Brownie the Boomer: The Life of Charles P. Brown, an American Railroader (Railroads in America) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0875801463 ISBN 13: 9780875801469

Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press, 1991

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

H. Roger Grant, Professor of History at Clemson University, is author of 23 books, most of them on railroad history. His earlier company histories cover the Chicago & North Western, the Chicago Great Western, the Erie Lackawanna, and the Wabash railroads.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

"A fireman on a coal burning engine stands a pretty slim chance of getting out in case of a wreck or a head-on collision, for the most of the time he is standing down on the deck behind the boiler head where he can't see out ahead, and besides he is so busy shoveling coal into the fire box especially on a fast run, that he has not got time to think about anything else, for his business is to keep the old mill hot so that the engineer can make the time." —from Brownie the Boomer
 

About this edition

• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0875801463
• ISBN 13: 9780875801469
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 279
• Editor: Grant H. Roger