
— Michael Gillespie
Spirit of America Bookstore's American Railroads Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroad Film Festival Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Non-Fiction Books About Railroads' Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Railroads in Fiction - Books For Young Railfans Page
G.E. Nordell's Arizona Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's California Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Colorado Travel / Railroads Links Pages
G.E. Nordell's Nevada Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's New Mexico Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Utah Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Travel U.S.A. / Railroad Museums Page
 | "The Railroad In American Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography" [2005] by Grant Burns McFarland & Co. 10x7 pb [8/2005] for $49.95 |
railroad fiction writer Harry Bedwell [1888–1955]
Bedwell wrote many short stories {not collected} and only one novel, "The Boomer" [1942]
which is widely considered the best railroad novel ever written.
railroad fiction writer E.S. Dellinger [1886-1961]
Everett S. Dellinger wrote 25 short stories; he lived in New Mexico from 1920 to his death.
Dellinger papers, 1927-61 at University of New Mexico
British author Andrew Martin has so far written nine historical mystery novels
set in post-Edwardian {1909-19} England featuring railroad cop Jim Stringer
British author Keith Miles has used the pen name Edward Marston to write ten (so far)
'The Railroad Detective' mystery novels set in 1850s England
"Dombey and Son" [1848] by Charles Dickens [1812-70]
Dickens largely ignores the new railways in his books until 'Dombey and Son'; Dickens is clearly appalled by the destruction caused by the advent of rail travel.
A bereaved Dombey, mourning the loss of his son, draws parallels between the swiftness of Paul’s death and the speed of a train hurtling through the countryside,
monstrously sweeping away everything in its path.
"Mugby Junction" [1866] by Charles Dickens [1812-70]
a set of short stories written by Dickens and collaborators Charles Collins, Amelia B. Edwards, Andrew Halliday, and Hesba Stretton
http://www.amazon.com/Mugby-Junction-Thoroughfare-Charles-Dickens/dp/1781390185/ [9/2019]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugby_Junction
"Around The World In 80 Days" [1873]
("Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours")
Very popular novel written by French author Jules Verne [1828-1905], and still his most-popular book in English. There are four segments where Phineas Fogg
and his party travel by rail: from London to Egypt 'by rail and steamer'; across India from Mumbai to Kolkata; from California to New York; and from Liverpool
to London in England. The U.S. segment takes seven days: the train is delayed by a massive buffalo (bison) herd; the train is attacked by Native American warriors;
while disconnecting the locomotive to cross a dangerous suspension bridge, Passepartout is kidnapped by more Indians, and rescued by Fogg and the U.S. Cavalry;
another gap is solved by using a 'wind-powered sledge' to Omaha; then back on commercial railroads to New York City.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_(novel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_(1956_film)
"Dracula" [1897] by Bram Stoker
Van Helsing pursues Dracula back and forth across Europe by train, including one journey aboard the Orient Express.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula
 | "Stories of The Railroad" [Doubleday & McClure 1899] by John Alexander Hill Nine short stories involving railroads: "An Engineer's Christmas Story"; "The Clean Man and The Dirty Angels"; "Jim Wainwright's Kid"; "A Peg-Legged Romance"; "My Lady of The Eyes"; "Some Freaks of Fate"; "Mormon Joe, The Robber"; "A Midsummer Night's Trip"; and "The Polar Zone" Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [8/2011] for FREE {sic} Univ of California Libraries (Blue Cover) 8x5 pb [1899 facsimile] for $22.99 BiblioLife 10x7 hardcover [11/2009] for $36.99 available as free online etext (with 7 original illustrations) at Project Gutenberg |
 | "The Nerve of Foley & Other Railroad Stories" [1900] by Frank H. Spearman [1859-1937] Ten stories & four illustrations in the original Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE {sic} CreateSpace 9x6 pb [8/2014] for $6.64 Paper Tiger hardcover [1996] out of print/used available as free online etext at Internet Archive (from Gutenberg) |
 | "Held For Orders: Tales of Railroad Life" [1900] by Frank H. Spearman [1859-1937] Ten stories & 8 illustrations in the original Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE {sic} Ulan Press 10x7½ pb [8/2012] for $27.99 Paper Tiger 7½x5½ hardcover [1996] out of print/used available as free online flip-book at Internet Archive available as free online etext at Internet Archive (from Gutenberg) |
 | "The Passenger From Calais" [1905 novel] by Arthur Griffiths [1838-1908] Qontro Classic Books 11x8½ pb [7/2010] for $9.99 IndyPublish 9x6 hardcover [4/2007] for $19.99 available as free online etext at Project Gutenberg |
"The Railway Children" [1906]
The father of a family in Victorian London is taken away by two strangers; the wife & three children
fall on hard times and move to a country cottage beside a railway. The kids' faith and vigilance and
courage prevent an accident on the railway, leading to solution of the mystery of their missing father.
