Professional Book Reviews
Reader Views, September 2006
This volume 1 in a series of books that author Charles M.
O’Herin is writing to introduce the model railroader and
railroad modeler to information about a railroad’s history,
operations detail, customers, and the flora and terrain along
it routes. It is the author’s goal to provide enrichment
for the individual hobbyist. This volume covers the background
and history of the San Diego & Arizona Railway.
O’Herin uses a combination of narrative text and factual
information, tables, lists, and a spectacular assortment of
enlarged specialized pictures. He also includes an extensive
bibliography of additional resources and references for further
study and research.
The book is divided into four parts: The historical summary,
which covers the building of the railroad, the network in San
Diego, and the construction and operational milestones from
1907 through 1919. Part two covers schedules, a time line of
an summary of operations, and detailed information as to the
rolling stock owned by the company.
Part three details and pictures structures on the railroad
line and the industries that provided the revenue sources needed
for operations. San Diego city landmarks, like the Santa Fe
Depot, illustrate the classic Spanish Mission style of architecture
of the era. Part four covers the land features, the flora and
terrain.
The story of the San Diego & Arizona Railway covers a one-hundred-year
period of history detailing those years immediately following
the completion of the first transcontinental railway through
the coming of the automobile and trucking industry, the stock
market crash, the great depression and the introduction of passenger
and freight transport through the Airlines Industry. This had
been a difficult and seemingly impossible undertaking for this
short line railroad.
The book is thoroughly researched and well documented with
referenced end notes for each chapter, a list of figures and
photographs, and a list of the credit acronyms used with the
photographs.
Every enthusiast of the Western Steam Era standard gauge railroads
and modeler fans who use prototypes of deserts, trestles, and
tunnels will enjoy the broad range and inspirational approach
in this major undertaking by Charles O’Herin.
“Prototypes for Modelers” contains black and white
and color photography of breath-taking views, historical buildings,
and an amazing photo collection of the railroad’s rolling
stock making this a valuable collection for any collector’s
library.
Richard R. Blake for Reader Views
