Bibliography

1st Edition. Matthias N. Forney, M.E., editor. Assisted by Leander Garey, car superintendent for the New York & Harlem RR, and Calvin A. Smith, master car builder for the Erie Ry. Dictionary of terms with 811 engraved illustrations, 84 pages of advertising.

Prices Realized On eBay
2006
Apr 2	$229	9 bids	Showed significant water damage

Reprint  — New York, NY: Railroad Gazette, 1881.

Republished — New York, NY: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. 1949.

Begins with “Engravings” at page 190 and goes to page 491. Then has “Advertisements” pages 1 through 84. The “Dictionary of Terms Used in Car Building,” pages 1 though 188 in the original are omitted. Pages are roughly 8" x 5".

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Jul 16	$25
Sep 23	$5	1 bid
Oct 16	$33	12 bids	Excellent condition
2006
Feb 4	$26	3 bids	Excellent condition claimed
Mar 22	$35	1 bid	Described as in "Fine" condition
Mar 31	$10	1 bid	Warped covers and mustiness
Apr 6	$14	5 bids	Condition very good
May 11	$14	1 bid	Condition described as "very good" with light interior aging and minor warping to edges of covers.
Aug 15	$15	2 bids	Condition appeared to be good.
Oct *	$25	No bids	"Great shape inside but has slight tatters along binder."
Dec 15	$21	3 bids	No statement of condition and only one photo/
2007
Jan 23	$18	2 bids	Dust jacket was a total loss but hid covers. Binding was obviously loose.
Mar 1	$21	5 bids	"V[ery] G[ood] condition has light water ring on front." Appeared rather dingy, but no loose pages showing.

Hardbound Reprint — Kentfield, CA: Newton K. Gregg Publishers, 1971.

2188 illustrations, 28 pages advertising. Pages 8½" x 8½".

Prices Realized on eBay
2006
May 14	$10	1 bid	Overall "Great" condition.
May 31	$48	6 bids	Book appeared in very good condition but DJ was badly torn.
Jul 11	$10	2 bids	Condition described as excellent.
Jul 16	$23	3 bids	Described as "in wonderful shape" but photo shows large tear in DJ and binding skewed [assume it's loose]
Sep 9	$11	4 bids	Described as "Great condition, with a very minor scuff on the front." Looked good in photos. No DJ.
Dec 15	$21	3 bids	No condition stated, only one photo. Cover had one badly scuffed place, rounded and warn corners on boards.
2007
Mar 13	$5	1 bid	Looked to be in poor condition

Softbound Reprint — Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1974.

Contains 188 page "Dictionary of Terms Used in Car-Building,"  303 pages of “Engravings” [illustrations]. 84 pages of “Advertisements.” (Softbound, $4-20)

2nd edition. A.M. Wellington, M.E., editor. Contains 203 page dictionary of terms, 358 pages of engraved illustrations (2,188 in all), 74 pages of advertising. Page size 8 ½" x 8". (print-on-demand facsimile$150-250 [unclear whether this is 1884 edition or 1888 edition, which has the same copyright date, see below])

Prices Realized on eBay
2004
Mar 31	$760
2006
May 8	$175	11 bids	Seller said "Well worth restoring," but this book was beyond restoration. Spine was ripped off, binding was disintegrating, cover and pages were dog-eared, no telling whether pages were all present.

Not considered a new “edition,” a fact to which later editions that recount the publishing history of the CBD attest. The title page contains no statement as to date or edition, other than a printing date at the bottom which is 1888. The copyright date on the back of the title page is 1884. While there may have been minor changes in the dictionary and illustrations, and the advertising section was obviously updated (29 pages vs. 74 in the 1884 edition), this is essentially a reprint of the 1884 2nd edition.

Reprint — Kentfield, CA: Newton K. Gregg, 1971.

__ - 8½" x 8½" pages, 2,188 illustrations, 28 pages of advertisements.

Prices Realized on eBay
2006
May 14	$34	6 bids	Overall very fine condition.
Jun 19	$18	6 bids	Condition described as "good" with notation it had been a library reference book
Jul 16	$27	3 bids	Condition described 'good shape ... back loose from spine but firmly connected by inside pages.'
Oct 10	$19	1 bid	Condition undisclosed.

Not considered a new “edition,” a fact to which later editions that recount the publishing history of the CBD attest. Although the title page calls this the “1898 edition,” and the printing date at the bottom of the page says 1898, the copyright date on the reverse side is 1895 and the Preface is dated 1895. While there may have been minor changes in the dictionary and illustrations, and the advertising section was obviously updated (29 pages vs. 51 in 1895), this is essentially a reprint of the 1895 3rd edition. Total of roughly 600 - 8½" x 12½" pages, including 5,683 illustrations, 151 pages of definitions, and only 28 pages of advertisements.

Prices Realized On eBay
2004
Jan 13	$1,009	9 bids
2005
Mar 9	$820	12 bids
Mar 28	$355		Missing cover boards
Sep 29	$820	14 bids	Nicely rebound
2006
May 18	$1,200	1 bid	Leather bound, significant wear, "inside pages clean and intact. Inscription on cover: "Presented to / G.A.W. DODGE / with compliments of / J.G. BRILL COMPANY / Car Builders, Philadelphia" Listing says "inscription is to G.A.W. Dodge who was in charge of building the union pacific railroad [sic], part of the transcontinental railroad in 1869." But our encyclopedia says that gentleman was Grenville Mellen Dodge. If you can shed some light on this, please share it with us.

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 55 — Freight & Passenger Cars (Part 1)
Vol. 57 — Freight & Passenger Cars (Part 2)
Vol. 59 — Freight & Passenger Cars (Part 3)

4th edition. ______ ______, editor. Contains ___ page dictionary, ____ pages  (4,971 total) illustrations, ___ pages of advertisements. Total ____ - 8½" x 12½" pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2004
Feb 27	$911	9 bids	Leather bound, appeared to be in excellent condition
2006
Mar 3	$913	6 bids	Leather binding, considerable wear, some loose pages cover stamped “Mr. D.E. Bloxsom, THE MASTER CAR BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, CAR BUILDERS DICTIONARY, 1903 EDITION, COMPLIMENTS OF THE SAFETY CAR HEATING AND LIGHTING CO., NEW YORK, CHICAGO, ST. LOUIS

5th edition. Rodney Hitt, editor. An Illustrated Vocabulary of Terms Which Designate American Railroad Cars, Their Parts, Attachments and Details of Construction with Definitions and Illustrations of Typical British Practice in Car Construction. Contains 166 page dictionary, 568 pages of (6,344 total) illustrations, 54 pages of advertisements.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Mar 14	$570
2006
Jan 24	$988	15 bids	Condition described as “fair,” covers and  binding looked good but spine was missing
Feb 26	$137	11 bids	“Spine, cover and the first few pages are in poor condition. Spine is broken and the cover along the spine is gone. Front and back covers are present but no longer attached. No stains or water damage.” Appeared totally scruffy.
May 14	$389	3 bids	Appeared in good condition. Described as "good for such an old edition, spine intact but some tears on the ends … covers show wear and fraying on edges," slight discoloring of pages.

Facsimile reprint  — Kentfield, CA: Newton K. Gregg, 1971.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Oct 19	$204	17 bids	No mention of condition
2006
Jan 29	$23	8 bids	Condition described as good
2006 Apr 5	$52	5 bids	Condition appeared good to fine
	$15	3 bids	DJ in bad condition; book itself condition not ascertainable
Jun 19	$13	3 bids	Condition described as "good" with notation it had been a library reference book
Jul 5	$104	12 bids	Described as "in excellent condition."
Aug 24	$51	6 bids	No description and 4 photos, none of which showed much except ¾ view of DJ, which had major tear fixed by tape and several minor tears.
Aug 24	$99	1 bid	No description and only one photo (front of DJ, which appeared immaculate).
Sep 28	$20	1 bid	"Near new condition."
Nov 16	$150	13 bids	"Fair condition ...smells a little musty." Looked like several pages might be loose.
Nov 20	$159	7 bids	"Cover and pages are in excellent condition."
Dec 18	$38	4 bids	"Very good condition. DJ has some wear [and tears] but no tears or marks inside."
2007
Jan 23	$50	1 bid	"Good condition. Dust jacket shows wear." Low bids probably because they wouldn't take PayPal.
Feb 19	$41	8 bids	"Very good condition with NO notable exceptions! Light corner wear, gold title clear and readable. Hinges tight. Pages have consistent color."

6th edition. F.E. Lister, editor. 676 pp, 6,934 illustrations, 41 pages of advertisements ($415-560)

Prices realized on eBay
2006
Apr 9	$988	6 bids	Leather binding showed considerable wear but "interior in great condition, front cover is loose."