Spirit of America Bookstore's "The Railway Children" 1906 Novel & Movies Page
top of page • synopsis & history • the book • Kindle Editions • the author/s •
movies & TV • stageplays, other media • image gallery • links
 | "The Last Spike and Other Railroad Stories" [Charles Scribner's Sons Feb 1906] by Cy Warman 17 short stories: The Last Spike, The Belle of Athabasca, Pathfinding In The Northwest, The Curé's Christmas Gift, The Mysterious Signal, Chasing The White Mail, Oppressing The Oppressor, The Iron Horse and The Trolley, In The Black Cañon, Jack Ramsey's Reason, The Great Wreck On The Père Marquette, The Story of An Englishman, On The Limited, The Conquest of Alaska, Number Three, The Stuff That Stands, and The Milwaukee Run Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE {sic} Fili-Quarian Classics 11x8½ pb [7/2010] for $9.99 Leopold Classic Library 9x6 pb [3/2015] for $14.95 Wildside Press 9x6 hardcover [2/2006] for $29.95 |
 | "Ralph of The Round House: or, Bound To Become A Railroad Man" [1906 novel] by Allen Chapman, Illustrated by Clare Angell Chapter titles are:1. The Daylight Express; 2. Waking Up; 3. A Lost Ball; 4. Ike Slump’s Dinner Pail; 5. Opportunity; 6. The Master Mechanic; 7. At The Roundhouse; 8. The Old Factory; 9. An Unexpected Guest; 10. The Mysterious Letter; 11. On Duty; 12. Ike Slump’s Revenge; 13. Making His Way; 14. Ralph Fairbanks’ Request; 15. 'Van'; 16. Face To Face; 17. The Battle By The Tracks; 18. A Name To Conjure By?; 19. Ike Slump's Friends; 20. The Hide-Out; 21. A Free Ride; 22. Behind Time; 23. Bardon, The Inspector; 24. A New Enemy; 25. Diamond Cut Diamond; 26. A Roving Commission; 27. Recalled To Life; 28. Mystery; 29. A Rival Railroad; 30. The Right of Way; 31. A Remarkable Confession; 32. Found; 33. Ike Slump’s Raft; 34. Victory!; and 35. Conclusion Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2012] for 99¢ Walnut Hollow Books 8½x5½ pb [2008] out of print/used Chatterton-Peck Co. hardcover [1906] long out of print/scarce |
 | "Ralph On The Railroad: Four Complete Adventure Books For Boys In One Big Volume" [Mershon Co. 1906] by Allen Chapman omnibus book of four novels: "Ralph In The Round House", "Ralph In The Switch Tower", "Ralph On The Engine", and "Ralph On The Overland Express" Grosset & Dunlap reprint hardcover [1933] long out of print/scarce Grosset & Dunlap hardcover [1906] long out of print/scarce available as free online flip-book at Internet Archive |
 | "The Rainy Day Railroad War" [1906] by Holman Francis Day [1865-1935] Plot details hard to find, but illustrations suggest soldiers operating railroads overseas; previously serialized in The Youth's Companion Magazine Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [5/2012] for FREE! ValdeBooks 9x6 pb [10/2009] for $9.27 Pinnacle Press 9¼x6 hardcover [5/2017] for $22.95 out of print/used available as free online etext at Project Gutenberg A.S. Barnes May 1906 edition available as free online flip-book at Internet Archive |
 | "The Rome Express" [1907 novel] by Arthur Griffiths [1838-1908] The porter discovers a dead man in one of the compartments. Who was he? Who was his murderer? The countess? The English general? His brother the clergyman? The maid who has disappeared? Is French detective M. Floçon capable of solving the crime? General Books 9x6 pb [3/2010] for $6.59 Resurrected Press pb [4/2010] out of print/used Kessinger Publng 7x10 hardcover [5/2010] for $26.56 available as free online etext at Project Gutenberg |
 | "The Taming of Red Butte Western" railroad novel [1910] by Francis Lynde Dishonest men control operation of the Red Butte Western Railroad; the owner hires Howard Lidgerwood to go out West and straighten things out. Kindle Edition 1916 facsimile from Amazon Digital Services [5/2012] for FREE {sic} CreateSpace pb [11/2014] for $7.12 Echo Library 9x6 pb [5/2007] for $11.90 Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2010] for $37.40 |
 | "On The Iron At Big Cloud" [stories 1911] by Frank L. Packard [1877-1942] There is labor strife at the Big Cloud railroad construction camp, and the managers keep quitting; young civil engineer Dick Holman talks his uncle, the railroad's general superintendent, into sending him to Big Cloud to get the situation straightened out, intending to prove his mettle. Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2011] for 99¢ {sic} TheClassics.US 9¾x7½ pb [9/2013] for $14.63 Kessinger Publng 9x6 pb [9/2010] for $23.00 Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2010] for $33.80 |
