SECTION 2 BOOK DATA BASE   

Russian Railways Group

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BOOK & VIDEO DATABASES  

 

Good information is crucial to any activity or interest, and the lack of such data on Soviet or Russian Railways has long been a problem.  Nowadays there is a lot of information available, but how do you find it ? Look in the Databases here.

 

BOOK DATABASE

 

One of the biggest problems confronting anyone with an interest in Soviet/Russian Railways is to find out what has been published. A Surprising number of books have been published on Russian Railways over the years, some in Russian, some in German, others in English. Some are out of print, but can be found at Second-hand book dealers.

 

LAST UPDATED 9 December  2002 

 

Co-ordinator - Robert Hendry

 (Author.  Title.  City: Publishing Company, Year)

 

TITLES ON SOVIET etc RAILWAYS

           

Assoc. of American RRs    Railroads of the U.S.S.R.       --- AARR 1960   

Chester K R                          Paravozy - Russian and Soviet Steam Locos Vol 1  E/S/P36 classes, Skipton, Trackside, 1999

Chester K R                          Paravozy – Elements of Loco Development IN Russia & USSR . Skipton, Trackside, 2001

Drumm/Hensler                  Old Securities, Vol 1, Russian Railway Bonds 1859-1918. Frankfurt,Freunde Historischer Wertpapiere, 1979

Helme, Mehis                       Eesti Kitsaroopmelised         1996

Helme, M                               Fortress Railways of the Baltic Coast  pub Plateway
Heywood & Button               Soviet Locomotive Types, The Union Legacy Malmo Stenvalls 1995 

LeFleming & Price              Russian Steam Locomotives

Moskalev, L.                          Russian Narrow Gauge         1997 

Moskalev                               Narrow Gauge around St. Petersburg,  pub Moscow 2000, ISBN 5-93574-004-4
Page & de Pater,                 Russian Locomotives Vol 1 1836-1904

Page & Nurminen               Russian Locomotives Vol 2 1905-1924

Rakov, V A                             The Locos of the Railways of the Soviet Union (1845-1955); pub Moscow 1955. new ed 1999

Rakov, V A                             Locos and MUs of the Rlys of the Soviet Union 1956-1965. pub Moscow 1965

Rakov, V A                             Locos and MUs of the Rlys of the Soviet Union 1966-1975. pub Moscow 1979

Rakov, V A                             Locos and MUs of the Rlys of the Soviet Union 1956-1975. pub Moscow 1999 new combined ed

Rakov, V A                             Locos and MUs of the Rlys of the Soviet Union 1976-1985. pub Moscow 1990

Strauss, R                             Trans-Siberian Rail Guide;  pub Bradt pub, Buckinghamshire, England 1987, 2nd ed 1991

Theroux, Paul                       The Great Railway Bazaar, pub London, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin 1975

Westwood, J. N.                  Soviet Railways Today        pub London, Ian Allan,  1963

Westwood, J. N                    A History of Russian Railways pub London, George Allen & Unwin, 1964

Westwood, J. N                    Russian Locomotive Types  pub Bristol, W Norman, 1960

Westwood, J. N                    Soviet Locomotive Technology 1928-1952  London, McMillan 1982

 

TIMERABLES & ATLASES

 

compilation                           Cook's Continental Timetable - pub Thomas Cook; monthly pass TT since 1873

compilation                           Thomas Cook European Timetable - pub Thomas Cook, successor to above

compilation                           Ukrainian Railways (UZ) Passenger Timetables,  Kiev, UZ, annual issue, 2001, 2002 etc

 

anon                                       Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova Railway Atlas, Exeter, Quail Map Co, Exeter 1995

anon                                       Atlas, Scheme of Railways of USSR, Moscow, Ministry of Geography, 1963

anon                                       Tramway Atlas of the Former USSR,  ABS ev Berlin, and LRTA, London, 1996

 

BOOKS WITH USEFUL SECTIONS ON SOVIET RAILWAYS

 

Bell, James                          German War Locomotives, German Railway Society 2001 (photocopy information booklet)

Chester K R                          Eastern European Narrow Gauge Steam. Locomotive International

Cox,  E.S.                               World Steam in the 20th Century , London, Ian Allan – a professional engineer on world steam.

Feuereissen G               Dampf Uber Europa Ost  pub Gondrom, Munchen 1989. useful Soviet picture section.      

Howson, Henry E                The Rapid Transit Railways of the World London; George Allen & Unwin, 1971 SECTION ON USSR

Prince Richard of Hesse  Deutsche Reichsbahn Freight Locos in 1933, photocopy reprint by German Railway Society

Slaughter, Vassiliev  & Beier    The German Class 52 Kreigslok; Malmo, Frank Stenvalls  (ENGLISH language edition of below)

Slaughter, Wassiljew & Beier.  Kurze Geschichte der Kriegslokomotiven Baureihe 52 und ihr Verblieb in Ost und West.  Malmo: Frank Stenvalls Forlag, 1996.(Short History of the War Locomotive Class 52 and her Stay in East and West)

Slaughter, Vassiliev & Beier.  Malmo: Frank Stenvalls Forlag

TLRS                                      The Continental Steam Tram   pub TLRS

Westcott, Linn H                  Model Railroader Cyclopedia Vol 1  US Steam, Milwaukee, Kalmbach, 1960 ****

            .

