Book Review by Jerry Michels

Texas & Pacific Color Pictorial
by Steve Allen Goen
( 128 pages hardbound, 1519 Sweetbriar Dr., Wichita Falls, TX  76302)

Texas & Pacific fans are going to love Texas & Pacific Color Pictorial. From the outset, I must admit that I'm not too hot on the 'picture book' format found so often in the railroad press these days.  I've never really subscribed to the old adage that a picture is worth a 1000 words, I've always liked pictures and words.  However, Steve Goen's new book may just move me a little bit the other way.  Starting with the wonderful painting by John Winfield on the cover entitled The Texans (available as a separate print) to the shot of a T&P business car on the back, this book is a visual feast for T&P fans  while including a good amount of hard data for the historian.  The book contains seven chapters with an introduction.  The chapters are chronological, starting with steam and proceeding through various diesels, preserved steam, and ending with separate sections on depots, passenger and freight equipment.  There is some nice early text on operations, and the photo captions are well done. Some additional text interspersed where needed to provide capsule information on such things as the Ft. Worth Belt, KO&G, and Shreveport-Texarkana Branch.  The photos are uniformly excellent, and run the gamut from steam (unfortunately not enough were taken) and all diesel types to cabooses, depots, facilities, passenger cars and rolling stock.  Steve has really brought the book to life by sprinkling reproductions of timetables, ticket covers, advertisements, and maps throughout the book.  There is a steam and diesel roster and a partial listing of T&P passenger trains both from 1944-1962 and after July 1st, 1962 time periods.  Some of the delicacies that caught my eye in the book include a beautiful photo of  T&P 2-10-2 #524 at Tower 55 with an ART reefer in tow (pg. 18),  a muley caboose (pg. 27),  and many rare diesel paint schemes (pgs. 57-59 in particular).  Ever want to know how T&P pickup trucks were painted in the late 1950's?  You’ll have to look on page 54!  I highly recommend this book to all MPHS members, to dyed-in-the-wool T&P fans, it is a must!