Brass Train Books

There are several books that cover the Brass Train and associated brass equipment. Most are of the paperback variety. In this discussion we will review both hardback and paperback brass model train books. There are numerous model train books available however, brass model train books are somewhat limited.

The brass model train books that I am most familiar with will be reviewed in the following tutorial.

Many catalogs of brass trains have been published by Pacific Fast Mail (PFM), Balboa, and others. These catalogs ran for several years with the latest colored pictures of those engines being imported into the United States. This form of advertisement has ceased and the catalogs have become collector items. They are useful in determining what has been manufactured in the past.

In 1976 "Lenahan's Locomotive Lexicon" by James Lenahan was published which covered HO scale brass locomotives. The first addition was published in 1974 in which only 1000 copies were made. This is a limited book on brass locomotives produced up until 1976. It has several brass engines from various collections illustrated in the paperback. All pictures are black & white. This book can help in determining paint schemes for several locomotives.

The third edition of "The Brown Book of Brass Locomotives" was published in 1992 by John Glaab. The 1st and 2nd edition of the Brown Book were published in 1980 & 1982 by R. A. Brown. This is a comprehensive paperback with both black & white pictures and model production with manufacturers listed. It includes the Whyte Wheel Arrangement Classification for all types of steam locomotives. It is an excellent book.

The Art of Brass in Model Railroading: Volume I.
By No Author. After the Second World War Japan emerged both as a market for and, later, as an exporter of brass model trains. Kumata & Company Limited, the subject of this volume, was one of these enterprising manufacturers, with their various model trains numbering over a thousand. This details the rare pieces produced by K.M.T. together with many other outstanding brass rail models. I have not yet seen this book but have it on order. The copyright was in 1982. It is out of print and I had to order it from the United Kingdom as a used book.

An Important American Model Train Collection Including Lionel, Scale Brass and LGB Models, Vintage Posters & Photographs. [Lehmann Gross Bahn. Marklin. Magnus. MTH. Sunnyside. Weawer Models. Key Imports. Winston Link..]. 20/12/2006. This book is also out of print and I had to order it from the United Kingdom. My interest in this book is the discussion on Key Imports and other scale brass models.

The most important book on brass trains is "The Brass Train Guide Book" by Dan Glasure. This book was just released and the copyright is 2007. As stated in the front of the book "The Most Comprehensive Collection of Brass Model Train Data Available". This is a fact. The illustrations of steam and diesel engines are colored with the correct color scheme when painted. There is a section on brass equipment such as passenger cars, freight cars, bridges, towers, etc. No one has ever collected and published such a comprehensive book on brass locomotives. This is an ongoing project. The author is trying to find every type of scale brass locomotive, cars, passenger equipment, structures, bridges, etc. imported into the United States and Canada including the importer and Manufacturer.

Include with the hardbound book is a Price & Data Guide Volume I. This a 520 page paperback of the most complete listing of imported brass models and the associated coverage of the manufacture, number manufactured, importer, description, catalog #, BG-SKU#, railroad/owner, etc. There are a series of notes for each lot in most cases.

In reviewing the hardbound book I have found engines that I did not know had been manufactured. The paint schemes used on various engines and roads is very important for now I can have several of my brass engines painted correctly. This set of books is helping me with our Brass Locomotive Works business.

This hobby is truly an art form because of the intricate craftsmanship that goes into building a brass model.

Joy and Michael Ball have been involved in the restoration and maintaining of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Through their years of expertise, Mr. & Mrs. Ball have perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotives to running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas. It should be noted that the above article was written by Michael Ball. Receive their free newsletter at http://www.brasslocomotiveworks.com

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