Western Railroad Discussion > New Spokane International Book

I was finally able to get a copy of the new Spokane International Book by Clive Carter. This is a great book and well worth the $49.95 price (a cheap book these days). The book has a several excellent historical photos by Larry Shawver who was ahead of his time in railfan photography. His action pics from the steam era rival many later day photographers. Bruce Kelly and Bill Maltby provide many stunning contemporary images. I should note that all images are in black and white, which is typical of a historical book of this nature. But this is no picture book, it's a complete look at a amazing little shortline built by the very successful local railroad magnate, D.C. Corbin. While controlled first by CP and later UP, it managed to maintain it's own identity until fully merged into the Union Pacific in the 1960's. The railroad ran with a collection of medium sized secondhand steam locomotives, but dieselized early on in 1949 with a fleet of Alco RS1's in a striking black and red scheme. Today the railroad is vital to the UP as part of it's Can-Am corridor, it's only direct link to Canada on the west coast. Grain, Lumber and Potash pour across the border on a daily basis, a far cry from the sleepy secondary mainline status it held during much of it's years with the UP. Union Pacific frantically scrambled to upgrade the railroad during the first decade of the 21st century as traffic swelled from a pair of daily interchange trains to multiple unit and manifest trains a day. Any fan of northwest railroading will find this book as a excellent addition to their collection.

http://www.museumni.org/books_SI.html

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I concur. I have had the book for about a month. It is a good read with some inspirational photos. It is the best SI book so far. The early text shows what impact a few dedicated capitalists can do even if it may take decades to come to grand fruition.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

Thanks for posting this, will be ordering a copy.