 | "The Thorpe Hazell Mysteries, and More Thrilling Tales On and Off The Rails" [orig 1912] by Rev. Victor L. Whitechurch [1868-1933] British clergyman Whitechurch published "Thrilling Stories of The Railway" in 1912, a book containing nine stories about Thorpe Hazell, vegetarian railway detective, with six other short stories; this paperback expands to 19 non-Thorpe tales, mostly rail-related. Coachwhip Publns 9x6 pb [8/2010] for $14.95 "Stories of The Railway" [15 stories; 1977] by Victor L. Whitechurch Routledge & Kegan Paul 7¾x5¼ hardcover [1977] out of print/used |
 | "The U.P. Trail: A Novel" [1918 bestseller] by Zane Grey [1872-1939]
1st World Library 8½x5½ pb [9/2004] for $20.95 Kessinger 9x6 pb [5/2004] for $23.07 Pocket pb [4/91] out of print/used Classic Books hardcover [5/2000] for $49.99 Amereon hardcover [6/40] for $30.95 Blackstone UNABR audio [8/97] 10 tapes for $69.95 |
 | "Coogan's Last Run" short story [Top-Notch Magazine Feb 1918] by Frank L. Packard [1877-1942] Kessinger Publng 48-page 9¼x7½ pb [6/2004] for $15.15 {sic} read online etext {several formats} at Black Mask Online fansite |
 | "The Wire Devils" [1918 novel] by Frank L. Packard [1877-1942] A criminal gang intercepts telegraph messages so that they know which trains to rob. Kindle Edition from Rising Star Visionary Press [10/2010] for 99¢ {sic} Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2009] for 99¢ {sic} BiblioBazaar 8¾x5¾ pb [4/2009] for $21.59 Nabu Press 9¾x7½ pb [9/2013] for $27.02 BiblioLife 9¼x6 hardcover [4/2009] for $30.92 A.L. Burt hardcover [1918] out of print/used |
 | "The Night Operator" stories [George H. Doran Co. 1919; A.L. Burt, 1920] by Frank L. Packard [1877-1942] Ten railroad short stories including "The Wrecking Boss", filmed as "The Crash" [1928] Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE {sic} CreateSpace 9x6 pb [6/2014] for $7.59 Kessinger Publng 10x7 hardcover [9/2010] for $22.28 read free online etext at Project Gutenberg |
 | "Sons of The Red Rose and Other Railroad Stories" for Kindle [original ??; ebook 2012] contains public domain {pre-1923} short stories by authors M.B. De Courcy {"Sons of The Red Rose, in Fourteen Chapters", 1905), Ross B. Franklin (2 stories), Edgar Mayhew Bacon ("An Operator's Pluck", 1908), and Frank H. Spearman (2 stories) Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [5/2012] for $1.99 |
 | "Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive; or, Two Miles A Minute On The Rails" [Tom Swift #25 = 1922] by Victor Appleton The Hendrickton and Pas Alos Railroad Company is on the brink of bankruptcy; the H&PA contracts with The Swift Construction Company to build a new electric locomotive which can travel at 2 miles per minute - 120 miles per hour (190 km per hour). The owner of the competing Hendrickton & Western Railroad is dishonest and will stop at nothing to prevent the H&PA from success; he orders his hired thugs to destroy developments by Tom Swift and his team, leading to several life-threatening encounters with the hired gunmen. Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [5/2012] for FREE {sic} Dodo Press 9x6 pb [7/2006] for $8.99 FQ Books 11x8½ pb [7/2010] for $9.99 Grosset & Dunlap 7½x5 hardcover [1922] out of print/used available as free online etext at Project Gutenberg |
 | "Running Special" [1925] by Frank L. Packard [1877-1942] 'Stories of the Iron Trail by the Creator of Jimmie Dale' • Ten railroad stories, four not previously collected in book form: Corrigan’s Best (Feb 1913) about a one-legged engineer; The Hobo (Feb 1915); It Doesn’t Matter (Sept 1919); and The Man Who Confessed (circa 1920, probably the last railroad story that Packard wrote); the six stories previously published in the 1911 "...Big Cloud" collection are: The Blood of Kings; The Builder; The Guardian of The Devil’s Slide; Marley; Shanley’s Luck; and Spitzer George H. Doran Co. hardcover [1925] out of print/scarce Hodder & Stoughton, U.K. hardcover [1925] out of print/scarce |
"The White Desert" silent feature film [M.G.M. May 1925]
 | "This photo-drama was produced at tremendous cost and at a terrible risk of life." Filmed on location in the Colorado Rocky Mountains; the supervisor of the work gang pushing the digging of a railbed and tunnels over the Continental Divide wants speed, so he demands the use of dynamite. As predicted by the crew, the dynamite eventually causes an avalanche, which half-buries the camp and blocks arrival of supplies. Directed by Reginald Barker; adapted by Monte M. Katterjohn & Gordon Rigby from the 1922 novel by Courtney Ryley Cooper; starring Claire Windsor, Pat O'Malley, Robert Frazer, Frank Currier, William Eugene, Roy Laidlaw, Sôjin, Priscilla Bonner, Snitz Edwards, Milton Ross & Matthew Betz VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | adapted from Denver author Courtney Ryley Cooper's novel "The White Desert" [Musson Book Co. 1922] original edition illustrated by Anton Otto Fischer Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE {sic} Fili-Quarian Classics 11x8½ pb [7/2010] for $8.99 Echo Library 9x6 pb [12/2007] for $10.29 1st World Publng 8½x5½ hardcover [10/2008] for $22.46 |
