Overview
I have authored dozens of books in addition to writing a monthly column for Trains Magazine.
Typically I collaborate with publishers to develop and refine ideas and subject-matter that will intrigue readers and fit a niche in the marketplace.
When researching for my writing, I draw upon a great variety of sources, including primary materials and personal experience as well as previously published literature. I plan to distill my subject while adding to greater body of accessible published material on the topic in order to make my writing interesting, informative, reliable and relevant.
Typically I collaborate with publishers to develop and refine ideas and subject-matter that will intrigue readers and fit a niche in the marketplace.
When researching for my writing, I draw upon a great variety of sources, including primary materials and personal experience as well as previously published literature. I plan to distill my subject while adding to greater body of accessible published material on the topic in order to make my writing interesting, informative, reliable and relevant.
Services
Non-Fiction
Photography
Transportation
Languages
English (US)
Work experience
Self-employed
Jul, 1994 —
Sep, 1996
(about 2 years)
Between 1994 to 1996 Brian Solomon worked at Pentrex Publishing as the Editor of Pacific RailNews and as an associate editor for Passenger Train Journal. He also helped launch the magazine Vintage Rails in 1995.
Portfolio
Get an up-close and personal look at over 150 years of railway history.This richly illustrated encyclopedia of classic and contemporary American railroads features concise histories of 101 U.S. and Canadian railroads past and present. Over 400 stunning images ... read more
Travel the world through the pages of this unique pictorial capturing some of the most impressive, significant, and interesting elements of railroading from today and yesterday. Lush photos are accompanied by informative and fascinating stories that convey the... read more
Travel the world through the pages of this unique pictorial capturing some of the most impressive, significant, and interesting elements of railroading from today and yesterday. Lush photos are accompanied by informative and fascinating stories that convey the... read more
Trains of the Old West
During its 25-year history, Conrail became one of the most familiar modern railroads, a freight line that connected most of the Northeast's population centers and was renowned for its clean locomotives, tight schedules, and frequent heavy freight trains. This ... read more
As a tribute to America's favorite railroad-the Santa Fe, this book discusses everything from its origins, to locomotives, freight operations, passenger operations, and more. The Santa Fe Railway's charisma and mystique has long made it one of America's compel... read more
General Electric entered the railroad industry in the early twentieth century and this collection of history explores all types of electric locomotives with a stunning collection of archival black-and-white, period, and modern color photography. Depicting a br... read more
Famous for its role in the Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific is Americas oldest- and the worlds largest- railway, serving two-thirds of the United States for a century and a half. This retrospective spans the UPs entire history from 1862 to present, det... read more
Diesel, the most significant development in railway technology during the 20th century, was refined and perfected resulting in locomotives that were more powerful, faster, more reliable, and more versatile than the earliest machines on the market. General Moto... read more
A portrait in words and photographs of over 50 of the world’s most exciting, unusual and exotic railway journeys, including North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Each journey is accompanied by a route map and is described in terms of the technical... read more
In February 2005, General Motors announced its decision to sell its Electro-Motive Division (EMD), thus ending its 75-year association with one of the most renowned brands in railroading. Looking at the heritage of the venerable EMD in light of this momentous ... read more
Stunning color photographs presented across two-foot-long landscape spreads reveal the greatest giant diesel locomotives ever conceived. Ride the rails with best-selling author Brian Solomon as he delivers the goods on two dozen of these titans of the tracks. ... read more
The history of railroading in North America is as much a story of boardroom intrigue as it is a story of the brute force that stamped thousands of miles of train track across a rugged continent. Today’s nine U.S. and Canadian Class I railroads are the result o... read more
Few railroading scenes are as enduring as those that depict a train traversing river or roadway, creek or cayon, atop a sturdy structure specially engineered for the situation. In this marvelously illustrated work sure to appeal to modelers and railfans alike,... read more
In the twentieth century, the New York Central Railroad was one of the most powerful lines in the United States. Famous for its many great passenger trains, including the 20th Century Limited streamliner, the New York Central also operated high-volume freight ... read more
Here is the detailed and fascinating history of how two legendary railroads the Santa Fe and the Burlington Northern (which itself was comprised four major railroads) merged in 1995 to create what remains one of America’s rail icons, the Burlington Norther... read more
The history of electric freight and inter-urban commuter locomotives in the U.S. begins with their development in East Coast urban centers and continues their service in the present day. Railways that used or continue to use electric motive power in cities, su... read more
Brian Solomon. Well into the 1950s, the Southern Pacific operated an extensive fleet of colorful (a color scheme nicknamed "daylight") and highly-regarded passenger trains that became the preferred mode of travel for the West Coast's nouveau riche film stars a... read more
Formed in 1980 as a holding company for the Chessie and Seaboard Systems and several other eastern railroads, CSX in 1986 merged these several companies into CSX Transportation, staking its claim as one of the nation's dominant merger roads. This illustrated h... read more
Indispensable to travelers in Japan and Europe, electric-powered bullet trains offer incomparable benefits: chiefly a relatively quiet, high-speed mode of mass transportation with low environmental impact. This colorful book examines the history, current use, ... read more
This richly illustrated history chronicles one of the most revolutionary developments in freight railroading during the twentieth century: intermodal shipping, or the use of containers to move cargo between trains, trucks, and oceangoing vessels. It was a deve... read more
