CLEAR THE TRACK

A collection of true stories about railroading that starts off with a bang with Casey Jones' tale. Following are accounts, often written down at the good clip of the chug and the whistle, of such track notables as Iowa's Kate Shelley who flagged down a passenger train in the middle of the night to prevent it from plowing into a freight wreck, of Schenectady's George Westinghouse and his persuasion of Cornelius Vanderbilt to use his new air brake invention. This will make exciting reading for railroad enthusiasts, and although it won't have much appeal for the uninterested, it may lead the errant reader to further inquiry.