NEW BOOK: Lehigh Valley Railroad by Ken Kraemer

Just got my copy today and enjoying it very much! I'll have some more detailed comments to share at a later date. A very nice survey of the Leigh Valley in its later years...

-otto-

Couldn't agree more with the above comments. Ken's book has become my favorite over the past several months when I need a quick LV "fix", primarily because it does a superb job in portraying the essence of what the LV was in central NY in the 60s and 70s (both the good, and the not-so-great!), and that's what I remember.

I'd love to see more of Ken's stuff, and I suspect that he has a lot of additional material from around NY State that didn't quite "make the cut" for the book (Ken ??). However, in a PM a while back, he indicated that (like me and many others) by the time he got serious about getting out and shooting photos, the Ithaca area and branchlines were pretty much dead, so he focused primarily on the mainline action, where there was a much better chance of catching a train.

I've said it before (here and elsewhere), but if you have any interest in the LV in general, and particuarly in the LV around central and western NY, this book should be on your "must have" list. Would love to see "Volume 2" soon!
Doug

DElder wrote: I'd love to see more of Ken's stuff, and I suspect that he has a lot of additional material from around NY State that didn't quite "make the cut" for the book (Ken ??). Doug

Well, since you asked, I don’t think that I used even half of the total photos in my collection. That being said, however, the ones not used include the rainy day, slightly underexposed wedge shots, and all sorts of other junk. They’re not all rejects, of course, but sometimes you just have to pick and choose. Like, how many Cayuta or Niagara Jct. shots can you put in one book without over-doing.
As for volume II? I still have to figure out what to do with all my photos of the Erie/DL&W/EL, NYC/PRR/PC, D&H/CP, CN, NKP, N&W, etc, etc.

Ken

I've got 30 days of non-stop NE83/84 shots, with no way to share them. I got every LV train, that ran in daylight, up and down the D&H in August '75. Is that a book? (I think a book about LV headlights would sell, but what do I know) I would buy your book, Ken, if every train at Niagara had a different loco on the point......

been looking for a book with good coverage of the lines around Ithaca, Auburn, COrtland, and Owego. Sounds like this -may- be the one I'm looking for? My only concern with buying sight-unseen would be finding that the emphasis is focused on the mainline only, or a little too much on the "west" in western without much coverage to the "east" of the mainline. Ithaca, Ludlowville, Cayuga Lake, Auburn Branch Sayre-Owego-Auburn, Cortland, etc. is what I'm really after. Is this the book for that little corner of the world? ANything from the old passenger line via Trumansburg?

I don't have the book right in front of me, but IIRC, it is pretty much freight main-line. It's a GREAT BOOK, but I think for what you are seeking, you may want to get a copy of Lehigh Valley Facilities In Color, Volume 3 by Mike Bednar. Those branches are included, but cant remember off the top of my head if the passenger line has shots in there or not. Both are great books and I would recommend getting both!

Charlie

thanks Charlie, but what I'm really looking for is action/scenic shots, with good coverage "off the main" in central NY. Rs-2/3s on the branches, that sort of thing.

Maybe this book doesn't have as much of that as I'd hoped. Any better recommendations for those lines?

Though not books, maybe these may help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cW2mc7B6PU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x2YsBpKaGc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH36kNfqUNE

Mike Bednar's book Lehigh Valley Railroad The Wyoming and Buffalo Divisions , Chapter 9, is entitled The New York State Branches. There are 18 pages of color photos with some text, a full page map of the branch lines and a schedule of the various local trains.

Several fans in my acquaintence photographed the branches but there has never been a book dedicated to all the different lines trogether.

Another book, Rails North published by the CNY NRHS Chapter has several New York branch line photos.

The Gangly Country Cousin by Herb Trice covers the old Auburn Division exclusively.

The Ups & Downs of a Rural Line by David Marcham covers the Elmira and Cortland Branch.

Thanks everyone for your input. Looks like there are several sources with at least some coverage but perhaps not quite as focused as I might have hoped, so I'll have to think about obtaining a few of them. I had recently seen John's video clips and might be interested. Also was curious how much coverage the Bednar book had on the branches, and again had not yet seena copy so had no idea on content, color vs. B&W (of course realizing that going back beyond a certain vintage, B&W is likely to be about all there is), etc.

The Bednar books are in color, all of them. Volume 3, which covers New York State, does have quite a bit of branch line coverage.

Charlie