7th Edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. 953 pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2006
Jan 3	$257	5 bids	“Cover taped together, but otherwise good condition”

8th Edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. 1066 - 8" x 12" pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2006
Mar 13	$810	2 bids	Condition appeared quite good
May 8	$608	7 bids	Cover worn but still intact, interior nice and clean, cover page missing a section, pages 1037-1040 are torn out but present.
May 14	$421	4 bids	Described as "good for such an old edition, spine intact but some tears on the ends … covers show wear and fraying on edges," slight discoloring of pages.

9th edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. 1,334 - 9¾" x 11" pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
May 26	$432
Oct 11	$350	1 bid	Rebound in leather
Dec 3	$127	2 bids	Cover worn, some pages defaced
2006
Jan 6	$262	11 bids	Binding loose, cover worn

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the following volumes of the Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 35 — Freight Cars (Part 1)
Vol. 36 — Freight Cars (Part 2)
Vol. 42 — Passenger Cars

Tenth Edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. 1192 pages. 

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Oct 9	$417	20 bids	Not in the best of condition
2006
Mar 23	$227	31 bids	Covers worn and stained, upper edges of pages water stained but pages themselves not water damaged and binding looked good

Unabridged digital reproduction set up as a website on a CD. Received very favorable review in June 2003 Garden Railways. ($30 + s/h from the publisher,  Raildriver, a division of P.I. Engineering, Inc. Williamston, MI 48895-1663)

11th Edition. Roy V. Wright [Managing Editor of Railway Age and Editor of Railway Mechanical Engineer], editor; Robert C. Augur [Managing Editor of the Locomotive Cyclopedia and Associate Editor of Railway Age], managing editor; with advisory committee consisting of W.F. Kiesel, Jr., [Mechanical Engineer, Pennsylvania Railroad System], R.L. Ettenger [Consulting Mechanical Engineer, Southern Railway System], L.K. Sillcox [General Superintendent Motive Power, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul], and G.E. Smart [Chief of Car Equipment, Canadian National Railways]. 1163 pages. ($177-236)

Prices Realized On eBay
2006
Apr 2	$204	5 bids	Binding broken, covers taped to spine
2007
Jan 21	$168	13 bids	"Interior pages are in very good condition. The outside hard cover is in BAD shape from ... water and age damage."

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the following volumes of the Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 61 — Box, Stock & Reefers (Part 1) from the 1925 Car Builders Cyclopedia
Vol. 62 — Flats, Gondolas & Hoppers (Part 2)
Vol. 63 — Dump Cars, Tanks, Cabooses & Passengers (Part 3)
Vol. 65 — Passengers, Postals and Motor Cars (Part 4)
Vol. 67 — Motor Passenger Cars and Construction Details (Part 5)
Vol. 68 — Passenger Details, Trucks & Industrials (Part 6)

12th edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. Containing “Definitions and Typical Illustrations of Cars, Their Parts and Equipment; Descriptions and Illustrations of Shops and Equipment Employed in Car Construction and Repair; Cars Built in America for Industrial Operations and for Foreign Railroads”. Has four indices: general, trade name, directory of products and manufacturers. 1288 - 8¾" x 12" pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Oct 30	$271	12 bids	Significant water damage
2006
Jan 19	$271	9 bids	Condition appeared good
Mar 30	$204	2 bids	Condition appeared fine to excellent
May 1	$373	4 bids	Condition appeared fine to excellent
Jun 1	$357	8 bids	"Excellent condition" claimed and shown in photos!
Jun 15	$250	5 bids	"Binding a bit worn, one index page is loose, title page appears to be missing, but overall condition is very solid." Covers and spine appeared well-worn/
Aug 15	$64	6 bids	Covers in horrible condition, spine missing, pages torn and folded, pages 97-100 appear to be missing. Give seller credit, they gave 12 photos and detailed description.
2007
Jan 21	$173	9 bids	"Interior pages are in very good condition. The outside hard cover is in BAD shape from ... water and age damage." Binding appeared loose.

13th Edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. 1260 pp, profusely illustrated with over 1000 photographs, technical drawings and plans. Has Canadian content as well.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Feb 23	$76
Oct 16	$307	18 bids	Excellent condition
Nov 14	$26	2 bids	Very poor condition
2006
Jan 19	$255	27 bids	Appeared in excellent condition
Mar 30	$268	12 bids	Appeared in excellent condition
May 2	$63	8 bids	Cover detached from bound pages, but it showed modest wear and they looked sound
Aug 29	$61	7 bids	Cover completely loose from block of pages, three or more pages loose and wrinkled at front, at least one ditto at rear."
Sep 5	$179	7 bids	"In very good condition, has some shelf ware [sic] but binding is very good, all pages in very good condition."
Oct 22	$270	12 bids	"Excellent condition ... no smells, no stains, no damage." Appeared to us that "excellent" truly described it.

