Set Up Running is easily the absolute best first person account of a railroad man’s career I have come across. Not many railroad books would keep me up late reading it, “late” meaning way past my normal bedtime.



Find it. Read it.



Schuyler





Hi Brian,



You might have a look at the biography “Set Up Running: The Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman, 1904–1949” by John W. Orr.



You won’t find organizational charts. You WILL find lots of real-life railroading experiences, may of which involved the movement of STEAM ERA FREIGHT CARS. It is an enjoyable read in any case.



Claus Schlund













From: grangerroads@... [STMFC]

Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2016 4:06 PM

To: STMFC@...

Subject: [STMFC] Railroad true stories?





Ah, hope this question isn't out-of-bounds for this list. The question is about steam-era railroading, and it might (I hope it does) involve freight cars. So. . . .

I've googled a bit but without much success. I'm looking for real-life, or fact-based fiction, stories about any part of the railroad industry as it existed in the late 1930s or previous years. Accidents, crime, corruption, operations . . . any topic, really.

Does Railroad magazine fit what I hope to find? Got magazines, books, or other sources you might care to mention?

One focus of mine is railroad organizational structure: What were the various departments of a Class I railroad, how did their duties and responsibilities intermingle. What did a top-down organizational chart look like?

Thanks much,

Brian Chapman
Cedar Rapids, Iowa