Outbound Trains: In the Era Before Mergers

by Jim Boyd

From the early 1960s through the 1970s. Outbound Trains features distinguished photographer, writer and rail magazine editor Jim Boyd's best images, with emphasis on the colorful first-generation diesel railroads. A lively text and scores of incomparable photographs take the reader coast to coast with most major American railroads and provide a sampling of interesting short lines and restored steam or main-line steam. There are spectacular photographs of aging roundhouses, country stations, busy interlocking towers and the great stations of Chicago; pre-Amtrak passenger trains, from the Twentieth Century Limited and the Midnight Special to lowly locals, mail trains and branch-line doodlebugs; N and W Geeps and SDs in the West Virginia coalfields, the California Zephyr threading through the Feather River canyon, and slant-nose, stainless-steel-paneled Burlington E5s racing across the Illinois prairie; Pennsylvania GG1 electrics, Milwaukee Road boxcabs and Little Joes; and the historic steam of Southern Pacific Daylight and Union Pacific Challenger 3985, the world's largest operating steam locomotive. Outbound Trains is an absolute must for every railfan's bookshelf.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2005

Reviews

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Boyd travelled across America to photograph diesel locomotives during the 1960’s. His coverage of railway systems and shortlines is vast and varied. I really enjoyed his images in this book!

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful train photos from a bygone America

I'm not a serious train fan, but I like to look at good photos of old trains. I picked up this book on a whim, and next thing I knew, a couple of hours had passed. Every small boy loves trains, and every big boy remembers, and gets a little nostalgic when he sees a big, black loco on display in the city park....

This is a slice of bygone America, and it's very nice to be reminded of those days.

The railroads built America, and inspired a lot of good old songs and stories, which you'll remember, seeing these remarkable photos of the Santa Fe Super Chief, the Twentieth Century Limited, the Midnight Special, the City of New Orleans, the Rock Island Road....

Boyd is an inspired photographer, and an obsessive railfan. But the rest of us, who wouldn't know an F7 locomotive from a GP-9, can just relax and enjoy the ride. Highly recommended, for serious railfans, casual buffs and people (like me) who just like to look at train photos now and then.