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What are some good books on the Southern Railway for a person just starting out researching for as much information as possible? I'm wanting to learn as much as I can about the Southern Railway and it's history,especially in NC and VA.Did it ever run in WVA? Anything to help get me get a good start would be most helpful.

-- Richard Carson Harper (rhgen@aol.com), March 20, 2000

Answers

The first book to obtain would be Richard Prince's SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM, Steam Locomotives & Boats. First editions are selling for about $200. If it has not already been reprinted, I assume it will be soon. This book contains histories of all the SR predecessors, as well great coverage of SR steam locos. Then there's Burke Davis' THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY Road of Innovators (Univ. of N.C., Chapel Hill 1985) a text book history. There are about a half dozen other titles including several on the SR diesel loco fleet. Two you may like are the all color photo books from Morning Sun Press which are currently in print at about $50. each. To obtain RR books check with book dealers who advertise in TRAINS magazine which is available in the magazine racks of most chain book stores. The SR did not have any lines into West Virginia, though it came rather close in the Shenandoah Valley branch to Harrisonburg, Va.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), March 21, 2000.

"The Diesels of the Southern Railway" 1939-1982 by Paul K. Withers is an excellent book dealing with the various diesel locomotives. Highly recommended similar to the Prince book only it deals with diesels rather than steam through photos, captions, data and rosters. "The Southern Railway System" an Illustrated History by William Webb traces the history from 1827-1982 (I'm not sure if it is still in print). Also "The Southern Railway in Color" Vol 2 tells the story in pictures.

-- Roy Williams (Sluggo47@bellsouth.net), March 21, 2000.

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