We call the books we publish “Bulletins.” For the past 20 years or so CERA Bulletins have been considered some of the best in the field for the thoroughness of their research and their high quality in the following areas:
- writing
- maps
- photographs
- paper and binding
Click here to view our book catalog. On this page we include a description of all our books with the most recent first. It is similar to our printed catalog. Where additional information is available about a title, such as book reviews, the links are shown after the description.
From this page, you can also:
- Order a book
- View lists of all the bulletins we've ever published
- Get hints on purchasing from others our out-of-print bulletins
- Learn about books in various stages of development
Our Latest Books
Keystone StateTraction
by Robert G. Lewis
Foreword by William Middleton
(sold out)
Bob Lewis has been taking trips to far-off railroads for all of his life. Among the earliest was a series of trips that began in the
early 1930s to explore the street railways of Pennsylvania. At that time you couldn’t have found a more diverse collection of trolley lines anywhere in the country, and Bob found just about all of them.
According to Bob’s studies, Pennsylvania at that time had more electric railways—38 of them in 1934—than any other state, and they offered what must have been a greater variety of operations than just about any other. Pennsylvania must have had more lines named for cities that you never heard of than any other, such as the Skippack & Perkiomen, Hanover & McSherrystown, or Sunbury & Sellinsgrove. Many lines were built to 5-foot, 2-1/4-inch “Pennsylvania broad gauge,” while other lines used standard gauge. Two Pennsylvania interurban lines used some of the most advanced high speed electric cars ever built, Philadelphia & Western’s famous Brill Bullets, and Lehigh Valley Transit’s 1930 high speed cars originally built for the Cincinnati & Lake Erie and the Indiana Railroad. Much more common, however, were the aging “first generation” trolleys that kept many of the little lines going until the end, or the popular four-wheel Birney cars that so many lines operated.
Bob Lewis has captured all of this and much more in his journeys in Keystone State Traction. You’re sure to learn something about the unusual or unbelievable electric railways of Pennsylvania that you’d never heard about before.
Before The North Shore Line
by Edward Tobin
Waukegan was the birthplace of the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, one of the nation's premier interurban electric railways. Author Ed Tobin recounts the railroad's humble origins as the Bluff City Electric Street Railway and traces its rapid evolution into the high speed Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railway, taking the story up to the time that the company came under Insull control.
The Chicago “L”
by Greg Borzo
Discover the world famous Chicago “L” in all its grit and glory. The thundering “L” is one of Chicago's most enduring icons. Operating 24/7 since 1892, it is not only an antique but a working antique. More than 10 billion people have ridden the “L,” which now carries half a million people a day over 222 miles of track. The heavy, rumbling “L” has a light side too. It is sought out by tourists, featured in major motion pictures, enjoyed by wide eyed kids, photographed by admirers, and studied by historians. More information...
Chicago & West Towns Railways
By James J. Buckley
Edited by Richard W. Aaron
Eight miles west of Chicago's Loop is a cluster of 17 long-established communities that were served by a street railway and bus system whose roots can be traced back to the late 19th century. The Chicago & West Towns Railways operated five major streetcar lines that provided convenient and inexpensive transportation to the residents of communities of Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Maywood, Cicero, Berwyn, Brookfield, and LaGrange. More information...
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