Sanders’ CVSR Book Released by Fonthill Media

A book featuring the history of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad that was written by Akron Railroad Club President Craig Sanders has been released.

Although the book was published by Fonthill Media, it is being marketed by Arcadia Publishing.

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad features 175 photographs of which all but three are in color.

Photographs for the book were contributed by Akron Railroad Club members Peter Bowler, Marty Surdyk, Robert Farkas, Paul Woodring, Mark Demaline, Edward Ribinskas, Jim Mastromatteo and Tom Fritch.

Other photographs were contributed by Jim Semon, Robert Todten and Jerry Jordak.

The book uses text and photographs to tell the story of the CVSR from its launch in June 1975 as the Cuyahoga Valley Line operating with former Grand Trunk Western steam locomotive No. 4070.

Virtually every locomotive used by the railroad during its 42-year history is shown in the book.

There is also a history of the line and an overview of its operations by the Baltimore & Ohio before it was purchased by the National Park Service in 1987.

Akron Railroads is Released Today

Today is one of those landmark days in my life that I probably won’t remember, but it is important. My seventh published book, Akron Railroads, is being released today by Arcadia Publishing.

It is the second book of the same title that I’ve published with Arcadia and the identical names aside, they do not have quite the same focus.

My first Akron Railroads, published in 2007, focused more on the overall history of railroads serving Akron, Ohio, thus having a broader focus in time. It was part of Arcadia’s Images of Rail series and featured black and white photographs.

The second Akron Railroads has a narrower focus of 1960 to present. Nearly all of the images in that book are in color.

I was able to receive an advance copy of the book about a month ago and was pleased with how it turned out. The quality of the printing is good and it has a glossy cover.

All of the photographs in this edition of Akron Railroads, were contributed by members of the Akron Railroad Club. Some of those members had contributed photographs that appeared in the first edition of Akron Railroads.

Here is the summary of the content of the second edition of Akron Railroads that I wrote that appears on the back cover:

“In the six decades preceding 1960, Akron’s network of railroads had been relatively stable. Then a series of mergers began that year, changing the face of the city’s railroad network. By the early 1970s, the industrial base-particularly the rubber industry-that had sustained the region’s economy was in decline, and the fortunes of the railroad industry fell with it.

“The self-described “rubber capital of the world” was hit hard, and the production of tires for the automotive industry all but disappeared. The 1960s also saw a precipitous decline in rail passenger service, with the last passenger trains discontinued in 1971. A restructuring of the railroad industry that began in the mid-1970s left the Akron region with three railroad companies. Some railroad lines were abandoned, while others saw the scope of their operations changed or reduced. Today’s rail network in Akron may be slimmer, but the railroads are financially healthy and continue to play a major role in meeting the region’s transportation needs.

The book retails for $22.95 and is available from http://www.arcadiapublishing.com

‘Akron Railroads’ to be Released on Oct. 31

A Halloween release date (Oct. 31, 2016) has been set for Akron Railroad, the book written by Akron Railroad Club President Craig Sanders that describes the history of the railroads of Akron between 1960 and the present.

The book is being published by Arcadia Publishing as part of its Images of Modern America series.

Nearly all of the images in the book are in color and were contributed by ARRC members.

The cover image shows a meet in Peninsula between Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 Berkshire-type locomotive No. 765 and a Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train with CVSR No. 800, the Baltimore & Ohio tribute locomotive.

The book has 96 pages and 171 photographs, including the cover image and four smaller photographs on the back cover.

The book is organized by historical eras. One chapter is devoted to the CVSR.

Among the railroads portrayed in Akron Railroads are the B&O; Pennsylvania; Erie; Erie Lackawanna; Akron, Canton & Youngstown; Akron Barberton Belt; Norfolk & Western; Penn Central; Conrail; Wheeling & Lake Erie; Norfolk Southern; CSX; Amtrak; Akron Barberton Cluster Railway; and a few industrial operations in Akron.

