Railroad

The Call of Trains: Railroad Photographs by Jim Shaughnessy
$65.00
This is a well crafted book that will have great appeal to those who lived through or appreciate the transition from steam to diesel power in North American railroads. The book is filled with many excellent black & white photos that capture the richness of railroading in an age well removed from the sterility that marks the present day. The center of gravity is the United States, but Canada is well-represented, with some photos from Mexico too. There is a well-written "Railroad Landscapes" section that prefaces the actual photographs. This preface contains an intelligent discussion on the evolution of railway photography and is worth careful reading in its own right. The photos themselves are a real treat. Captions tend to be a bit sparse in some cases and are not overly elucidated by the "Afterword & Captions" section at the end of the book. Dedicated railfans might appreciate more but, in the end, this is not a book for the rivet-counters but more for people who enjoy the work of a masterful photographer who has wonderfully captured the essence of a by-gone era. It's a very nice book and well worth the purchase price.

The History of American Railroads: The Years of Steam
$8.98
Great DVD for steam train lovers. Lots of different type of steam engines and very interesting.

Ticket to Ride
$59.99
Incredible game for almost any age group. This board game has everything going for it. It is a great deal of fun, as each new game requires a different strategy from the last. The overall strategy tendencies are difficult to master, and after having played this game 50 times or more, I am still trying to decide the best strategic approach. It is very easy to learn, and after one play through you will never need to look at the rules again. The game is expertly constructed using materials that will not break or wear at any time in the near future. I plan to realistically have played this game thousands of times before any pieces need fixed/replaced. A group of my friends have a movie/game night once every week, and this seems to be the one game that everyone is always in the mood for.

Overall, a great value for the price. Great gameplay, and loads of fun! Fun for gamers and non-gamers, as I have not found anyone that dislikes this game.

Railroad Tycoon 3
$19.99
I've been playing RRT3 for a few weeks now, and have to give it 2 thumbs up. Be prepared, it is quite different from RRT2 (which I loved for many years). The game play is different enough, that after struggling with the intricacies for a few days, I broke down (poor train joke) and went through the tutorial. Definitely a good idea, because RRT2 is EASY compared to this sequel.

The biggest change for me was that the profits on a load are WAY lower. No longer can you make an easy $1-2M by carting a few passengers really far away. Now, distance of the route makes little difference in the profit of the train. The player has to pay careful attention to what is needed where, the profit margins of freight to different destinations from each source, and sending passengers/mail 1 town away could give you more money than sending them 20 towns away.

That was a tough adjustment to make, but once you get the hang of it, you'll find that this game is just as fun as the one before it. I'm not going to delve into the enhanced graphics because I could really care less (they are pretty cool, though, I must admit).