The American Railroad Passenger Car, Part 1, Part 2

Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978. First Edition. Softcover. Fine. 4to 11" - 13" tall. Another fine contribution to the Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology series. Sterling condition softcover copies, complete in two volumes, with unfurled tips, tight binding, and clean internals, showing only very slight shelf- and edge-wear to the illustrated card stock wraps. Published in First Edition state in 1978. 690 pp., all in, running consecutively, and complete with notes, indexes, and bibliographies. From the publisher's blurb, "The American Railroad Passenger Car recaptures the lost, but not-too-distant past when 98 percent of all intercity travel in the United States was by rail. It documents in extraordinary detail the ingenuity and splendor of the classic trains as well as the rattle and clatter, the dust and cinders of early rail travel. An unparalleled record of changes in taste and technology. With clarity and precision, White explains the methods of construction of wood, iron, steel, and aluminum cars. He traces the evolution of wheels and brakes, dining cars and sleeping compartments. And he follows the revolutions in taste and technology that dramatically altered the appearance of the railroad passenger car over the century and a half that it dominated American travel. An extraordinary resource for railroad hobbyists. Detailed plans and diagrams accompanying the text make it possible for model-builders to reconstruct many famous passenger cars themselves. Appendixes contain biographies of coach builders and designers; numerous tables comparing models, materials, and prices; a chronology of passenger cars; and an annotated bibliography."Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets.