Canadian National Steam! is an updated and expanded text based on Clegg & Corley's Canadian National Steam Power, outlining the history and technical development of steam power as influenced by the different CNR Motive Power Chiefs. Its 248 pages includes a summary of all locomotive classes with wheel types, road- and builder-numbers, a list of all predecessor and subsequent owners of CNR power, a builder's list of CNR steam power, a bibliography and an index. There are 147 photos of historic locomotives, most in operation, exhibiting their awesome power and evoking pleasant memories of nostalgic days gone by when trains took everybody everywhere. Spectacular cover illustrations are in full colour. The book contains 43 tables and an extensive series of appendices -- 47 in all -- covering across-the-classes items such as livery, sales, leases, appliance application, (including compounding, gearing, superheating, feedwater heating, smoke deflectors, stokers, oil burners, cab and tender designs). There's also a guide to the individual locomotive roster volumes. The subsequent roster volumes will be available later in 2013, and only on a 'special order -- no returns' basis. They will contain the individual locomotive rosters by CNR classes according to similar or related wheel arrangements (including Newfoundland Railway and the Central Vermont Railway). Every steam locomotive will be listed, and the roster will provide all the information historians, rail enthusiasts and transportation buffs would ever want to know (and then some), including build data, ownership history, appliance history, class notes. More than 1200 photographs, with informative captions, will appear in the roster volumes, which will feature sturdy wire binding, permitting the roster book pages to open completely flat. Many readers will welcome the opportunity to own this historic series. The original Canadian National Steam Power, published in 1969, has been out of print for almost forty years after selling thousands of copies. Since then, CN has become 'North America's Railroad', and is widely recognized as the most efficient, best-run railway of all on the continent, and perhaps in the world. This new series will be a valuable entry in every CNR enthusiast's library, and is sure to become a rare collector's item.

Don McQueen, born in Toronto in 1938, was raised in Brockville, Ontario and received an Honour Arts degree in History from Queen's University in 1963. Moving to London, Ontario later that same year, he began a secondary school teaching career which spanned 33 years in six of the city's schools. Initially a school librarian, teaching Canadian history and geography, Don also taught and developed school curricula in the humanities, world civilizations, law, sociology, world issues, and photography. His interest in Canadian railway history developed at an early age, although not as early as his fascination with all forms of transportation, especially trains. Brockville, both a St. Lawrence River town and a terminal for two Canadian transcontinental railways, provided a lure which was impossible to resist. His articles, background research or contributions have appeared in a number of Canadian books and publications, including Branchline, CN LINES (Canadian National Railways Historical Association), Canadian Rail, Extra 2200 South, Kingston Rail, Locomotive Notes II, Ontario Northland Railway Historical & Technical Society's The Northlander, and Upper Canada Railway Society's Newsletter / Rail & Transit. In other railway related themes, he has written illustrated articles in the Toy Train Operating Society Bulletin (Marx tinplate toy trains) and in Freight Cars Journal (a White Pass & Yukon rolling stock roster). Constructed in Kingston is Don's premier Canadian railway history reference to date, co-authored with Bill Thomson. That volume chronicled the history, in text and image, of the Canadian Locomotive Companies of Kingston from 1854 to 1968. Now out of print, that book remains a standard source in Canadian locomotive railway history. Living in London, another railway city, resulted in a keen interest in locomotive production at General Motors' Canadian locomotive manufacturing facility. After becoming one of the charter members in the creation of the Forest City Railway Society in 1968, he continued his commitment as one of the editors of the organization's monthly publication, Tempo Jr., and created a daily electronic digest, Froth. When time permitted during his career, as well as in retirement, he paced his research with another of his passions -- photography. In addition to his images appearing in the above periodicals, others have been published in several books such as Signatures in Steel, the reissued Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada, Self-Propelled Cars of the CNR and several Morning Sun publications including Chesapeake & Ohio in Color and various rolling stock volumes. In retirement, Don keeps busier than ever with all of the above pursuits, including his iris garden in London, Ontario and with his family, Heather, 'Socs', Christopher and Danielle.

Donald R. McQueen's profile page