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  • MIKE BEDNARS NEW BOOK. WHAT A GREAT BOOK !!!

  • Discussion related to the Lehigh Valley Railroad and predecessors for the period 1846-1976. Originally incorporated as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company.
Discussion related to the Lehigh Valley Railroad and predecessors for the period 1846-1976. Originally incorporated as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company.

Moderator: scottychaos

 #130239  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
HAS ANYONE ELSE SEEN THE NEW BOOK, "RAILROADERS IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY", BY BIG MIKE, PUBLISHED BY THE RAILWAY PRESS ? THIS THING IS PRETTY COOL, AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE LV BEING REFFERED TO AS THE "VALLEY", INSTEAD OF THE "LEHIGH". WE ALWAYS CALLED IT THE VALLEY, ON THE EAST-END, BECAUSE THERE WERE OTHER "LEHIGH" RAILROADS. (LNE, LHR) GOOD PHOTOS, GOOD TO SEE SOME OF THE OLD HEADS, I KNEW WHEN FIRST COMING UP. THE ONLY PROBLEM I REALLY HAD, WAS IT SEEMED A LITTLE "PRICEY", FOR A SOFT COVER BOOK. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS, ON MIKES LATEST VICTORY ? :wink:
 #130266  by CAR_FLOATER
 
HI, G-A....

Yes, I have had this book for a month or so now, and gave it to my dad for Father's day.......Yeah, it was a bit costly, but what book isn't these days? However, it was worth EVERY penny, part in fact to Mike's well done work, and partly due to the nice work by the publisher (name escapes me right now, but they have done other work).
Norm Cole is featured alot (did you know him?), and apparently my dad knows him, and he and his O-scale club friends are going to go visit his layout in PA soon, and I'm tagging along......Hopefully, Norm likes to tell stories of the rails, I'm looking forward to meeting him.
ANYWHO, getting back to the book, the human element of the book is incredible, I wish Mike would get together with his brothers to do a similar book, and talk about the east end operations. I have shared e-mails with brother Keith, and he has given me little tidbits of info, and I can't get enough.

Car Floater

 #130272  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
THE RAILROAD PRESS, C-F, IS THAT PUBLISHER. I AGREE, A SUPER NICE BOOK. (YOU PROBABLY NEED TO SNAG A COPY FOR YOURSELF) I AGREE, IT'S TIME FOR MIKE, FRED AND A COUPLE OF THE OTHER LIVING HISTORIANS, FROM THE EAST-END, TO "GIVE-IT-UP". WE LOST BEN WILCZEWSKI, AND TONY JULES, 2 GREAT SOURCES OF PHOTOS, AND STORIES. STEVE BONSCHER ALSO, ANOTHER INVALUABLE SOURCE OF PIX, AND STORIES. I'M SURE MIKE AND FRED HAVE THE CONTACTS, AND MAKINGS OF A SUPER, EAST-END VOLUME. (I HAVE BEEN DISCREETLY "NUDGING" FRED, INTO AT LEAST THINKING OF A "PICTURE BOOK", IF HE IS NOT INCLINED TO BLOVIATE ON THE SUBJECT OF THE LV) I HAVE A FEW COLOR SLIDES, TO OFFER UP FOR THE EFFORT, AS WELL AS AN ANECDOTE, OR TWO. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE A BOOK THAT DETAILS M.P. 0, TO SOUTH PLAINFIELD. AS A SIDE NOTE, THE NICE FOLKS AT THE RAILROAD PRESS DID INCLUDE A VERY NICE ASSORTMENT OF PRODUCTS, ALONG WITH THE BOOK I PURCHASED FROM THEM, AND I GUESS OVERALL, I WOULD SAY I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM AGAIN. BTW, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER TAKIN' OVER THE LV MODERATORS POSITION, AS MR.1616 IS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL. YOU PROBABLY HAVE AS MUCH INFO (AND SWAG) ON THE VALLEY, AS ANYONE ELSE (EXCEPTING FRED, I WOULD IMAGINE :wink: ). JUST A THOUGHT......... REGARDS :-D

 #134589  by WNYRailfan
 
What is the title of Mike's new book?

All I could find was RAILROADERS IN THE LEHIGH RIVER VALLEY, is that it?
 #136996  by Matt Langworthy
 
If this new Bednar book is anthing like another Bednar book I got recently, it will be simply amazing! I can vouch for Lehigh Valley: Wyoming & Buffalo Divisions. The latter book had a knack for connecting human faces to the trains, as well as a healthy balance of both mainline and obscure branchline running. Mike Bednar is a great railroader and his books are proof of that. Great stuff! :-)

 #413921  by charlie6017
 
I have "Railroaders In The Lehigh River Valley" and I think it's just great--just ordered his other two books from Ron's Books (Lehigh Valley: New York Division and Lehigh Valley: Buffalo and Wyoming Division). I'm looking forward to getting them.

 #414431  by BR&P
 
GA, I think you have the right idea on the "Valley" name. I've known several west end guys and it was always "the Lehigh". I never heard it called "the Valley" but as you say the east end had other "Lehighs" to contend with. So evidently it's a geographical thing.

 #414512  by scottychaos
 
Its always been the called "The Valley" around Sayre..very common term.
I have heard both my whole life, "The Valley" and "The Lehigh"

The Lackawanna through the southern tier of NY was often referred to as "The D-L"

Scot

 #414527  by umtrr-author
 
From the far eastern end of the line (Jersey City and Perth Amboy), I'd never heard anything other than "the Valley" either.

And speaking of far eastern end, the Marriott Courtyard in Edison, New Jersey is partially along the right of way of the Perth Amboy branch. The NJ Turnpike bridge is still in place, crossing nothing in particular.

I wonder how many of the hotel's employees know anything of the heritage of the property.

 #414835  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
We called it the Valley. With the old LNE, LHR and the CRRP/CNJ L&S, there were already plenty of "Lehighs" in the region. There was, however, only one Valley. <LV>

 #420842  by charlie6017
 
Just got done reading the "Wyoming & Buffalo Division" book and I have to say it was phenomenal! Highly recommended for any LV fan.........the price is worth it! :wink: