Charles Brown 279 pages hardcover
Charles P. Brown--"a boomer railroad man"--offers in this exceptional
autobiography an unusually vivid portrayal of everyday life as a
trainman for some of the country's greatest rail lines.
An
itinerant railroad worker, or "boomer," Brown hopscotched across America
between 1900 and 1913 seeking employment wherever opportunities arose.
His wanderlust led him into a variety of jobs--including fireman,
brakeman, switchman--for such railroads as the Santa Fe, Union Pacific,
Wabash, and New York Central until he was disabled at age thirty-four in
a railroad accident. In this sometimes tragic, frequently funny,
behind-the-scenes account of railroading, Brownie reveals the reality of
working conditions for the railroad laborer at the turn of the century
as he relates his many adventures and misadventures.
