If you enjoy photography, especially good quality black and white photos, and you like trains, you'll probably like this book. Jennifer Bodine does a labor of love bringing this collection of her father's train photos to life.


So, who was the artist/photographer?


"A. Aubrey Bodine (1906- 1970)-- pictorialist, modernist, and documentarian and newspaper man-- was a Baltimore Sunday Sun feature photographer from 1927- 1970" (introduction).


In her introduction, the book's author expands on the artist's technique, which was extremely skilled. To appreciate it further, consider this was a time way before any photo editing software existed or even computers. The artist was so good and talented he was honored by both the Photographic Society of America and the National Press Photographers Association; he was the first photographer ever to be honored by both of these societies.


The photos in the book are very beautiful and a pleasure to look at. I saw them on an e-book galley, so I hope they look a lot better in print. Once the photos start after the introduction, text in the book is minimal to allow us to just admire the work.


Overall, I really liked this book. Train buffs may want to consider it for their collections. Libraries with strong photography collections may want to acquire it. For libraries in the artist's geographic area, this is likely a must.

A beautiful book of vintage and historical train photographs. There is some text with a short biography and background of the photographs. Anyone with an interest in Trains, photographs and history will enjoy this book.

I've never been an enthusiast of trains but this was phenomenal! The photography was simply stunning.

As an artist I appreciate the wonder, fascination and romance of the railway. This book is crammed full of magnificent black and white images of trains in all their glory. It is a visual feast for any rail lover. Any child or adult will love to browse through this volume and enjoy the wonderful illustrations within.

Beautiful and informative. I imagine it would make a great gift and a great coffee table book. Very, very beautiful.

What a wonderful book. We love trains in this family and just seeing these amazing photos was the best! An informative book and just so much fun to read and look at. Thank you to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing for the perusal.

A stunning photography book filled with beautiful black and white photos of TRAINS. From old to new, cargo trains to passenger trains. I was mesmerized by all the stunning pictures. Perfect for anyone interested in trains, or even for a conversational coffee table piece.

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Filled with black-and-white photographs, here is a coffee table book for locomotive aficionados. The majority of photos are of Western Maryland Railway trains. Trains on tracks, trains on bridges, trains from the side, trains at an angle, trains from above and below, trains from the front and back. Train stations, train conductors, trains carrying freight and trains carrying passengers. If you're a train enthusiast, you'll relish this book.

Yup, the title does not lie.
The photographer uses an old trick, shooting from below, to make the locomotives appear powerful, even majestic. Quite frankly, it looks awesome. Just as picturesque are the white steam clouds found in almost every shot, at least when the train’s running. There’s one particularly excellent shot of a highly stylized tiny locomotive, the kind only seen in drawings. And the shot of the viaduct against the sky is gorgeous.
On the other hand, according to the introduction a lot of the clouds aren’t original, which might make Bodine the first photoshopper. (Kidding. . . there were others before him.) That ruins it for me, especially his justification, but I did my best to enjoy it anyway. Unfortunately, a lot of the photos did not get a second look from me. I like trains well enough, but I’m not the buff that this book is geared for. If you have a Sheldon Cooper-level love for the locos and cabooses, then this is definitely for you. It also helps that it’s his daughter curating this book, bringing a level of emotion to it.
3.5 pushed to 4/5

This book was gorgeous. I would have preferred to see some colored photography, but that is more personal preference than anything else. This book would make a lovely coffee table book. Living near Golden Spike makes trains particularly interesting for me.
Overall just a beautiful book, with great black and white images.

"The Baltimore & Ohio railroad (B & O) - an American class 1 was a first among American railroads: it was the first American rail line to offer scheduled public freight and passenger service; the first to build a combined passenger and freight station, Mount Claire; the first to earn passenger revenues; the first to publish a timetable; and it was the first inter city railroad in the United States."
The recorded facts on the development of these railways in direct competition with canels; the impetus here being the opening of the Eirie Canal and a group of businessmen fearing that there would be a loss of commerce from Baltimore to the west due to this new canal opening. The writing is of value but the book will be a success based on the unique collection of photographs from the collection of A. Aubrey Bodine who was an artist first and understood the medium of photography and how to shhot the perfect picture. In all weathers to capture a mood or enhance the great labours in the contruction of these great rail roads. In addition the power of these locomotives whether stream engines or diesel powered units.
The beauty of these black and white photos is the range of subject matter and the documentary evidence of a previous time when railways were king. I love the inside of the carriage shot which shows the clothing, fashion styles at a moment in time and one can try to speculate on the passengers' collective excitement and mood.
There are other shots of bridges, stations and industrial locations all enhance in the main part by a train. Mixed freight and passenger services shown with their respective motive power. On the B&O or later The Western Maryland Railway. Some show men at work or the raw materials needed to build a rail road.
I love the shots in snow and over great spans carried on majestic bridges; the sense of movement and a celebration of enterprise and commercial activity captured in a moment of time.
As a lad brought up with private companies that became British Rail the contrast is stunning. I have taken many photographs of moving trains and so I can appreciate the skill at work here.
Furthermore each photograph has more specific information at the end of the book.
From the title you would think you only have photographs of trains to suit the enthusiast but these black and white images lovingly capture are a documentary of social/economic history and bring to life a bygone age.
I remember watching Casey Jones on the TV as a small boy and some of the stills took me back to my childhood television hero when all boys wanted to be an engine driver. The steam billowing across the photograph reminded me of times when i have been engulfed in the smoke from the chimney crossing on a footbridge.
Bodine is an interesting character who touched up his photographs by double printing adding mood, cloud formations and additional smoke where required to tell his stories and enhance the photo.
In a modern age of photoshop and snapchat attachments it is good to see equally clever work at play in these B&W prints.
A wonderful collection with a real story to tell. A great book to dip into and enjoy for some time.

If you like trans you will love this book. My 3 year old Grandson who loves trains set with me while looking through this book, and he loved it. The pictures are in black and white. They range from 1938 to the 1960's. There are pictures of trains, cargo, railroad workers, and rail road stations. The photography in this book is just awesome. It is a relatively short book only 128 pages, but most of the pages are pictures. There are about 10 pages at the back of th ebook that tells you about the pictures as well.



I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

True rail fans want to see not only the trains on the track but also behind the scenes. I enjoyed seeing the different seasons as well as these slices of history, the people who work on and around the trains, in the station and warehouses, plus the people who rode on the trains.
Riding a train used to be more of an event than the commuter trains into the big city are today.
This book captures a time we will never experience again.

Although this works beautifully as a digital product, I still enjoy photos like this in an oversized coffee table book format.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to enjoy this book.