Category Archives: Reviews

By Ed Wolfe
HEW Enterprises 2013
ISBN 978-0-9720692-4-3

Review by Dan Bourque

Those of you familiar with Ed Wolfe’s previous books won’t be surprised by this book’s high rating. Ed, with help from many including his co-authors Charles Wilson, Jr. and Paul Mandelkern, delivers again with this history of the Norfolk & Western’s Clinch Valley line. The N&W’s Clinch Valley line extended from the N&W’s main at Bluefield, WV to it’s interchange with the Louisville & Nashville at … Read more →

By Ed Wolfe
HEW Enterprises 2010

Review by Dan Bourque

Many of us familiar with the fantastic book series on the Interstate Railroad written by Ed Wolfe and his father, Hugh Wolfe, have been waiting anxiously for Ed’s book on the Southern Railway’s Appalachia Division since it was first rumored a couple of years ago. To get to the bottom line quickly, this book is excellent and was well worth the wait, but it is a … Read more →

by Tony Koester
Kalmbach Publishing, 2006
ISBN 0-89024-668-8

Review by Dan Bourque

For many of us Appalachian modelers, the name Tony Koester and “coal railroading” are permanently wired together thanks to Tony’s previous layout, the Allegheny Midland, which captured the look-and-feel of Appalachian railroading so beautifully. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that Tony has written an excellent book on the subject of coal railroads with the modeler in … Read more →

by Robert Helm
TLC Publishing 2004
ISBN 1-883089-84-0

by Dan Bourque

This book is an outstanding resource for anyone modeling Clinchfield coal-field operations, especially in the diesel era. The book’s author, Bob Helm, is a model railroader, and it shows in the details he includes in this excellent volume. The book follows the Clinchfield mainline from Elkhorn City, KY to Dante, VA along with the Haysi RR, the Fremont Branch and the Nora Spur.

Read more →

by Ed Wolfe
HEW Enterprises, 2003
ISBN 0-9720692-1-6

Review by Dan Bourque

This is Ed Wolfe’s third book in his series on the coal-hauling short line, the Interstate Railroad. The first book is an overview and is focused on the railroad’s history and development. The second book is a detailed look at the tipples and operations with first-hand recollections of the way the men worked the railroad. This third book picks up where the others left off and continues the … Read more →

by Ron Flanary
Old Line Graphics 1999
ISBN 1-879314-13-4

by Dan Bourque

If you’re modeling the L&N’s Cumberland Valley Division, this book is a definite “must have.”  For the rest of you, this book provides a great portrait of Appalachian railroading through the decades as seen from a next-door neighbor’s perspective. Ron Flanary goes town-by-town along the CV with hundreds of unique photos of some hard-to-reach places. The text is informative, but … Read more →

by Ed Wolfe and Hugh Wolfe TLC Publishing 2001 ISBN 1-883089-67-0

Review by Dan Bourque

This book is an absolute “must have” for anyone who wants to model mine run operations realistically. This book is the second in Ed Wolfe’s series on the short line Interstate Railroad which served the coal fields of southwestern Virginia. Ed’s father and co-author, Hugh Wolfe, worked for the Interstate (and later the Southern Railway) for many years, and this book goes tipple by tipple, … Read more →