Pre-Convention Reading List...

I'm not sure if everyone is as into prepping the convention as I am, but here's a selected reading list for those who may be interested in getting some background information on the area's we'll be visiting:



Royal Blue Line by Herb Harwood. JHU Press.

If you're going to bring one book with you to this convention or read one book beforehand, this is it. Herb Harwood is known to the B&O History community as the author of "Impossible Challenge" this was his second full length book on the B&O. It covers the near Quixotic plan to expand the B&O Railroad to connect with the largest and most profitable market in the 19th Century; New York, NY. Very well researched and written. It's worth buying if you have any interest in railroad history.

History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad by John F. Stover. Purdue University Press.

Stover has given us a fine reference book for the history of the B&O Railroad and it's very handy to have around. However, it is very business (read: economics) focused. It's usually best used to start your research and then flesh out the details with other source material.