 | "The Mystery of The Blue Train" [1928] by Agatha Christie [1890-1976]
Retired Belgian detective Hercule Poirot takes a train to the French Riviera; an American heiress is murdered in her compartment, and her world-famous ruby is missing. Berkley mass pb [6/2000] for $6.99 Pocket mass pb [7/79] out of print/many used Amereon 8¾x5¾ hardcover [1/99] for $22.95 |
 | "Stamboul Train: An Entertainment" [1932] by Graham Greene Renamed "Orient Express" in USA; although boarding the Oostende-Vienna Orient Express for different purposes, the lives of each of the central characters are bound in a fateful interlock; adapted at Fox in 1934 as the film "Orient Express" Penguin Classics 8x5 pb [11/92] out of print/used Penguin Canada mass pb [1967] out of print/used Penguin mass pb [1963] out of print/used Penguin mass pb [1963] out of print/used Heinemann/Bodley Head 7½x4¾ hardcover [1974] out of print/used Heinemann hardcover [1932] out of print/used |
 | "Sleepers East" [1933] by Frederick Nebel "Tense drama at express speed" The fate of a government witness is placed in the hands of detective Carl Izzard, a cold-blooded killer. (In the 1941 movie "Sleepers West", the dubious detective is rewritten as hero Mike Shayne.) Little, Brown & Co. hardcover [1933] out of print/scarce |
 | "Murder On The Orient Express" [1934] by Agatha Christie [1890-1976] aka "Murder In The Calais Coach"; returning from Mesopotamia, the famous Orient Express railway train is blocked by a snow storm, and retired Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is asked to solve the murder of a passenger. Berkley mass pb [8/2004] for $6.99 Black Dog & Leventhal 8½x5¾ hardcover [9/2006] for $9.60 |
 | "Beyond The Desert" [1934] by Eugene Manlove Rhodes with {later} Introduction by W.H. Hutchinson The El Paso & North Eastern Railroad needs to find pure boiler water as it builds across the alkali flats of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico. Univ Nebraska Press / Bison Books pb [1967] out of print/used Univ Nebraska Press / Bison Books pb [1967] out of print/used Houghton Mifflin hardcover [1934] out of print/used |
 | "The Wheel Spins" [1936 novel] by Ethel Lina White [1876-1944] When a train is forced to stay overnight at a small station in the mountains of Europe, a young woman talks to a nice old lady; in the morning, she realizes that the old woman is missing, and when everyone tries to convince her that there never was such a woman on board, she is determined to find out the truth Filmed as "The Lady Vanishes" [1938] directed by Alfred Hitchcock and remade in 1979 I Books / Otto Penzler mass pb [8/2004] out of print/used Zebra / Otto Penzler mass pb [2/87] out of print/many used Bloomsbury Publng 7½x5 pb [5/97] out of print/used Hamish Hamilton, Ltd. hardcover [6/69] out of print/used |
 | "Trouble Shooter" Western novel [1936] by Ernest Haycox The westward-building Union Pacific Railroad hires 'trouble shooter' Frank Peace to prevent trouble, and there is plenty of it! Credited as source for Cecil B. DeMille's epic "Union Pacific" [1939]. Signet mass pb [1975] out of print/used Popular Library mass pb [1952] out of print/used Chivers N/A 8x5¼ hardcover [2/99] out of print/overpriced |
 | "Mystery In White: A Christmas Crime Story" [Wright & Brown 1937] by J. Jefferson Farjeon, Introduction by Martin Edwards Murder and desparation on Christmas Eve among a group of passengers trapped on a snowbound train . . . Kindle Edition from British Library Crime Classics [9/2014] for $6.99 British Library Crime Classics 7½x5 pb [12/2014] for $11.49 |
 | "Mystery Rides The Rails" [novel? 1937] by Gilbert A. Lathrop Goldsmith Publng hardcover [1937] out of print/used Goldsmith Publng hardcover [1937] out of print/used Goldsmith Publng hardcover [1937] out of print/used |
 | "Chuck Malloy, Railroad Detective: On The Streamliner" [1938] written by Thorp McClusky, illustrated by Joseph R. Kress Big Little Books were usually 4-1/2" by 3-5/8" by 1-1/2" hardcover titles that sold for ten cents; the company began publishing in December 1932 and survived under several name changes into the 1960s. Whitman Publng hardcover [1938] out of print/scarce |
 | "The Man Who Watched The Trains Go By (Homme qui Regardait Passer les Trains)" [1938] by Georges Simenon [1903-89] A Dutch burgher realizes that his stable life will soon fall apart; he catches the first train to Amsterdam, commits an accidental murder, and is soon on the run from police in two countries. A film adaptation was released in 1952. Translated by Marc Romano, Introduction by Luc Sante New York Review of Books Classics 8x5 pb [11/2005] for $10.97 |