Notes

****  Westcott Linn, Plans and photos of US loco designs, but also includes plans of US built WW1 and WW2 2-10-0s for Russia, as a batch of these engines were not delivered in 1918 and were resold to US railroads.

USEFUL e-mail & postal addresses for Book Sellers

 

useful 2nd hand sources;       http://www.alibris.com/http://www.abebooks.com/ and http://www.bookfinder.com/.

Midland Publishing               Midland Publishing midlandbooks@compuserve.com  4 Watling Drive, Sketchley Lane Industrial Estate, Hinckley. Leics LE10 3EY

Red Star Railways (USA)       Redstarrys@aol.com

 

Comments/Reviews

 

Tramway Atlas of the Former USSR,  A joint bi-lingual publication by ABS ev Berlin, and LRTA, London, 1996. soft covers, 232 pages. The title Atlas does not do justice to the book, as it is far more than this. It includes 1990s fleet lists of every tramway in the USSR, a summary of car types in the USSR, a condensed history of opening dates for each system, system size, and route maps. It also provides a list of trolleybus and metro systems and abandoned tramways. Highly Commended.

 

German War Locomotives,  by James Bell, A  photocopy information booklet  issued by the German Railway Society in 2001.  Numerous photos of WW2 class 50UK, 52, 52 Condensing locos, a winterized class 57 0-10-0 and other items of interest to Russian railways modellers.

 

Deutsche Reichsbahn Freight Locos in 1933 by Prince Richard of Hesse. This is a photocopy reprint by German Railway Society of a 1930s magazine article on German freight power.  As captured locos included Prussian G81, ie DR 5525-56; G82, ie DR 5620-30, G10 and G12 classes, this is useful to anyone who plans to include Trophy engines on their layout.

 

German Class 52 Kriegslok,  (English) Kurze Geschichte der Kriegslokomotiven Baureihe 52 (German) This excellent book in English or German, gives the history of the 52 Class built by the Wehrmacht during WWII, which eventually became the TE class on the SZD.  Excellent B&W photos from most countries that the 52 class ended up in after the war, including a sizable section on the Soviet Union.  The book also has a map of the western Soviet rail network in 1988 and lists known depots and locomotive reserves that were home to the remaining TE's.  There is a list of the history of practically every 52 class ever built  (review from Jeremy Yoder/Robert Hendry) 

 

The Rapid Transit Railways of the World by Howson, Henry E. A well known author examines Undeground/Metro systems throughout the World in 1971.  The USSR section, although only 9 pages long, is informative, and there are 10 BW illus of various systems. AT this time Metros existed in Moscow,  Leningrad, Kiev,  Tbilisi, Baku, , and lines were under development in Kharkov and Tashkent. Title is long out of print, but sometimes can be found second hand.

 

Paravozy  Vol 1 Russian and Soviet Steam Locos Vol 1  E/S/P36 classes, Chester K R     A splendid account with numerous drawings and photos of these three important classes.               

 

Paravozy  Vol 2 – Elements of Loco Development In Russia & USSR . Chester K R .  Follow up to above concentrating on locomotive development policies and experimental types. Again a superb book.

 

Fortress Railways of the Baltic Coast,  Helme, M pub Plateway. This covers Estonian railways used by the military through the years and includes many standard Russian items as well as some unique designs together with German imports. Useful general scenes, many plans and an interesting history. In black & white. (Tony Wood)

 

Russian Steam Locos Vol I 1836-1904 and Vol 2 I905-1924; Prof Page.  Excellent scholarly accounts of the development of the Soviet loco fleet set into the context of the expanding system, with potted histories of the Czarist railways, including amalgamations. Excellent.  review from Robert Hendry 

 

Russian Steam Locomotives LeFleming & Price - I never met LeFleming, but I knew John Price. Like LeFleming, John was a highly respected British author, well known for his tenacity in ferreting out data. The book is an excellent job given the data then available to them at the height of the Cold War. Some data not found elsewhere. review from Robert Hendry

 

Cook's Continental Timetable/Thomas Cook European Timetable   For many years, the late John Price was editor of Cook's Continental Timetable, and I recall his comments about the difficulty of obtaining useful information for the Soviet section at the height of the Cold War ! review from Robert Hendry

 

Soviet Locomotive Types The Union Legacy  Heywood & Button. The A to Z of MPS motive power at the demise of the Soviet Union. Fantastic is the only word for it. Publishers stocks are getting low.  review from Robert Hendry

 

Eastern European Narrow Gauge Steam. by K Chester  - has sections on Baltic lines as well as some other items from USSR  - review from Tony Wood

 

Narrow Gauge around St. Petersburg covers the early days of the Irinov(?) network of 750mm lines on the north east of the city. These lines after broad-gauge conversion in the '30s formed part of the WWII "Road of Life". The book covers the construction and early operation of the lines with lots of old photographs of buildings and infrastructure as well as photos and drawings of rolling stock (some from Moskalev's main book). Unfortunately all text is in Russian. Soft cover of 50 pages priced at £9.99. Published in 2000 in Moscow, ISBN 5-93574-004-4. It appears from the back cover to be the second part of a series.  review from Tony Wood

 

Soviet Railways Today; and A History of Russian Railways," both out of print, but show up on the above used book sources and are well worth the effort. The latter is especially worth the effort because of the scale drawings of both goods and coaching stock.   (review from Phil Moberg)  Westwood's book shows up periodically at booksellers.  It's a good summary of USSR railways in 1960, and contains rather basic plans of carriages and wagons.  (from Chris White)

 

The Locomotives of the Railways of the Soviet Union  1845-1955 and updates. These volumes are also titled in Russian as Locomotives of our Home Railways 1845-1955, and the like-titled volume covering 1956-1975.  They are in Russian, and expensive; but the information within is beyond value, even to a largely non-Russian speaker. (from Phil Moberg) 

There is also a 1986 German translation of the original volume pub Berlin, Transpress 1986, normally listed as Rokow. W. A. Russische und sowjetische dampfloklokomotiven). from Robert Hendry.

 

A greatly expanded Russian language version of the first volume (1845-1955) was issued in 1999 with many new illustrations and additional data. At 564 pages it is a monumental piece of research. Available in England from Motor Books at £42.50 plus post.

The 1956-1965 and 1965-1975 volumes were reissued as a combined volume 1956-1975 at the same time and the same price.

A new edition of the 1976-1985 volume bringing the story up to date is expected shortly. Vitaly Aleksandrovich Rakov (1909-1999), was a senior engineer with the MPS and his name appeared on many books on Soviet and Russian railways. His death in 1999 removed a link with one of the men actually responsible for MPS motive power design. From Robert Hendry

 

Old Securities, Vol 1, Russian Railway Bonds 1859-1918.  Drumm/Hensler;  An outline account of how Russian Railways were financed in Czarist days, by offering fixed interest bonds to overseas investors, followed by a detailed description of EVERY issue from1859 to the Revolution. In German, with some terms translated into French and English. Useful reference book. (review RPH)  

               

The Continental Steam Tram   pub TLRS -  has sections covering Russian units, this only gives basic data and very few pictures. from Tony Wood

 

The Great Railway Bazaar, Theroux, Paul; Travelogue by professional journalist, including a chapter on the TransSiberian Railway. An interesting but rather jaundiced account of an early 1970s journey.      

 

Trans-Siberian Railway Guide – Strauss;  A highly detailed travel account of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Less well known than the above, but contains far more useful information although somewhat dated by now.         (review by Robert Hendry)


Railroads of the U.S.S.R.     Assoc. of American RRs.  Many of the same plans appear in the AAR book of which I own a copy, as in Westwood.  This book is a technical analysis based on a 1960 visit by AAR members, and covers rolling stock, signals, catenary and operational methodology.  (Chris White)

 

World Steam in the 20th Century  Stuart Cox was a senior BR engineer involved in the design of the BR Standards, and a erudite but entertaining writer on railway matters. As a member of international delegations, he was an early visitor to the USSR, and given permission to photograph railways.  The book has a 3 page section on Russian steam design, plus illustrations, and a 25 page section on the influence of German loco design. This is useful to Soviet modellers if they intend to include “Trophy” engines on a layout., as it gives basic data not readily available from Soviet sources.

 

There's also a series of nine books covering the regional railways of the USSR, authored by I. V. Biryukov and published in 1985 by Desertina Verlag in Disentis, Switzerland (in the middle of the Rhaetian Railway!).  Color photos, German text, most technical data is accurate.   I only have the volume on the October Railway, which I model; my copy was a gift, but I note it was purchased through Motor Books. 

Dampf Uber Europa Ost  by Feuereissen G, and pub Gondrom, Munchen 1989.  German text, 160 pages of superb colour pics of steam in Eastern Europe, inc DDR, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and even Greece and Turkey. It has 14 pictures of 1524mm locos in Finland, and 10 pics in the USSR, which include the only colour view I have ever seen of one of the Japanese built NG 2-8-2s on Sakhalin, an American Decapod in Siberia, an ancient b (soft sign) 0-6-0ST, etc. Well worth buying if you can find it.  (Robert Hendry)
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