THE 70 YEAR TRAIN RIDE

A train enthusiast recalls a lifetime of rail journeys in this evocative memoir.

After teaching biology for 41 years, Heppner (Emeritus, Biological Sciences/Univ. of Rhode Island; Railroads of Rhode Island, 2012, etc.) decided to fill his retirement time by writing about his lifelong passion: trains. At the age of 3, he received his first toy engine, named “Big Red,” and not long afterward, his first train book, Smokey the Lively Locomotive. So began his fascination. In this endearing book, he charts his most memorable rail journeys, although his first, he concedes, occurred prenatally—when his mother traveled from San Francisco to Auburn, California (“I must have been a passenger in the ‘baggage car’ ”). Born in 1940, Heppner counts himself fortunate to have experienced an exciting period in railroad history, having witnessed “cab-forward steam locomotives” and ridden high speed trains such as the French TGV. Among countless other journeys, Heppner recalls the severe grades of the Raton Pass in New Mexico and Colorado, the ugliness of the Italian Settebello, and the efficiency of the Japanese bullet train. Heppner admits to being “a certifiable nerd” and gives enough attention to railway minutiae to satisfy other train geeks—a photograph of the train to Tenom, Malaysia, bears the caption: “Japanese equipment, but note the American style knuckle coupler.” However, it is Heppner’s attention to detail that beguiles the reader. An early train journey took place when he was 10 years old—an overnight from San Francisco to Salt Lake City. He recalls lying in his bunk: “It was a moonlit night on the Nevada desert. I could see in the distance the shadowy outline of the Great Basin mountain ranges, and there was a hint of sage smell through the vent.” Heppner’s sensory descriptions transport the reader to the very carriage in which he traveled. On occasion, the author digresses, making the memoir read more like generalized travel memoir as he discusses air and sea travel. All but the most hardcore rail fans will forgive these meanderings. Illustrated with the author’s accomplished photography, this is a treat for anyone with a love of trains.

Observant, spiriting writing that conveys the author’s infectious enthusiasm for railroads.