 | "Tales of The Grand Express (Master Thriller Series #22)" [Oct 1938] "Terror, Thrills, Mystery" - Possibly a magazine containing three stories: "The Secret Agent and The Dancing Spy" by W. Somerset Maugham [1874-1965]; "The Train In The Balkans" by Graham Greene [1904-91] (excerpt from 1932 novel "Stamboul Train"); and "Red Lights In The Taurus Express" by R. Thurston Hopkins [1884-1958] nice cover, but no entry found on Amazon {2016} - long out of print/scarce |
 | "The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of The Flying Express" [#20 = 1941] by {house name} Franklin W. Dixon The new Flying Express Railway passes too near to a foreign spy camp hidden in a forest. Grosset & Dunlap 7x4½ hardcover [1941 original] out of print/40+ used book entry at Wikipedia "Mystery of The Flying Express" [1970 rewrite] by Vincent Buranelli The Hardy boys are guarding a new hydrofoil named 'The Flying Express' which is stolen by gangsters who use a zodiac-based code. Kindle Edition from Penguin Group [1973 edition] for $6.64 Grosset & Dunlap pb [4/75] out of print/used Grosset & Dunlap revised 7¾x5¼ hardcover [reissue] for $6.08 |
 | "The Boomer: A Story of The Rails" [1942 classic] by Harry Bedwell, Introduction by James D. Porterfield Author Harry Bedwell [1888–1955] wrote many short stories, and this is his only novel, one that is widely considered the best railroad novel ever written. The story of itinerent telegrapher Eddie Sand portrays an elite fraternity of railroad men, workers who were driven by one of the defining elements of the American character – a desire to wander. Univ MN Press 7½x5 pb [9/2006] for $16.95 Farrar & Rinehart hardcover [1942] out of print/scarce |
 | "The Iron Bronc" Western novel [1944] by Will Ermine Pocket Book mass pb [1957] out of print/scarce Grosset & Dunlap hardcover [1944] out of print/used |
 | "Railroad Avenue: Great Stories and Legends of American Railroading" [1945] by Freeman H. Hubbard McGraw-Hill hardcover [1945] out of print/used McGraw-Hill hardcover [1945] out of print/used |
 | "Trouble Follows Me: A Detective Story" [1946 novel] by Kenneth Millar [1915-83] {later pen name Ross Macdonald} A spy novel, re-issued in 1950 & 1955 as "Night Train". The geography includes Honolulu in Hawai'i, Detroit & Ann Arbor in Michigan; San Diego & Santa Barbara in California, and Tijuana, Mexico; the middle third takes place on the 'Grand Canyon Limited' train from Detroit to Los Angeles. Young Navy lieutenant Sam Drake and his long-time pal are caught up in a supposed suicide in Hawai'i, then a similar faked suicide in Detroit; contact with the F.B.I. does not prevent further murder attempts on the train to the West Coast. (Much of the tale involves race issues and 'Black Israel'.) Bantam mass pb [8/83] out of print/used Bantam mass pb [9/72] out of print/used Lion Books mass pb [10/50] out of print/used Dodd, Mead & Co. hardcover [1946] out of print/used |
 | "Strangers On A Train" [1950 novel] by Patricia Highsmith [1921-95]
Two men meet on a train and discuss swapping murders: the police will find no connection and each murder will remain unsolved. One man dismisses the conversation as idle banter. But when he travels to Mexico, and is notified by police that his estranged wife has indeed died under suspicious circumstances, he feels trapped – and then the stranger makes demands for the reciprocal murder. • adapted as a 1951 feature film by Alfred Hitchcock W.W. Norton pb [8/2001] for $11.16 Penguin mass pb [6/79] out of print/many used |
 | "High Red For Dead" [1951] by William L. Rohde "Murder, and more murder, and a runaway redhead in a nudist camp" The railroads are on the decline, stations are closing, workers are being fired, and corrupt and greedy railroad operators are out of control, using the system’s communication lines for no-good schemes. It’s up to railroad detective Mohawk Daniels to stop the violence, solve the murders, and protect himself and the gorgeous doll that he’s fallen for. Kindle Edition from Digital Vintage Pulps [10/2010] for $5.95 Fawcett Gold Medal mass pb [1951] out of print/used reprinted as "Murder On The Line" [1961] Fawcett Gold Medal mass pb [1961] out of print/used |
 | "The Train That Never Came Back, and Other Railroad Stories" [1952] by Freeman H. Hubbard, Illustrated by Kurt Wiese Whittlesey House hardcover [1952] out of print/used "The Phantom Brakeman and Other Railroad Stories" selected from "The Train That Never Came Back" [1961] by Freeman H. Hubbard, Illustrated by Jerry Robinson Scholastic Book Services mass pb [1961] out of print/used Scholastic Book Services mass pb [undated] out of print/used |
