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As some of you may know, back in 2004, my book, "Welcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad!" hit the shelves. It was (and still is) the most comprehensive book ever written exclusively about the Disneyland Trains. Michael Broggie was kind enough to write the foreword, and many folks like to think of it as a companion volume to his wonderful book.

 

The book's been out of print for a while now, but over the years, I've added a lot of new material, and I've asked some friends to contribute vintage photos from their collections. This time, Theme Park Press is publishing an all-color version in hard cover, along with soft cover and Kindle versions. The book should be out this September.

 

Publishing an all-color hard cover book is very expensive, so the publisher has set up a Kickstarter campaign, and today we reached our goal!

 

I know there are lots of folks here who enjoy Disney and the trains of Disneyland, so if you missed out on the first edition, I guarantee you will enjoy the second edition just as much if not more!

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UPDATE: I received the edited manuscript from the publisher the other night for review. I will be choosing photos for each chapter this weekend, and hopefully a trade paperback version will be available by the end of August, and the full-color hardcover should be available at the end of September.

 

This may sound funny, but as I re-read everything all in one place, even I'm a little surprised by how much information is packed in the book. I'm really looking forward to seeing it with all the new photos and drawings.

 

Originally Posted by BradF:

Please remind us of this as this book becomes available. Best of luck with this project.

 

Brad

 

Originally Posted by Andy Hummell:
Originally Posted by BradF:

Please remind us of this as this book becomes available. Best of luck with this project.

 

I'll second that!  I'm definitely in on a hardcover copy. 

 

Andy

I'd third it., but it sounded like you had to be one of the Kickstarter supporters before the deadline to participate.

 

I could be misunderstanding how Kickstarter works, but the impression I got when reading the site was that they would produce exactly what was necessary to satisfy the various supporters.

 

I did not get the impression that "extras" were part of the equation.

 

Do I have it right, Steve?

 

[edit:seems I was not understanding Kickstarter.  Sorry if my post made anyone worry!]

 

-Dave

Last edited by Dave45681

No Dave,

 

I'm not sure what the edition size will be; I believe the smallest run most printers will do is about 2,000 copies; I expect this edition to be far larger.

 

The Kickstarter campaign was just to raise funds up front to be able to do the costly print run in color. People who contributed could get various rewards, with higher contributions receiving a copy of the book for "free."

Originally Posted by smd4:

No Dave,

 

I'm not sure what the edition size will be; I believe the smallest run most printers will do is about 2,000 copies; I expect this edition to be far larger.

 

The Kickstarter campaign was just to raise funds up front to be able to do the costly print run in color. People who contributed could get various rewards, with higher contributions receiving a copy of the book for "free."

OK, my mistake.  I saw all the references to various versions of the book for all the different contribution levels (and some seemed very much in line with what might be considered a reasonable price for the book), and I read too much into it. 

 

I've got one of the earlier editions, but I very well may need to pick up the updated one based on the new content described.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

-Dave

 

Good to hear, Joe! Disneyland has some neat trains, with very unique histories. Walt ended up being a pretty good railroad preservationist.

 

The photos and illustrations are currently being laid out with the text. I've seen a few test pages from the publisher. It shouldn't be long now! 

Last edited by smd4
Originally Posted by smd4:

Gregg...what are you looking for?

 

Michael Broggie probably covered the subject best in "Walt Disney's Railroad Story." It's stlil in print.

I sort of remember going to the movie theatre  back in the early 50s and the preview had  live steam engines running around.  I'm guessing it was Walt Disney.   What year did Disney Land start in  California &  Florida? The Movie may have been Treasure Island,, still one of my favourites. Sorry I'm late replying.

Walt indeed was a pioneer in the live steam hobby in the late 1940s. He had a 1/8 scale 4-4-0 American named the Lilly Belle (after his wife) and matching freight consist that he ran around his backyard in Holmby Hills, CA. The success he had with that railroad, entertaining people with a train in an outdoor environment, led directly to the creation of Disneyland in 1955.

 

This subject is definitely covered in great detail in Michael Broggie's book.

Last edited by smd4

Update: For those waiting for the hardcover, all-color version, publisher Bob McLean posted this on the Kickstarter site:

Despite the best efforts of all involved, the hardcover version of DISNEYLAND RAILROAD is still with the printer. I hope to have copies in hand within the next 2-3 weeks. I'll keep everyone posted. Sorry for the delay!

 

Please make sure to really review the pictures and make sure the images are set at the highest resolution. I have an older copy that has some images that are more pixelated than I would like in my books. 

 

Thanks great books. I am happy to have them on my shelves and good luck against the other Disney train book that I see on the shelf at Barnes and Nobels. Who knew that 2015 would bring such a wealth of Disney train books.

The pictures are better this time, Silver Lake, with more variety, especially showing the railroad in the 1950s/60s. But the book is text-heavy. I wanted to get the history in writing.

 

I have the "other" book (All Aboard! The Wonderful World of Disney Trains, by Dana Amendola), and can vouch for its high quality.

 

Thankfully, we're really not in competition--he covers all Disney trains, whether animated in cartoon shorts, or train appearances in Disney movies, or the railroads at several theme parks. It's very broad, and is a nice overview.

 

Mine is highly focused and highly detailed, geared as much to rail fans as Disney fans. You won't find the name of the manufacturer of the mechanical lubricators in Dana's book, or detailed histories (almost biographies) of the engines (particularly the three Baldwins). But Dana's book features wonderful never-before seen photos and concept art.

 

Why not add both books to your library?

Originally Posted by smd4:

Suzukovich, looks like the book will also be available on-line through B&N as well as Amazon. Retail price will be $39.95. The publisher tells me to expect books for me to sign and ship this week.

Steve thanks. How do I get a signed copy or are you signing them all? Your going to have a case of writers cramp if that's the plan!!!

Originally Posted by smd4:

No, not signing them all--just the 75 or so that are rewards to some Kickstarter donors. Let me see what I can arrange with the publisher to get you a signed copy. Worst case, you can always send your book to me. medial mail isn't that expensive.

Thanks sending a copy for you to sign would be the easiest. I am glad it's only 75 or so. Writers cramp most definitely put a cramp into running trains. Looking forward to the book.

Last edited by suzukovich

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