What sort of book do you buy a rail fan?

Buying books as presents for friends and relatives who like trains is always a challenge. You could go the easy route and buy them a book that covers trains worldwide. However, these usually fail to make a splash unless they are exceptionally good. If you really want to impress the recipient, ask what some of their favorite railroads are. Then go in search of books about them. The railroad books you see perched here on a weathered set of tracks are good examples of the latter idea.  Their titles are More Chicago Great Western in Minnesota and More Milwaukee Road in Minnesota, by John C. Luecke. 

Why the “more,” you ask? In the early 1980s, Luecke collaborated with Roger Bee and Gary Browne on a book entitled The Chicago Great Western in Minnesota. That same decade saw John publish his first solo work, Dreams, Disasters, and Demise: The Milwaukee Road in Minnesota. Both books have been cherished favorites of mine from the moment I first read them. In 2010, John published these two follow-ups.

More Chicago Great Western focuses topics such as the railroad’s north-south mainline from the Twin Cities to the Iowa border, the road's network of branch lines that existed around Rochester, Red Wing, Mankato and Winona, and other subjects related to the Great Western and its operations in the Gopher State.  John devotes ample attention to post-CGW operations on these lines by successor Chicago and North Western.

The lines merged the CGW into its system in 1968 and alas, subsequently abandoned so many lines that today only overgrown grades, a few rail trails and a small bit of surviving track now remains to proclaim “The Chicago Great Western was here.” The book also contains numerous photos. Many of which are from the collection of the late David Meppen, a rail fan who trained the lens of his camera on anything and everything related to trains. The book also features numerous detailed maps.

More Milwaukee Road is precisely that. Chock full of material on each and every mainline and branch line that the road once operated in the Gopher State. David Meppen’s photos abound in this volume as well, and it too has many good maps to offer serious rail fans. If you know train fans that dig these two roads, their successors, or both, you can’t go wrong with these!    

Photo by Richard H.  Taken on RR line in front of the Faribualt (MN) former Milwaukee Road depot.