 | "A Treasury of Railroad Folklore: The Stories, Tall Tales, Traditions, Ballads and Songs of The American Railroad Man" [1953] Edited by B.A. Botkin & Alvin F. Harlow Bonanza Books 9x6 hardcover [1/89] out of print/50+ used Crown Publrs 8x6 hardcover [1953] out of print/50+ used |
 | "The Railway Guerrillas" novel [Jan 1954] by Zhi Xia (aka Liu Zhixia, also spelled Chih Hsia) A classic novel of China that describes anti-Japanese heroes active on the Jin Pu line (now the Beijing-Shanghai Railway) and the Linzao branch (now known as the Xuezao branch) in Lunan in 1941. The 1954 book was followed by a comic strip from 1955-56, the 1956 feature film, a TV series in 1985, a color feature film in 1995, another TV series in 2005, re-publication in 2005, and an operatic dance show in 2010, with translations into many languages along the way. {See Railroad Film Festival for movie & DVD details.} Foreign Languages Press hardcover [1966] out of print/scarce translatable book entry at China Wikipedia "A Railway Guerilla (Chinese Edition)" [2011] Time Literature & Art Press 9x6 Chinese-language pb [7/2011] import/new-used "Railway Guerrillas (Illustrated Edition for Teenagers)" [2017] Jiangsu People's Publng House 9½x6½ Chinese-language pb [7/2011] for $11.99 |
 | "One-Way Ticket" [1956] by Bert & Dolores Hitchens "Railroad detective Rick Moine meets murder!" Perma Books mass pb [11/57] out of print/used Perma Books mass pb [11/57] out of print/used Doubleday Crime Club 8½x5½ hardcover [1956] out of print/used |
 | "4:50 From Paddington" [1957] by Agatha Christie [1890-1976] An elderly woman travels by train to visit her friend Jane Marple and sees a man strangling a woman in a train going the opposite way; the police do not believe her, but Miss Marple does. Also published as "What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!"; filmed as "Murder She Said" [1961] Kindle Edition from HarperCollins [2004 edition] for $6.99 Wm. Morrow 8x7 pb [4/2011] for $10.41 Black Dog & Leventhal Publrs 8½x6 hardcover [3/2007] out of print/many used |
 | "Atlas Shrugged" [1957 classic] by Ayn Rand [1905-82] John Galt leads an intellectual strike to 'stop the engine of the world', while Dagny Taggart fights bureaucrats and mobs of looters to keep the Taggart Transcontinental Railroad alive. Signet pb [8/96] for $8.99 Plume 9x6 pb [8/99] for $13.60 Signet 35th Anniv pb [3/92] out of print/used Dutton 35th Anniv 9¼x6¼ hardcover [3/92] out of print/many used Highbridge ABR audio CD [6/2000] for $22.80 for more details on the novel and the 3-part movie, see Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore's "Atlas Shrugged" Page |
 | "From Russia With Love" [4/1957] by Ian Fleming [1908-64] Agent 007 James Bond outwits an assassin in a thrilling conclusion on the Orient Express Kindle Edition from Thomas & Mercer [10/2012] for 99¢ {sic} Pan U.K. mass pb [1964] out of print/used Fine Commns James Bond Classic Library 8¾x6 hardcover [4/1957] for $33.62 |
 | "That Hellbound Train" short story [1958] by Robert Bloch Short fantasy/horror story first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction for September 1958; included in Bloch's story collection "More Nightmares" in 1962; adapted (and expanded) as a graphic novel by Joe R. Lansdale in 2011; retelling of a folktale about a train conductor that offers fame and fortune to a young orphan boy – for a price! "More Nightmares" collection [1962] by Robert Bloch Belmont mass pb [1962] out of print/used "Robert Bloch's That Hellbound Train" [2011] Adapted by Joe R. Lansdale, Art by Dave Wachter I.D.W. Publng 10x6½ pb [8/2011] for $11.53 |
 | "Last Train To Bannock: A Clayburn Western Adventure" [1963] by Al Conroy "I'll be back – alive," he told his crew. "Only the good die young." NOTE: based on text of the cover blurb, the 1979 cover illustration may be inaccurate and this story is about Clayburn leading a wagon train to Bannock Dell mass pb [1979] out of print/used Dell mass pb [1963] out of print/used Dell mass pb [1963] out of print/used |
 | "The Adventure of The Orient Express" [1964] by August Derleth [1909-71] novelette featuring Derleth's Sherlock Holmes pastiche character Solar Pons Candlelight Press pb [4/1965] out of print/used later collected in "The Chronicles of Solar Pons" [1973] Foreword by Allen Hubin Mycroft & Moran 9x6 pb [11/2018] for $19.95 Mycroft & Moran hardcover [6/73] out of print/scarce |
