EMD Locomotives Book

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The description says this is the all time definitive history!

"this monumental volume offers an overview of the great locomotive maker unprecedented in its scope and unparalleled in the spectacular quality of its photographs"

http://www.motorbooks.com/Store/Product ... _35896.ncm

Anybody seen this book?

[H.F.Malone]

Probably no different that any other Motorbooks-Brian Solomon "formula railroad book"--- a bunch of nice pictures (90% by Solomon), with text distilled from already-published material (old Trains Mag articles, lots of spec numbers from Diesel Spotter's Guide, etc.), and no real "meat" or new info. If anyone says they've done "definitive history of EMD" without having spoken to certain people (many of whom are ON this board!!), then they haven't done their homework.

These things go on the shelf at B&N or Borders, and that's railroad book publishing nowadays.

A good, detailed, well-researched book like the Steinbrenner "American Locomotive Company", John Kirkland's "Dawn of the Diesel Age" or Staff's ""D-Day on the Western Pacific" (even though that one needed a REAL editor!) is just about non-existant these days. Too bad. I guess nobody reads anymore-- we just look at the pretty pictures of choo-choos in glint telephoto images in Motorbooks.....

[Phil Hom]

I saw a copy in the book store at Potomac Mills near where I live in Virginia (Book-a-million a southern book chain). After reading a few review in the R&LHS publications, Mr Solomon's work is not up to par with publications such as Diesel Era and X2200. If you have his GE book then this is his EMD version.

As expected, I was disappointed with the book. Hardly any photos from the great halls of LaGrange or London nor from their photo department. Too many odd-angle photos of its products in service. I don't think any current or former EMD employee (Boyd, Cook, Whelan, etc) were used as reference. It was the EMD employees that labored to make EMD what it is,

Wait till it's discounted like his softcover "techie" geep and F books. I'll add it to my EMD library when this book hits $15.00.

[RAS]

I concur with both H. F. Malone and Phil Hom, I looked at this book and was not impressed. Even if you are buying it for the photos, there are some nice shots, but there are also some that are very ordinary.

I looked through it at a hobby shop, and thought the author's style is quite tiring to read and follow, there is a lack of organization, and he really isn't telling much of any story. A lot of it is a boring recital of unit models, horsepower ratings, and production totals that makes the Diesel Spotters Guide seem rather elegant in comparison. Even the placement of pictures is disorganized, they often don't relate directly to text on the page. What is also revealing is the fractured misuse of technical terminology and abbreviations, that pretty much tells you the author has never worked in the railroad industry.

But they keep printing these kind of books, people must be buying them.

RAS

[H.F.Malone]

People must be buying them....

Buyers for the book chains and bigbox stores buy them, that's who buys MOST of them, and then the retail buyers are usually "Aunt Sue getting a gift for her train-buff nephew". Or, the stuff sits on the shelf and gets remaindered out at $10. For that price, maybe it's worth it.

[Nelson Bay]

I don't think any current or former EMD employee (Boyd, Cook, Whelan, etc) were used as reference. It was the EMD employees that labored to make EMD what it is

Are you saying the labors of former employees Boyd & Cook (who's Whelan?) made EMD what it is today? Gone.

[SSW9389]

Phil meant to say Wheelihan, as in Jack Wheelihan. And no the labors of the former employees did not make EMD get sold. Market forces and poor response to those market forces made GM sell old EMD to the new EMD.

I
I don't think any current or former EMD employee (Boyd, Cook, Whelan, etc) were used as reference. It was the EMD employees that labored to make EMD what it is

Are you saying the labors of former employees Boyd & Cook (who's Whelan?) made EMD what it is today? Gone.

[PCook]

I guess I will have to look at this book to find out what I did that contributed to the decline of EMD.

[Nelson Bay]

[quote="SSW9389"]Phil meant to say Wheelihan, as in Jack Wheelihan. And no the labors of the former employees did not make EMD get sold. Market forces and poor response to those market forces made GM sell old EMD to the new EMD. [quote]


SSW9389
How do you know what Phil meant to say?


Preston,
After you look at the book please share your findings with us.

[PCook]

It might be a week or two, I was going to wait for the price to get discounted a little further. The choo-choo bank has about $3 in it right now.

Meanwhile I will be sure to let Jim Boyd and Jack Wheelihan know they share in the responsibity for the decline of EMD.

Hope you all have a very pleasant holiday season!

[Phil Hom]

I don't think any current or former EMD employee (Boyd, Cook, Whelan, etc) were used as reference. It was the EMD employees that labored to make EMD what it is

Are you saying the labors of former employees Boyd & Cook (who's Whelan?) made EMD what it is today? Gone.

The author did not consult any current or former EMD employee (and known railfans) such as Boyd, Cook or Wheelihan for their insight on the doings in McCook.

During the late 567 to Dash-2 era, these three people as well as the thousands of EMD employee helped produce one of the best diesel products (locomotives, marine, drilling platform, peakers, etc). Yet the author failed to seek them out and penned this book based on widely accessible publications.

To suggest these three people help lead to the decline is totally off centered. Why would you think I suggested that? I was merely pointing out the author did not do his research. After I ratted of the three names, I did not say "these" but "the" meaning members of the UAW who work at LaGrange and London.

From my viewpoint, it was GM management that wanted to focus on its core product i.e. the automobile, and gave little attention to its non-automotive division.

[PCook]

Lacking a full copy of the book I took a look at the sample pages on the publishers website and noticed that a "quote" by a friend of mine was referenced from a magazine article originally run by a different publisher. I was talking with that friend today and mentioned this to him. He advised that he did not recall ever being contacted by the author or Motorbooks about using the quote or anything else. He said he would check after the holidays to see if his publisher had heard anything from them.

[RAS]

I saw these quotes in the book and thought that they were very strange. They start off like "In the May 2005 issue of ______ magazine former EMD employee ______ said that ...". But he does not put the text in quotation marks so you are left wondering if it is the actual quote or if it is the author's paraphrasing of the person's quote.

[ExEMDLOCOTester]

It might be a week or two, I was going to wait for the price to get discounted a little further. The choo-choo bank has about $3 in it right now.

Meanwhile I will be sure to let Jim Boyd and Jack Wheelihan know they share in the responsibity for the decline of EMD.

Hope you all have a very pleasant holiday season!

Preston, were you aware that you were saddled with that kind of POWER ?

And a Belated Merry Christmas !!!

[PCook]

No, I wasn't, but it was a really great time in an amazing organization. I hope that I am able to convey a little of the awe of working in such a remarkable place each time I show the INSIDE EMD program.