ARRC members who contributed photographs to the book include Roger Durfee, Paul Woording, Marty Surdyk, Jim Mastromatteo, Richard Antibus, Peter Bowler, Edward Ribinskas, Robert Farkas and John Beach. Some photographs are included that were made by the late William Surdyk.

The retail price of the book is $22.95. Ordering information is available at the Arcadia website at www.arcadiapublishing.com

The book is intended to complement the book Akron Railroads that was published by Arcadia in 2007 and also written by Sanders.

The first Akron Railroads was focused on the history of the development of the railroads of Akron and the immediate surrounding areas.

All of the images in that 197-page book, which was part of Arcadia’s Images of Rail series, were printed in black and white.

There is some overlap between the two books in terms of coverage of modern railroad operations.

In choosing photographs for the second Akron Railroads title, Sanders said that he sought to portray the diversity of motive power liveries and models used by railroads between 1960 and the present. He also strove to provide a diversity of locations to show railroad operations.

The book opens with a few images from the 1950s to establish the transition between steam and diesel motive power. These include images of B&O steam locomotives made by William Surdyk.

A preview of Akron Railroads is available at the website of Google books and can be reached through the link provided below.

https://books.google.com/books? id=O4XiDAAAQBAJ&dq=akron+railroads&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Book on Pere Marquette 1225 Released

A photography-oriented book about the history of the Pere Marquette steam locomotive No. 1225 was released on Monday.

Pere Marquette 1225 was written by T.J. Gaffney and Dean Pyers and published by Arcadia Publishing in its Images of Rail series.

The 1225 was one of 38 Berkshire Class 2-8-4s built between 1937 and 1944 for the Pere Marquette Railway.

From the construction at Lima Locomotive Works and important role in hauling material from factories to the front in World War ll to its unlikely preservation on Michigan State University’s campus and eventual restoration, the history of 1225 covers nearly 75 years.  The price of the book is $21.99 plus tax.

Sanders Publishes Book on Cleveland Railroads

Craig Sanders announced today the release of his book Cleveland Mainline Railroads, which was published by Arcadia Publishing.

The 128-page book will be released next week. It retails for $21.99 and can be ordered directly from Arcadia at

www.arcadiapublishing.com.

The Akron Railroad Club, of which Sanders serves as president, will be ordering copies of Cleveland Mainline Railroads for sale to members and at various railroadiana shows.

The club will be selling the book at the Railfest 2014 train show at Lake Land Community College on March 15 and 16.

Sanders will also be attending a book signing at the Costco store in Avon (35804 Detroit Road) on March 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at the Costco store in Strongsville on March 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cleveland Mainline Railroads provides an overview of the primary railroads that served Cleveland during much of the 20^th century.

These were the New York Central, Baltimore & Ohio, Erie, Nickel Plate Road, Pennsylvania and the Wheeling & Lake Erie.

The book details when the predecessor companies of these railroads reached Cleveland and what freight and passenger markets that each railroad served.

By design, the book does not delve into switching roads and steel mill railroads, which Sanders said deserve a book of their own.

Most of the photographs came in Cleveland Mainline Railroads came from the Bruce Young collection housed in the Special Collections section of the Cleveland State University library.

The late Mr. Young collected railroad images from various sources in order to preserve a history of Cleveland area railroads.

Some images in Cleveland Mainline Railroads also came from the Wheeling & Lake Erie collection of the CSU Special Collections as well as the Cleveland Union Terminal collection. Many of the latter images were made by and/or donated by Herbert Harwood.

A few images in Cleveland Mainline Railroads were contributed by ARRC member Robert Farkas. These were taken in the 1960s and focused on the early Penn Central era when rolling stock and locomotives bearing NYC and PRR liveries was still commonplace.

The book has chapters devoted to each of the aforementioned railroads with the NYC chapter the longest due to its dominance of the Cleveland railroad scene. The second longest chapter is devoted to the Nickel Plate.

The bulk of the images in Cleveland Mainline Railroads show steam operations between the 1920s and the end of steam in the late 1950s. There are a few images that show railroad operations in the late 19^th and early 20^th century.