 | "The Big Road" [1965] by Tom E. Clarke The Pacific Northwest in April 1933: teenage Vic Martin is unable to bear the poverty of his stump ranch home and the constant conflict with his stepfather, so he runs off - determined to find a better life. Lathrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 8½x6¾ hardcover [1965] out of print/used Lathrop, Lee & Shepard Co. hardcover [1965] out of print/used Lathrop, Lee & Shepard Co. hardcover [1966] out of print/used |
 | "Murder On The Canadian" [grades 4-8; 1976] by Eric Wilson Schoolboy Tim idolizes the Hardy Boys, so when a woman is murdered on-board the long-distance passenger train The Canadian, he and his sister Liz are bound to investigate . . . Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [6/2012] for $4.99 Collins pb [1983] out of print/used HarperTrophy mass pb [6/96] out of print/used Bodley Head 8x5½ hardcover [1976] out of print/used |
 | "Two Rails West" Western novel [1969] by Walker A. Tompkins Series hero The Masked Rider and his Indian companion Blue Hawk investigate the ruthless Nevada railroad that is killing and convicting ranchers to grab their land without paying; Blue Hawk rides into Muscatero first, and within two days he is condemned to hang at dawn . . . Curtis Books mass pb [1969] out of print/used Curtis Books mass pb [1969] out of print/used Gunsmoke Westerns 8x5¼ hardcover [12/2009] out of print/used |
 | "The Trail of The Iron Horse" Western novel [Oct 1976] by Walker A. Tompkins Two railroads are being built across the continent; but where they will eventually meet is outlaw territory, and the Rio Kid is sent in to clean things up. Popular Library mass pb [10/76] out of print/used |
 | "Trans-Siberian Express: A Novel" [1977] by Warren Adler
A Russian-speaking American doctor is sent on a secret mission to help prevent the death of a Soviet general from leukemia; when the doctor learns of a secret plot to nuke China, the Soviets order him to Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Express; the journey of 9,289 km (5,772 miles) takes six days and he will be watched by K.G.B. agents on the train, so that he will effectively be unable to communicate his discovery to anyone . . . Kindle Edition from Stonehouse Press [12/2013] for $9.99 Stonehouse Press 8½x5½ pb [12/2013] for $15.99 Pocket mass pb [6/78] out of print/40+ used G.P. Putnam 8¾x5½ hardcover [1977] out of print/used |
 | "Cathedral: Stories" [12 stories; 1983] by Raymond Carver [1938-88] Besides the title story, one of Carver's most-famous / -favorite tales is "The Train", published in Antaeus Magazine in 1983 (and not yet filmed); the other ten stories here are: "A Small, Good Thing", "The Bridle", "Careful", "Chef's House", "The Compartment", "Feathers", "Fever", "Preservation", "Vitamins", and "Where I'm Calling From" Kindle Edition from Vintage/Random House [5/2015] for $11.99 Vintage 8x5¼ pb [6/89] for $13.18 Vintage 9x6 pb [8/84] out of print/50+ used The Harvill Press 9x6½ hardcover [1984] out of print/used |
  | "The Polar Express" book [1985] by Chris Van Allsburg A boy travels to the North Pole on the Polar Express and is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas. He asks for a silver bell from Santa's reindeer, but on the way home the bell is lost through a hole in the pocket of his robe . . . Houghton Mifflin gift set: book + CD + tape [9/2004] for $16.50 Houghton Mifflin 9½x11½ YA hardcover [10/85] for $12.89 "The Polar Express" animated feature [Castle Rock/Warner Nov 2004] Filmed in Imax 3-D; co-written & directed by Robert Zemeckis; based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg; several voices by Tom Hanks; nominated for 3 minor Oscars Warner Home Video color widescreen Blu-ray [10/2008] for $23.99 presented in 3-D Warner Home Video color widescreen on Blu-ray [10/2007] for $17.99 Warner widescreen color DVD [11/2005] 2 disks - out of prodn/used Warner widescreen color DVD [11/2005] for $17.99 Warner Home Video color DVD [11/2005] for $13.99 Warner color VHS [11/2005] out of prodn/used WEA/Reprise soundtrack CD [11/2004] for $13.98 full credits from IMDb • official movie site |
 | "Plugged Nickel" mystery novel [1988] by Robert Campbell Speeding thru Nebraska on the California Zephyr, someone pulls the emergency cord and railroad detective Jake Hatch is thrown from the train, landing on a severed corpse. Pocket mass pb [3/88] out of print/many, many used Pocket Book Club hardcover [1988] out of print/used |
 | "The Edge" [1988 bestseller] by Dick Francis [1920-2010] The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race is a glittering railroad junket across Canada to race thoroughbreds on some of the world's greatest courses. Tor Kelsey, undercover security agent for the British Jockey Club, contends with the murder mystery to be acted out on board, as well as a ruthless underworld racing figure – a combination that explodes into a nightmare of real and bloody murder. Kindle Edition from Berkley/Penguin [2005 edition] for $7.99 Berkley mass pb [8/2005] for $7.19 Jove mass pb [8/2001] out of print/many used Fawcett mass pb [1/90] out of print/180+ used Pan Books mass pb [1/90] out of print/100+ used Putnam hardcover [2/89] out of print/200+ used |
