Reply to "Best / Favorite Vintage Model Railroading Books Aimed at Boys"

My favorite was "Superpower: The making of a Steam Locomotive," by David Weitzman. This book is aimed at the adolescent reader. It is an account of how a steam locomotive is designed and built, told through the eyes of a young man who has just gotten his first real job, at the Lima Locomotive Works. He is a 'gofer,' and so he finds himself visiting every part of the works, just as Lima is creating the A-1, the original Berkshire and the locomotive which launched the 'superpower' philosophy. The book creates a very attractive and, dare I say, romantic, picture of the industry and the people who worked in it. (The author did in fact go to Lima, OH, and interview former employees.) The whole thing is beautifully illustrated with engravings, which really do a great job of capturing the intricacy of the locomotive.

Haha, I just read back what I wrote! It might as well be an ad, or a blurb to go on the back cover. Well, I did read this book about a hundred times during my early teens, and a few times since, too.