My copy of CRRM Annual #28 just arrived at my office from the UPS guy and I immediately opened it up and peeled off the shrink wrap. I don't have time for a detailed review right now but I can say if anyone is interested in the 1973-1988 time frame on the Rio Grande, GET THIS BOOK! The book is 112 pages long and all color with large format pictures like the Rio Grande: Scenic Line of the World book. This book is slightly smaller than Scenic Lines but most pages have a single large color photograph each. It appears that about 80% of the book is dedicated to Colorado pictures and the remaining 20% or less is Utah. Most of the pictures are wide/distance shots of front end of trains or most of the train in view of the camera. Technically, the pictures aren't quite as sharp as those in Scenic Lines, so putting a loup or magnifier up to freight cars won't help a great deal for identification purposes. (I do like to see consists and individual freight cars for modeling purposes). Overall, the book is quite good, and anyone who needs pictures of the Rio Grande during the 1973-1988 time period is going to want this book, hands down! Frankly, I've been wanting exactly this and most of the books and DVD's that have come out in the past 10 years have delved further back in time (1940's - 1960's) or have have been mostly modern/post SP merger material. Or, like the Secret Places books etc, been a shot gun approach with a broad mix of steam to UP merger pictures with only minor 70's/80's content. CRRM Annual #28 cuts out all of the stuff that isn't "recent pure" Rio Grande. I've always been a fan of Ron Hills work and his recent photos' on Bennies website are a very nice resource (limited to the 1970's apparently). CRRM Annual #28 is a bit pricey at $49.95 (and that is the early bird rate!). I think I paid $36 for Rio Grande: Scenic Lines of the World but that was 10 years ago also. A big thumbs up to Ron Hills efforts and the CRRM for publishing it! Good job! Jim FItch