 | "Red Cent" mystery novel [1989] by Robert Campbell A sniper puts a bullet thru the window of a fast-moving diner car, and a man is killed. Railroad detective Jake Hatch needs to find out whether the shooting was random or the victim was intended and the killer is a crack shot. Pocket mass pb [2/91] out of print/used Pocket mass pb [1/89] out of print/many used |
 | "Murder On The Ballarat Train : A Phryne Fisher Mystery" [1993] by Kerry Greenwood Glamorous lady detective Phryne takes the train to Ballarat, outside of Melbourne in Australia, expecting a week's vacation. But someone poisons the train's sleeping passengers with chloroform . . . Kindle Edition from Poisoned Pen Press [1/2012] for $2.99 {sic} Fawcett mass pb [8/93] out of print/used Poisoned Pen Press 8¼x5¼ pb [9/2007] for $11.46 Poisoned Pen Press 8¾x5¾ hardcover [10/2006] for $20.95 |
 | "The Cat Who Blew The Whistle" [#17=1995] by Lilian Jackson Braun [1913-2011] Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats-cum-sleuths investigate the disappearance of a wealthy railroad buff (who may also be a multimillion-dollar embezzler) in a case that becomes complicated by red herrings, a tragic train wreck, and murder at a railroad tavern. Kindle Edition from Jove/Penguin [1996 edition] for $7.59 Jove mass pb [3/96] for $7.19 Headline Books mass pb [9/95] out of print/many used G.P. Putnam's Sons 8¼x5¾ hardcover [2/95] out of print/300+ used |
 | "The Shadow: Hell's Heat Wave" [1995] 3-part comic book mini-series written by Joel Goss & Michael Kaluta and drawn by Gary Gianni There's a long trail of cold stiffs leading to a safe-deposit box in a downtown New York City bank . . . Issue #1: Dark Horse Comics pb [4/95] out of print/used Issue #1: Dark Horse Comics pb [4/95] out of print/used Issue #2: Dark Horse Comics pb [1995] out of print/used Issue #3: Dark Horse Comics pb [1995] out of print/scarce more 'Shadow' (history, books & ebooks & comics, movies, links, merchandise) on BlackHat Mystery Bookstore's "The Shadow" Radio & Books & Movies Page |
 | "Short Lines: A Collection of Classic American Railroad Stories" [14 stories; 1996] Edited by Rob Johnson & Don Hazlitt 14 tales written between 1897 and 1941 by authors including Harry Bedwell, Octavus Cohen, O. Henry, Jack London ('Hoboes That Pass In The Night'), Christopher Morley, Frank Norris (excerpt from 'The Octopus'), Frank Hamilton Spearman, Cy Warman, Owen Wister, Thomas Wolfe ('The Near and The Far') — and four more B&N Books pb [5/2000] out of print/used St. Martin's Press 9½x6½ hardcover [3/96] for $11.68 |
 | "Murder On The Railways" [1996] Edited by Peter Haining contributing authors include Agatha Christie, Freeman Wills Croft, Roald Dahl, Ken Follet, Elmore Leonard, and Ruth Rendell Orion U.K. mass pb [5/96] out of print/used Orion U.K. hardcover [5/96] out of print/used |
 | "Murder On The Flying Scotsman: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery" [#4 = 1997] by Carola Dunn Set in 1923 England; journalist Daisy boards a train to Scotland and finds the runaway 11-year-old daughter of her Scotland Yard detective friend; they also encounter a squabbling family of heirs summoned north by their dying benefactor. Kindle Edition from Minotaur/Macmillan [1996 edition] for $7.59 Kensington mass pb [10/2001] out of print/used Robinson 7¾x5½ pb [1/97] out of print/60+ used St. Martin's Press 8¼x5½ hardcover [1/97] out of print/many used |
 | "Death Train To Boston: A Fremont Jones Mystery" [#5 = 1999] by Dianne Day Set in Autumn of 1908; the transcontinental railroad hires San Francisco-based sleuths Caroline & Michael to investigate a series of accidents; during an undercover rail journey to Boston, the train blows up near Salt Lake City and Michael is injured and Caroline disappears into thin air. Kindle Edition from Bantam/Random House [2007 edition] for $6.99 Bantam mass pb [7/2000] for $6.29 Bantam mass pb [7/2000] out of print/used Doubleday 9x6 hardcover [9/99] out of print/many used |
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Books for Very Young Railfans
this section was cut to its own page in Summer 2015.
Railroad Man's Magazine [April 1910] |
Railroad Man's Magazine [April 1931] |
Railroad Stories Magazine [April 1933] |
Railroad Stories Magazine [June 1933] |
Railroad Stories Magazine [Oct 1936] |
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