The diesel era is represented with images from the 1950s through the late 1960s, with a handful of images from the early 1970s.

Sanders said it was his intent in writing the book to focus primary on the railroad companies that existed through the 1960s. Hence, there is no chapter devoted specifically to Penn Central, which was formed by the 1968 merger of the NYC and PRR.

However, the chapters devoted to the PRR and NYC contain information and photographs about the early Penn Central era.

Likewise, the chapter on the Erie contains a focus on the Erie Lackawanna era, which began with the October 1960 merger of the Erie and Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroads.

In researching the book, Sanders discovered some little noted railroad operations, one of which is featured on the book’s cover. That is the Euclid Railroad, which opened in 1884 and eventually became part of the Nickel Plate.

Cleveland Mainline Railroads is Sanders’ fourth book with Arcadia Publishing. His other titles include: Akron Railroads, Canton Area Railroads, and Mattoon and Charleston Area Railroads. Railroad history has been a lifelong interest of Sanders and he is a 25-year member of the National Railway Historical Society

He serves on the board of the Forest City Division of the Railroad Enthusiasts has been president of the Akron Railroad Club since December 2004. He is also a member of the Illinois Central Historical Society and the Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association.

ARRC to sell “Canton Area Railroads”

The Akron Railroad Club will be selling copies of Canton Area Railroads, which was written by club president Craig Sanders and recently released by Arcadia Publishing.

The book will be sold to club members for $15 and to non-members for $17. The book will be available at the ARRC table at Railfest 2009 this weekend (March 14 and 15) at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio. The college is located on Ohio Route 306, just south of Interstate 90 (exit 193). Railfest 2009 is sponsored by Division 5 of the National Model Railroad Association.

Author Sanders will be available at the ARRC table on Saturday to autograph copies of the book.

Copies of Canton Area Railroads will also be available for sale at the next ARRC meeting, on March 27.

Canton Area Railroads has 128 pages and more than 200 black and white photographs, most of which were taken by or furnished by Akron Railroad Club members.  The book covers railroad operations in Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Orrville, Navarre, Minerva, Dover, Brewster, Dennison and other communities in Stark, Carroll, Holmes, Wayne and Tuscarawas counties. Among the railroads covered by the book are the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, Wheeling & Lake Erie, New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, Norfolk & Western, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Ohio Central, R.J. Corman, Ohi-Rail, Amtrak and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Canton Railroad Book Now Available

Akron Railroad Club president Craig Sanders’ latest book, Canton Area Railroads, has been released by Arcadia Publishing. The book was written in cooperation with the Akron Railroad Club and features photographs from club members Richard Antibus, John Beach, Michael Boss, Peter Bowler, Richard Jacobs, Chris Lantz, James McMullen, Bob Redmond, Edward Ribinskas, Marty Surdyk and Paul Vernier.

The book chronicles the history and development of the railroads that served Stark, Wayne, Holmes, Carroll and Tuscarawas counties. Among the cities coverd are Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Orrville, Wooster, Dover, New Philadelphia, Dennison, Brewster, Navarre, Minerva and Sugar Creek.

Canton Area Railroads documents how railroad operations changed as the steel industry declined and railroad consolidations led to traffic shifts and route abandonments. Among the railroads that served this region were the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, New York Central and Wheeling & Lake Erie. The book has images of these roads plus their sucessors Penn Central, Norfolk & Western, Conrail, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Ohio Central, R.J. Corman and OhiRail.

Also discussed are modern passenger operations Amtrak, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society. The book is 128 pages and has more than 200 photographs.

Canton Area Railroads is the fifth railroad history book published by Sanders. His other works include Akron Railroads, Amtrak in the Heartland, Limiteds, Locals and Expresses in Indiana, 1838-1971, and Mattoon and Charleston Area Railroads.

The ARRC will be selling copies of Canton Area Railroads at train shows and at its monthly meetings. The book is also available from  booksellers and the publisher (www.arcadiapublishing.com).