Steel Roads of New Zealand by Troup, Gordon - 1974

Wellington: Reed (A.H.& A.W.), 1974. 2nd Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/Good. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. First published 1973 this is the second edition from 1974. Book has very light shelf wear and some light spotting to the fore edges. The Jacket has rubbing to the head of the spine and leading corners. A very good copy. For a fledgling country sparsely populated, divided into provinces who made the policy decisions initially about public transport , particularly about railways, the gauge, rolling stock and where the lines ran it was amazing that New Zealand ultimately under a central government that a national railway system emerged. Under the skillful editorship of Gordon Troup he along wit a number of contributors trace the highlights of New Zealand railway History from 1863 through into the 1970s. The engineering feats, the engine types, and the working toward a single main line throughout each of the North and South Islands. Some of the particularly interesting chapters include: Engine Running 1877 - 1885, Smoke Signals at Rakaia, Steam on Lake Wakatipu, Rails Over the Rimutaka, Baldwins and Box Cars, The Rural Branch Line, The Biography of Ab 608, Main Trunk: Where Men Meet Mountains, The New Zealand "K" Means One Thing, and many more.