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the following volumes of the Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 3 — Box, Stock & Refrigerator Cars
Vol. 8 — Passenger Cars
Vol. 10 — Rail Motor Cars
Vol. 46 — Flats, Gondolas, and Hoppers (Part 1)
Vol. 48 — Hoppers, Industrials, Lettering (Part 2)

14th edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. 1308 -  8½" x 12" pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
May 2	$187	16 bids
Jun 30	$157	10 bids
Jul 25	$151	3 bids
Jul 26	$152	8 bids
Oct 30	$255	4 bids	Very good condition
2006
Jan 16	$102	6 bids	Condition "fair" in our judgment
Jun 20	$156	6 bids	Condition appeared to be fine
Jun 25	$103	8 bids	Condition appeared fair at best

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the following volumes of the Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 10 — Rail Motor Cars

15th Edition. Roy V. Wright (Managing Editor Railway Age and Editor Railway Mechanical Engineer), Editor; Robert C. Augur (Associate Editor Railway Mechanical Engineer), Managing Editor; Walter E. Dunham, Editor Shop Section; H.P. Foster, Associate Editor; A.A.R. Advisory Committee: W.I. Cantley, M.E., A.A.R. Mechanical Division, T.P. Irving, Engineer Car Construction, C&O Railway, H.W. Facs, Engineer of Motive Power, NYC System. Photographs of rail cars and equipment with lots of engineering drawings. Also included in this edition are 50 pages of descriptions and illustrations of shops and equipment employed in car construction and repair and 24 pages of cars built in America for export to foreign countries. 1352 - 11½" x 8¾" pages.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Jul 14	$87
Jul 27	$52		Binding ragged
Sep 18	$69	5 bids	Covers raggedy
Oct 9	$200	2 bids	Appeared in excellent shape
Nov 24	$61	12 bids	Very poor condition
Dec 5	$201	11 bids	Condition claimed “supurb”
Dec 10	$41	2 bids	Missing five pages
2006
Jan 17	$150	4 bids	Can't judge condition from photos
Feb 2	$159	4 bids	“Excellent” condition claimed but appeared no  better than good to fine in photographs
Feb 19	$102	11 bids	“very nice condition with some cover wear”
May 15	$78	6 bids	"Cover and binding are in good shape ... no loose pages or rot or water damage."
Aug 23	$77	5 bids	Condition described "Very good to excellent" but we would have said it was only good to very good as there was some internal damage to pages and cover had significant wear.
Oct 1	$22	3 bids	"Good/fair condition. The first 20 page [sic] are loose. The cover is coming loose and has wear. The spine of the cover has come off and been taped back on." Photos showed a wreck of a book.
Oct 20	$48	5 bids	"Has a bad spine ... otherwise ... intact." Bad is an understatement! However, no sign of damage to binding. Cover page showed chips and small tear. No other photos.
Dec 3	$52	8 bids	"Rough shape ... improperly stored in basement ... slightly musty odor ... binding somewhat cocked... pages are clean, no rips or tears." Covers appeared fuzzy and waterlogged.
Dec 16	$102	13 bids	"Good to excellent condition, stored for many years ... pages are clean, no rips or tears." In photos, condition appeared as stated.
2007
Jan 21	$104	7 bids	"Outer binding is worn but overall book is in good condition." Spine and covers showed considerable shelf wear but binding appeared tight.

Facsimile reprint — Kalmbach Publishing Co., 1973.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Jun 22	$154
Nov 14	$88	6 bids
Nov 24	$255	7 bids	Mint condition, in original box
2006
Mar 10	$67	9 bids	Appeared to be in fine condition.
Jun 16	$102	2 bids	Described as "mint condition"
Jul 14	$61	10 bids	Condition unknown
Jul 30	$159	8 bids	Excellent condition
Aug 26	$54	9 bids	Condition appeared excellent in four photos, but description said only "No marks or tears except for an erased but still visibly written 'Book 31' on first end paper."
Sep 14	$92	12 bids	Described as "Mint Condition!"
Oct 1	$124	4 bids	"Cover in good condition and pages not turned or torn. Some storage odor."
Oct 6	$127	12 bids	"Nearly new condition ... very slight light discoloration on covers, NO rounding of corners, a perfect spine."  Looked excellent in photos.
Oct 29	$42	3 bids	"Good condition, no writing, Age spotting on inside first and last pages. Boards are bright. Few small spots to side end pages."
Nov 1	$89	10 bids	"Fine condition, very clean and bright copy...spine has very slight inward curl."
2007
Feb 10	$76	10 bids	"cover ...excellent condition, spine slightly wrinkled ... hinges are a little loose ... pages in good shape, scarcely discolored ... little spotting on flyleaves ... pages slightly warped due to himidity."

