5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read.

R.H. · May 17, 2023

I never knew how the General Motors diesels developed so this was all very interesting to me.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book overall. Writing is pretty good but the layout and printing are substandard

I. · June 13, 2022

According to the back cover, this book provides "the complete story of these pioneering, influential diesels". Well, it's simply impossible to tell the complete story of EMD's E-unit locomotives (ten different models, over 1,300 locomotives built) and F-unit locomotives (eight different models, over 7,600 locomotive built) in a single 192 page book, but Jeff Wilson does a pretty good job. Unfortunately his talents are hindered a bit by substandard book layout and printing.I've been buying train books for 40 years, enjoyed reading the text, and learned quite a bit. Given the book's vast subject and relatively short length, some of the writing is rather simplistic. For example, in 1935, a full two years before the first E-unit was constructed, five "boxcab" locomotives (Santa Fe 1 and 1A, B&O 50, and EMC demonstrators 511 and 512) were contructed. These five locomotives, despite their "Plain Jane" appearance, were essentially test units and helped validate the basic design concept of the E-units. If these five locomotives hadn't been built, or hadn't been successful, then the story of the E-units probably would have been dramatically different. Yet, barely 3 pages are given to the construction of these locomotives. There is scant coverage given to "odd ball" models such as the Seaboard Air Line E4's, Burlington E5's, and Rock Island TA's. Readers would probably benefit for more detailed coverage of the Burlington's "Zephyr" power cars, since these were built for specific trains. Without knowing the history of those trains, and their significance in railroading history (ie, they pulled some of the first diesel powered U.S. streamlined trains), a bit of context is lost and folks might think the "Zephyr" power cars were "just" another locomotive, which they certainly weren't.Wilson has a solid background in writing for the model railroading press, and that really shows. EMD went head-over-heels to offer a standard line of locomotives. Yet, invariably within each model there were modifications demanded by customers. Or, locomotive models went through a series of evolutions before the model was replaced by a new and improved model. As an example, the carbody grills and vents on an F3 changed several times during the 1946-1949 production run. As a result, the last F3A's looked considerably different from the first F3A's. Wilson does a really good job of pointing out (in words and pictures) external changes from one locomotive model to another. Wilson also does a really good job of detailing the various carbody designs of the FT locomotives. Wilson also does a good job of describing changes to machinery within the locomotive, such as the diesel engine itself, the main generator, steam generator, traction motor, etc.So, overall I'd give the writing an "A" grade. But I'd have to give the book layout and printing a "C" grade. The book often has a cluttered look. Text is often wedged into short columns that are surrounded by photos, drawings, or tables, and there is no coherent flow. For example, a discussion of F3 locomotives begins at the bottom of page 130, then the text skips to page 132 where there are two short columns at the bottom of the page, and continues at the top of page 135 where there are two columns, again wedged between more photos. Additionally, there are several places where the text and accompanying photos are several pages apart. For example, on pages 18 and 19 there are photos of Santa Fe "boxcabs" 1 and 1A, demonstrators 511 and 512, and B&O 50, but there is no mention in the text before page 23.Discussion of New Haven's FL9's begins on page 159 but no photos of these locomotives appear before page 169. And there are only 2 photos of the FL9's, despite their historical significance as the last F-units.I am really, really, disappointed at the book's printing. Several of the photos have been previously printed (including in recent years in TRAINS or CLASSIC TRAINS) and so I know that the original prints are high quality photos. Yet when reproduced here, those same photos are washed out or dark, or not sharp. Look carefully and you'll see small streaks in the sky in several photos, particularly b&w photos. Several of the double page spreads (ie, a single photo spread across two page) have noticeable flaws. In most of these cases, part of the photo will look fine, but the rest of the photo (on the opposite page) may be dark, lack focus, and/or the colors are off. And in some cases, both parts of the photo look terrible. Perhaps the worst photo in the whole book can be found on pages 140-141. There's a color photo of a Great Northern train coming around a curve in Oregon back in 1953. At first glance the photo looks nice, but it's been ruined by poor printing. That part of the photo on page 140 lacks any type of sharpness or clarity, and that part of the photo appearing on page 141 looks like a low resolution photo that has been printed on a cheap ink jet printer. Kalmbach is the dominant player in the railfan/model railroading field, and is a major player in other hobbies fields also. One has the right to expect a high quality book. But unfortunately I've seen several books from Kalmbach that suffer from cluttered design and/or poor photo reproduction.To make a long review short, overall I give the book four stars. The text itself deserves 4.5 stars, the cluttered layout get a 3.5 stars, and the substandard printing gets a 2.75 stars.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book.

K. · March 6, 2024

Just like all the books made by Trains magazine this is another great book about trains.

意外になかった視点

A.カ. · April 29, 2023

同じブルドッグノーズのスタイルでありながら、従来、別物として語られてきたE•F両シリーズについて、登場前の黎明期からSL衰退の黄金期、そしてフードタイプ台頭の終焉まで、北米鉄道の流れを捉える事ができました