Your bid is for The Railway and
Locomotive Historical Society BULLETIN No. 47 with an issued date of September
1938. This digest-sized publication measures 15.1 by 22.1 cm and contains 116
pages, not including the photo page inserts, plus the wraps, with Charles E.
Fisher as President and Editor. I count 14 photo page inserts, with only one
printed one side only, with most being two photos or drawings per page, but
some with just one. That means 143 pages of information in this edition. The
front cover depicts the Fall River Line Steamboat Train in a work by E. Andre
Schefer to support this issue's New Haven Railroad Locomotive article. Yes, it
is the same drawing as appeared on No.46, as Fisher often did, but now you have
blue instead of orange. The editor discusses the forthcoming special edition
dedicated to the Locomotives of the Chicago & North-Western Ry., now known
as No.47A, Railroad Fans with "Great Wits" quoted from a recent issue
of Railway Gazette, and The New "Century" describing 16 sketches of
historic locomotives that the New York Central management has come to produce
to honor famous NYC predecessor machines. THE RAILROAD MANIA IN AMHERST, A
Critical Study of the Amherst & Belchertown Railroad, by David W. Sargent is
an attempt to depict the typical frantic enthusiasm that most, but not all,
cities and towns in New England generated when it came to enticing a railway to
come their way. Produced at Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, on 19
May 1938, this 35-page work is about as detailed as anyone could wish for a 19.5-mile
road that officially opened on 08 May 1853. Even a letter from Emily Dickinson,
of "There is not a train I would not take" fame, is quoted in a
letter to her brother. Wouldst that all New England railroads had been covered
in such detail back when the information was relatively fresh. Of course,
Amherst, as the seat of learning in Massachusetts, if not all New England, can
be expected to excel. Chapters are 3 in number and subtitles include; The
Railroad Reaches Amherst; Physiographic Considerations; Forerunners of the A.
& B.; History of the A. & B. 1853-64; Equipment and Rolling Stock;
Financial History; Conclusion and Valuation; Population of the Region and Value
of Manufactured and Agricultural Products....
6 appendices and an extensive bibliography. The photo of the original
Palmer Station is the only one I've seen of that long-gone edifice. Sorry, if
I'm too wordy, but I was born in Palmer and our son and daughter attended
school in Amherst. MESSRS. HARRISON, WINANS & EASTWICK, St. Petersburg,
Russia, by Richard E. Pennoyer devotes 6 pages of text to very early locomotive
design and export of not only ideas and Engs, but also the relocation of
Eastwick & Harrison from Philadelphia to St. Petersburg in 1844 to help
fulfill a contract to build 162 locomotives and 2500 freight car trucks for the
Russian Government. There is a lot of mention of early technical improvements
such as bar frames preferred over plate frames and the reasoning behind the
spread of axles on leading trucks. There are 8 pages of drawings and photos of
representative machines. THE LACKAWANNA AND BLOOMSBURG RAILROAD by F. Stewart
Graham was chartered in 1852 to run 80 miles from Northumberland to Scranton,
Pennsylvania, primarily to haul anthracite. The shops were located at Kingston,
18 miles southeast of Scranton, and began building locomotives in 1871, which
continued for 25 years. The wide firebox is discussed at length, and the text
reaches over 5 pages. There is a foldout roster of L&B Engs and an
interesting photo insert of materials and costs for locomotives for the month
of February 1865. THE MUDDLE OF THE GAUGES by Linwood W. Moody covers 8 pages.
Anyone familiar with LWM knows they are in for a treat as this gentleman is
known for his dry, Maine humor as well as careful research and lively reporting.
"1878. Only sixty short years ago. The railroad gauges looked like a stock
market report, with the many odd digits and fractions that be told their
width." I rest my case. LEHIGH AND
HUDSON RIVER RAILWAY by Capt. W.W. Robinson covers this "indispensable
connecting link" over 5 pages with a rather comprehensive history. Ending
with the notation that dividends have been continuous since 1912 and there is
no bonded indebtedness. There are 4 fine photos of representative L&HR Engs
and a complete roster follows on 3 pages beginning with No.1 "Grinnell
Burt", built by Cooke in 1880. and ending with No.95. built by Baldwin in
1927. THE STERLING IRON AND RAILWAY CO. by Norvin H. Green concerns the iron
mines and the two railroads the company operated. The Sterling Mountain Railway
was opened on 01 November 1866 to run from Sterlington on the Erie Railway to
the furnace and mines at Sterling Lake in Orange County, New York. The other
road was the Southfield Branch Railroad which ran one mile from the Erie RR to
the Parrott furnace at Southfield. This interesting article is spread over 4 pages,
plus there are 4 photos. LOCOMOTIVES OF THE NEW HAVEN RAILROAD by Chas. A.
Fisher continues the roster from BULLETIN No.46 and covers the Boston &
Providence R.R. over 11 pages, plus 4 photos of representative Engs. HISTORY OF
THE NORTHERN NEW YORK RAILROAD by Lawrence Doherty briefly described the line
built across New York from Ogdensburg to Rouses Point which opened for through
traffic on 20 September 1850. Later, an important part of the Rutland Railroad,
it never reached expectations as the primary route from the Great Lakes to the
Atlantic coast. This report covers 5 pages and ends with a roster of
locomotives from the 1850-1852 annual report. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF DEARBORN
STATION is from a paper read by G.C. Hugel, Chief Draftsman, Chicago &
Western Indiana Railway Co., before the R&LHS Chicago Chapter on 21 October
1936 and covers 4 pages. A PEN PICTURE, Railroad Fan's Excursion to Fort Bragg,
Sunday, April 10, 1938, by D.L. Joslyn is a detailed 7-page tour report from
San Francisco that gives great insight into standard operations on the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad and the California Western as existed 68 years
ago. 8 pages of text, plus as many photos, will get you qualified. New Books,
An Early Passenger Coach, Negatives Added, and In Memory Of finish this fat edition.
This book is in excellent, museum-quality condition. Your satisfaction is
guaranteed. Please see my other eBay auctions for more rare and scarce railroad
paper. I provide personal service while trying to keep things simple. Please
check my feedback and DSR's. Everything I sell is POSTPAID USA, so the winning
bid is what you pay, plus eBay’s state tax if applicable, unless you want
special services. I normally ship the first day after the auction ends IF eBay
provides a packing slip. Thank you for reading. Alden Dreyer, 91 Reynolds Road,
Shelburne MA 01370-9649. Copyright by AHD August 2026.