NEW BOOK: "The Legendary Lackawanna - A Belated Tribute

[njmidland]

There is an interesting new book out about the Lackawanna Railroad. It is by John Canfield, but it is not a picture book. The book is titled "The Legendary Lackawanna - A Belated Tribute to the Route of Phoebe Snow" and is a 48 page softcover treatment of the people, events and decisions that led the Lackawanna to the highest levels of engineering and profits in the early part of the 20th century to declining freight traffic and brutal Hudson County taxes and merger. There are some nice black & white photos but the book is a really interesting review by a former member of the Lackawanna management team. Among other topics, the book looks at what made the Lackawanna Unique, how dieselization was implemented, Passenger Service, a specifc look at the Boonton Branch - Sussex Branch and Rockaway Loop, Priority Freight Operations, Locals Roustabouts and Drills, Latter-Day Lackawanna Leaders, Legends, Characters and Other Oddities. The book is self published, but it is available from the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society -
http://www.eldcps.org/store/product.php ... t=0&page=1

[calorosome]

I found that book at English's in Montoursville PA, I'm reading through it.

[JoeG]

I ordered the book using the ELDCPS link njmidland provided, and read it with great enjoyment.

The book is wonderful! Any Lackawanna or Erie Lackawanna fan should get this book.

The author, who worked on the Lackawanna for 11 years before the merger, and then for the EL, started as a section hand, was promoted to trainmaster on the Lackawanna and ended up as a division superintendent on the EL.

He makes some interesting observations about the Lackawanna's motive power decisions in the Super Power steam eara and then in the diesel era. If he is right, the Lackawanna needlessly increased its operating costs by its power choices. I'd be interested in other people's comments .

Because this book is so good, I've made this topic a sticky. And, if you order it from ELDCPS, you will help a worthy cause.

[pdman]

The book is fantastic as is his most recent piece in Classic Trains. He filled in a lot of gaps about things that are not in any other publications. Too, he mentions a lot of people I remember.

Thanks for the book!

[Caseyjim]

I gotta get a copy of it myself. Sounds like it would be most interesting reading.