EddieB Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Absolutely no idea, but somewhere well into the thousands (not counting magazines), and something like twenty-three different languages represented. My last house move came with a free hiatus hernia... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 25, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 25, 2013 Pretty big, about the same as my Guitar and Guitar Amp books. My wife thought I was insane when I spent nearly $200.00 on a book about Vox Amplifiers. Limited run soon sold out, no reprint. Worth now a lot, lot, more but even more valuable as a reference... Best, Pete. My most valuable book is a tatty 50 year old paperback. It is 'Glass's Registration Guide 1928-1963', a list of all UK vehicle registrations issued between those years. I use it once or twice a month as it sometimes helps to date photographs. It is much sought after and when copies come up on e-bay etc. they often fetch £120-140. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussellD Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Just counted my book collection, I have around 200, of which around three quarters are railway books, the rest being a mixture of buses, lorries, history, architecture, science and biographies. Recently I got my granddad to make me a new bookcase as the old MFI one had bent under the strain! There are still spaces on the shelves but probably not for long; my "books I'd like to acquire" list is almost as large as my current library. Also I have almost all of the Model Rail magazines from 1998 to 2008 and the first 50 or so Hornby Magazines. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium OnTheBranchline Posted June 27, 2013 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 27, 2013 I've bought my first reference material for future purposes, a Steam Days magazine with a big article on the GWR 47xx fast-fitted-freight goods class. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium OnTheBranchline Posted June 27, 2013 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 27, 2013 I've bought my first reference material for future purposes, a Steam Days magazine with a big article on the GWR 47xx fast-fitted-freight goods class. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I like to have the modelling books - most of those published by Wild Swan. I also like the books dedicated to the Midland/LMS. In particular Midland Record and LMS Journal. I have a nearly complete set of MRJ - these are keepers (There's an online index). There are a lot of what I would call "picture books" out there. These are of limited use since the subject matter is not indexed. The Right Track DVDs are great. As for magazines - again difficult to index so limited use. I do get most of them regularly. Recently I realised that I had about ten years (or more) worth of them, taking up way too much room. I went through them one last time and scanned articles that I thought would be good to keep. Most of the bulk in the mags is adverts. Product reviews from years ago aren't worth keeping. After that I ditched them. I have asked questions on this and other forums from time to time and usually got useful answers quite quickly. I think it is important to have a core of written knowledge available. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormbringer Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Every book I can find or afford on Bulleid Pacifics, BR 9f's and WD 2-8-0/2-10-0's. All the "At Work " series, All I can find written by ex SR locomen and a growing collection of pictorial books on the Southern. Plus a few others. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tomparryharry Posted June 28, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 28, 2013 Probably about 300 here, from technical & history, through to a couple of mags. I took the opportunity to let go of the 'Steam Beanos' a couple of years back, and that took 6 months.... Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 The trouble is, for my day job I work in a library......... I make sure we still get the "Railway Magazine" there though, despite budget cuts I used to work in one of the 'copyright' libraries. That definitely eased the strain on the wallet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted June 29, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2013 I did a quick count today and including paperbacks (such things as Quail maps, Fleet Survey etc plus others) and some official stuff but excluding timetables and operating publications I came to a total of 1043. But that does include biographies and annuals so not all of it is strictly 'reference' although most of it is good reading. I haven't bothered to count the postcards/collected photgraphic prints etc although many of those are useful for reference for all sorts of things but I am now seriously considering a bit of rationalisation as GW stuff has just moved on to include a third album. Initial thoughts are possibly to get rid of the Midland stuff although I might keep some of the Pre-Group era and it would allow me to move the L&Y items (which are mainly Pre-Group views/postcards) into an 'LMS Group' album which would be handy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 As far as railway books are concerned, two 6 ft 6in by 4ft book cases completely filled. Probably enough magazines to fill another one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 As far as railway books are concerned, two 6 ft 6in by 4ft book cases completely filled. Probably enough magazines to fill another one. *Sniff* Amateurs! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted September 20, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 20, 2013 I've just calculated that I have in excess of 100 feet of bookshelves, I still need more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 My library isn't all that big to be honest. I have a couple of random railway books, the full nine volumes of the old 'World of Trains' periodical from the early 1990s and a decent set of books on the GCR, and only a very few about model railways. I reckon they'd take up, in all, probably 6' to 9' on a bookcase, were I to put them all together. Now, magazines on the other hand.... every so often I have a clear out and get rid of those which don't interest me any more, and I've a couple of box files of articles I've ripped from magazines I've discarded (do I really want to keep the whole 100+ pages of an otherwise 'boring' magazine just for a 4-page article that is really interesting?). And I also tend to take the staples out of my magazines and discard the 40 or 50% or so of 'gumpf' at either end (these would be the advertisements- no point in keeping every magazine in as-bought condition... adverts go out of date after a few months after all and to be fair if I've got one magazine with the contact details for the big retailers and small companies that is all I need). And yet still they take up acres of space and indeed even spill out onto the floor... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trains12 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Hi All I have been collecting items of railway interest now for over fifty years and the collection is now called The Railway Study Centre Collection. At present it has over 115,000 items of which the books are about 17.000 plus There is then some 60,000 plus slides and photos with Acts of Parliament, tickets, forms, mags, drawings and plans all of which are used by myself, friends and Societies for research in building layouts or for publications. It is not a commercial venture but my own collection . If members of RMWeb would like to visit just drop me a PM I know it sounds far fetched but it is true,. I have have attached a photo taken a few years ago showing part of the collection . Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Not big enough! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sykes Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Peter's amazing collection puts mine totally in the shade! Currently I have about eighty shelf feet of books and magazines, still growing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philbax Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 dare not say in case the wife sees this!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Hi All I have been collecting items of railway interest now for over fifty years and the collection is now called The Railway Study Centre Collection. At present it has over 115,000 items of which the books are about 17.000 plus There is then some 60,000 plus slides and photos with Acts of Parliament, tickets, forms, mags, drawings and plans all of which are used by myself, friends and Societies for research in building layouts or for publications. It is not a commercial venture but my own collection . If members of RMWeb would like to visit just drop me a PM I know it sounds far fetched but it is true,. I have have attached a photo taken a few years ago showing part of the collection . Peter scan0001.jpgrmw.jpg And I thought I had quite a few railway books! I'll just slink off with my head bowed and my tail between my knees. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Pales into insignificance against Peter's photo. Only one wall of a small box room. No idea actually how many. I probably have read them all at some point but only about 100 or so get a regular thumb through or seek out for a photo of something I'm building. I have virtually no fiction (just don't seem to have time for reading such. Then there are the piles and piles of magazines. My big problem is that I'm an easy catch for the book sellers at shows who see me coming and seem to just have a bargain I've been looking for for ages or that is right up my street. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Hi All I have been collecting items of railway interest now for over fifty years and the collection is now called The Railway Study Centre Collection. At present it has over 115,000 items of which the books are about 17.000 plus There is then some 60,000 plus slides and photos with Acts of Parliament, tickets, forms, mags, drawings and plans all of which are used by myself, friends and Societies for research in building layouts or for publications. It is not a commercial venture but my own collection . If members of RMWeb would like to visit just drop me a PM I know it sounds far fetched but it is true,. I have have attached a photo taken a few years ago showing part of the collection . Peter You've stopped me in my tracks, Peter. Not just the quantity (and I might concede that you have one or two more books than me), but all seems to be organised and spaciously laid out, no piles of books awaiting shelves, no books stacked upon those already shelved. Looks to be a purpose-built room, too. Wow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trains12 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 You've stopped me in my tracks, Peter. Not just the quantity (and I might concede that you have one or two more books than me), but all seems to be organised and spaciously laid out, no piles of books awaiting shelves, no books stacked upon those already shelved. Looks to be a purpose-built room, too. Wow. Hi EddieB Have to disappoint your illusion. At present the whole place is chaos with books stacked on the floor over in the house every where in fact. Reason, well one of the main beams and 6 of the joists have wet rot in them and the floor has dropped 5 inches in one area and the whole now being propped up with ackros until new beams can be fitted so a lot of the weight in those areas has been moved off shelves . Once this has been done we can then get it back to some form of order.The place is a barn which we have done up, the books upstairs and one of my old layouts Buxworth Sidings down stairs. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Is a large collection of magazines REALLY worth much these days? It seems from various postings from time to time, that no one wants them, except on a 'pick 'em up for free' basis. Not that I've tried to sell any of mine. I had this quandary the other year when myself and Mrs B where discussing "My collection" !! "hoarding she calls it", anyway I bit the bullet, sifted through the RM mags, BRM mags, model Rail mags etc etc, and one day I drove over too the WHR at Porthmadog and donated 5 of the stackable plastic boxes full of excellent condition Mags and books................made me feel better that some monies may be raised for a good cause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted October 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 19, 2013 About 400 plus a couple of Tuffcrates full that I have still to catalogue (and create shelf space for)...... I have been steadily "filleting" my magazine collection over the past two or three years and indexing/filing the articles is well underway - even after doing this, they still take up most of the space under the stairs! The index database contains just over 3000 items, so far. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Hi EddieB Have to disappoint your illusion. At present the whole place is chaos with books stacked on the floor over in the house every where in fact. Reason, well one of the main beams and 6 of the joists have wet rot in them and the floor has dropped 5 inches in one area and the whole now being propped up with ackros until new beams can be fitted so a lot of the weight in those areas has been moved off shelves . Once this has been done we can then get it back to some form of order.The place is a barn which we have done up, the books upstairs and one of my old layouts Buxworth Sidings down stairs. Peter Very sorry to hear that, Peter, after seeing how well-organised everything looked in the photo. At times I question the wisdom of placing so much dead weight (bookcases, filing cabinets) on an upper floor (my wife does question it more frequently, but for other reasons!). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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