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Truckee Donner Railroad Society

Sierra Nevada Railroading - 1st Continental Route - May 10, 1869

History - Sierra Nevada Railroads

Historian ...............Nelson VanGundy

Send contributions to Nelson VanGundy at: ....[email protected]
Or contact the Web Master Ed Larson at....... [email protected].

TRUCKEE DONNER RAILROAD SOCIETY

Some Suggested Reference Materials for RR Historians/Modelers

This brief non-comprehensive list was most recently updated 4/26/02. These works go in and out of print depending on demand--buy them when you find them! Truckee Books does a good job of keeping them in stock.

Nelson Van Gundy, Historian, Truckee Donner Railroad Society

Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Volume I

David Myrick (The Classic "Bible" on the area RR's;

Howell-North; the standard work, and still outstanding)

(lately by UNR Press) Local maps & equipment pictures

Donner Pass:S.P.'s Sierra Crossing

John Signor (Great Book by S.P. Historian, lots of Golden West Books Truckee-Donner area pictures)

Local Maps, Plans, and Pictures

Snowplow: Clearing Mountain Rails

Gerald M. Best Mostly Truckee-Donner area pictures, Howell-North great snow shots. Local Equipment Plans.

The Railroad Photographs of Alfred A Hart

Kibbey The 364 long-lost stereographs & photos of the building of the Donner Pass line by the OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER!

CA State Library Foundation THE BEST RECORD OF TUNNELS & SNOWSHEDS!

The Swayne Lumber Company Most of Chapter 1 is Truckee Lumber

Beckstrom-Braun Company history, pictures, and maps.

Pacific Fast Mail Great local Truckee early-days stuff.

The Central Pacific and the Purple prose, a bit dated, but Southern Pacific Railroads wonderful recital of the building Lucius Beebe & growth of the SP system. Great

Howell-North storytelling by a spellbinder.

Tale of Two Cities & a Train (Nevada County Narrow Gauge)

Juanita Browne Great Northern Mother Lode social history Nevada County Hist. Soc Good (Western Nevada county) photos!

Nevada County Narrow Gauge (West Coast NG, same as above) Gerald M. Best (again!) Great local Nevada Co. info originally Interurban Press plans, pictures, and maps).

A Baggage Car With Lace Curtains and 30 Years Over Donner Heartwarming story of a RR Signalman’s family Kay and Bill Fisher working and living on Donner Pass & Truckee. Self-Published Both are wonderful social histories of mid-twentieth century railroading…in Truckee!!

Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge

Mallory Hope Ferrell How the Colorado N.G. equipment Came West,

Pacific Fast Mail and survived in the Desert & Mountains.

LOCAL EQUIPMENT!! Pictures and Plans

Logging RRs of the West

Adams THE best general logging information Bonanza (Superior), 1961 collection. A few local photos.

[various reprints since] Somewhat poor reproduction, but wonderful breadth of source materials.

The Old West: The Railroaders Excellent survey-level material

Time-Life Editors;Wheeler on Western RR development and

Time-Life Books growth; Good introductory text.

If you know of other good materials on Truckee’s local railroad scene, please contact me @ [email protected], or at 530-587-3444. Thanks!!