Now you can be the human Wikipedia page of trains--from locomotives to rolling stock. No Great American road trip would be complete without seeing trains streaming across wild prairies and through thick forests. All kinds of diesel and even a few steam locomot... read more
Philadelphia-based Baldwin began designing and building steam locomotives in the 1830s and gave the U.S. many of its most significant and famous types of steam,and diesel-electric motive power. This history of Baldwin is illustrated with a large selection of r... read more
A colorful look at the great American railroad - the Southern Pacific. The Southern Pacific Railroad is one of the most important railroads in the US. In its heyday, Southern Pacific operating revenues were overshadowed only by the New York Central and Pennsyl... read more
Few states have a railroad heritage as rich as Pennsylvanias. This illustrated book offers a colorful look at the Keystone States historic railroads, the men who built and ran them, and the engineering feats that made them possible. Railway historian Brian Sol... read more
Relive the romance and power of the steam locomotive era, the product of a century of continuous research and development. In the United States, the final decades of steam power were characterized by very large and capable locomotives. Beginning in the 1920s w... read more
The 1960s onward witnessed unprecedented technological and horsepower developments in the field of diesel-electric locomotives. Spurred by market demands, EMD and GE have developed locomotives of ever-greater speeds and tractive effort, allowing the railroads ... read more
This wonderfully illustrated book celebrates Golden State railroading, offering a colorful look at California’s legendary railroads, the men who built and ran them, and the engineering feats that made them possible, and the legacy those railroads have left in ... read more
This pictorial history is only the second of its kind to trace the 30-plus-year history of Amtrak, beginning with a look at the rise and fall of privately run passenger train service followed by a look at Amtrak's infant stage from 1971 through 1976. Also exam... read more
In the 1940s and 1950s, American railroads made the historic transition from steam to diesel-electric power. At a time when railroads still relied on steam power for most service and diesels remained a novelty, Electro-Motive took the nation by storm with its ... read more
The image of a little red caboose trundling along behind a long freight train is a classic slice of Americana. With the help of nearly 300 marvelous modern and historical images depicting cabooses of all colors, this collection traces the development of this i... read more
You may have seen some of these machines and tools as you roll alongside a rail bed. But what to call them, or knowing how they work, may allude you. Find the true identity of the different tools used to build and maintain railbeds and lines including tie pull... read more
Explore the history, quirks, and stories behind signals with gorgeous period and contemporary photography.Railroad signals are the link between the steam era and modern railroading. Designed for reliability and durability, signals can survive for decades. In f... read more
In 1935, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad-better known as the Milwaukee Road-introduced a new passenger service, one of the nation's first regularly scheduled streamlined passenger trains. Traveling from Chicago to Milwaukee and the Twin Cit... read more
See the streamlined trains of the 1930s in all of their sleek glory.In the 1930s, streamlined styling was applied to everything from kitchen appliances to farm tractors as it captured the American imagination. Keen to regain passenger traffic lost to automobil... read more
The first illustrated history of the people, machines, facilities, and operations that made Chicago the hub around which an entire continent's rail industry still revolves. In the mid-nineteenth century, Chicago's central location in the expanding nation helpe... read more
From the railway's beginnings, the station building, itself, had civic importance greater than ordinary structures. Let historian Brian Solomon show you how beautifully it filled that role. Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals is a unique book about some of th... read more
Profusely illustrated with rare historic and previously unpublished modern photography, North American Locomotives this is the perfect addition to the library of any rail fan. This invaluable volume spans more than 150 years of locomotive technology to examine... read more
The complete history of the world's foremost locomotive builders. With roots stretching back to the turn of the twentieth century, General Electric and Electro-Motive have designed some of the most iconic locomotives in the history of North American railroadin... read more
This formative period of diesel locomotive evolution is examined with the help of more than 250 modern and period photos depicting passenger, freight, and switching locomotives. Author Brian Solomon covers every prominent manufacturer of the period—including E... read more
For well over a century and a half the railroad has rolled on, crisscrossing the continent in the ceaseless activity that keeps the North American economy moving. This never-ending workday unfolds hour by hour in The Railroad Never Sleeps, a remarkable photogr... read more
The handsome multicolored streetcar is a nostalgic icon of the some of the most romantic and heritage-rich locales in America, including San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago, immortalised on stage and screen in classics including 'Meet Me In St Louis' and 'A... read more
Blending automotive manufacturing and styling techniques with state-of-the-art diesel-electric technologies, General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division conceived and marketed America’s first commercially successful road diesels: the fabulous E-Units and F-Units. ... read more
They steamed westward with America, carrying goods and people to the new frontier. They powered through the industrial revolution, moving with the times. And they transported a nation in motion, soldiers and settlers and immigrants, captains of industry and it... read more
From the 1830s to today, the railroad industry has developed myriad complex mechanisms to help keep North America’s railroad rights-of-ways safe, efficient, and relatively accident-free. In this paperback rerelease of the successful 2003 title, the otherwise-a... read more
From the first, U.S. railroads have carried coal from mines to docks, steel mills, and power plants across the country. In this authoritative book spanning the whole of that history, from the mid-nineteenth century to present, noted rail author Brian Solomon e... read more
Once the second-largest steam locomotive builder in the U.S., American Locomotive Company (Alco) produced 75,000 locomotives, among them such famous examples as the 4-6-4 Hudsons and 4-8-4 Niagaras built for the New York Central, and the 4-6-6-4 Challengers an... read more