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the following volumes of the  Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 5 — Gondolas and Hoppers

16th edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. Includes a 60 page Dictionary of Car Terms and 1,324 - 9" x 12" pages of manufacturing information with photographs and diagrams of both freight and passenger cars and car parts.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
May 25	$160	1 bid
Nov 21	$99	10 bids	Appeared in good condition
Dec 3	$271	16 bids	Appeared in excellent condition
Dec 5	$140	6 bids	Binding appeared loose
Dec 10	$40	1 bid	Missing quite a number of pages
2006
Jan 23	$6	3 bids	Front cover missing, binding “unglued”
Feb 13	$85	9 bids	Appeared in good condition
Apr 13	$187	9 bids	Binding loose, 1st page "ripped out"
Apr 20	$61	7 bids	Condition "very good, has surface dirt on covers, both inside hinges are broke, just needs glue"
Jul 16	$205	18 bids	Condition appeared very good except for tear in endsheet between one cover and text block.
Sep 27	$230	10 bids	"Very nice condition with no marked, torn, dog-eared, etc. pages."
Oct 20	$80	12 bids	Front cover torn loose from spine, otherwise "intact," "no smells, no water damage or torn pages."
Nov 6	$127	4 bids	"Binding w/ some lite rubbing and a touch of soiling here and there, still pretty reasonable for this title. Both front and back cover inner hinges have been reglued and show some wear; a number of text hinges weakened, and the text a bit loose from use; clean condition throughout."
2007
Feb 18	$130	7 bids	Inside is handwritten "Car Foreman's Office / Klamath Falls Oregon / Property of Great Northern Ry Co" Condition: "pages all in good condition, binding tearing away, cover in good condition." Cover had scuzzy look of a book long stored in damp environment.

Selected material from this edition is reproduced in the following volumes of the Train Shed Cyclopedia:

Vol. 16 — Famous Passenger Trains
Vol. 17 — Box, Stock & Flat Cars
Vol. 21 — Passenger Cars
Vol. 46 — Flats, Gondolas, and Hoppers
Vol. 70 — Gondolas & Hoppers
Vol. 71 —  Hoppers/tank/caboose
Vol. 75 — Cabooses and Freight Car Construction Details
Vol. 77 — Freight Car Construction Details, Underframes & Brakes
Vol. 81 — Freight Car Construction Details, Safety Appliances & Trucks
Vol. 83  — Freight Car Construction Details, Industrial & Export Cars
Vol. 86 — Motor Cars & Passenger Construction Details
Vol. 88 — Passenger Construction Details & Interior Fittings

17th edition. Roy V. Wright, editor. Definitions and Typical Illustrations of Railroad and Industrial Cars, Their Parts and Equipment; Cars Built in America for Export to Foreign Countries; Descriptions and Illustrations of Shops and Equipment Employed in Car Construction and Repair. Included are a 71 page dictionary of railroad car terms and 3 indices, general, trade name, and advertisers. Illustrated in black and white, with thousands of photos, drawings, elevations, plans, and cross-sections. All types of railroad cars are shown .. freight, special purpose, and passenger .. and additional sections deal with every imaginable type of equipment ranging from coupling devices, axles, brake systems, heating and refrigeration systems to inner furnishings such as panels, hinges, water-coolers, insulation, racks, seats. Some mining and other non-railroad industrial equipment have their own chapter, and a final section discusses construction and repair facilities. 1444 - 9¾" x 12" pp.

Prices Realized On eBay
2005
Jul 19	$104
2006
Jan 15	$99	1 bid	We'd call described condition "fair"
Apr 5	$77	6 bids	Condition sounded good with loose cover
Apr 30	$38	7 bids	Appeared to be poor condition, with some loose pages sticking out
May 14	$299	1 bid	"Pages show age … no tears of fraying … spine pulled away from cover but all pages intact … covers show wear and fraying.
Jun 5	152	5 bids	Covers looked to be in fine shape but "textblock split at title page verso & last page recto."
Aug 15	$230	5 bids	Condition described as "very good."
Dec 6	$31	3 bids	"Cover and pages have water damage to lower right corner ... diminishing to nothing at around 330 pages and discoloration to inside cover and facing page. Title page has tape on it."
2007