Untitled Document
Diesel Railroad Tugboats
Volume 1: East Coast
By Paul Strubeck.
Color laminated hardcover, 8.5x11.25", 256 pages, 400+ photos, blueprints, drawings, and technical data. October 2022 release.
"This first volume of a comprehensive book series on railroad tugboats, written by active railroader and tug crewmember Paul Strubeck, covers the boats and the considerable railroad maritime operations of New York Harbor, the Delaware River (Philadelphia and Wilmington), Norfolk (Hampton Roads, Sewell’s Point, and Little Creek area), and Baltimore Harbor.
"Over 75 diesel-powered tugs operated for railroad owners in these regions, and many went on to live multiple lives beyond their railroad careers. In-depth coverage includes every diesel tugboat owned and operated by the following railroads:
- Baltimore & Ohio Railway
- Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal
- Bush Terminal Railroad
- Central Railroad of New Jersey
- Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
- Dalzell Towing (leased to New Haven)
- Eastern Shore Railroad
- Erie Railroad
- Erie Lackawanna Railroad
- Jersey City Stockyard Company (PRR subsidiary)
- Lackawanna Railroad
- Lehigh Valley Railroad
- Long Island Rail Road
- New Haven Railroad
- New York Central System
- New York Cross Harbor Railroad
- New York Dock Railway
- Penn Central Transportation Co.
- Pennsylvania Railroad
- Reading Company
- Southern Railway
- Virginian Railway
- Virginia & Maryland Railroad
This book documents the entire period of operations of these tugs under railroad ownership, their subsequent owners, and their final dispositions. This extensive history is illustrated with over 400 photos, blueprints, drawings, and technical data. A dedicated section covers the major railroad tugboat designs on the east coast, interior layouts and components, construction methods, and different engine and propulsion types.
"Railroad tugboat operations were unique, and the designs of these boats were specific to the needs of the railroads they served. This book appeals not only to railroad enthusiasts, but to maritime historians interested in this unexplored chapter of tugboat design and operation.