E.R. Conner III

Railroading on the Washington Division is a summary, both personal and historical, of the world of railroading on the Washington Division of the Southern Railroad. The author opens with a brief account of his childhood and the events in his life that led him to his decision to work for the Southern. The second chapter of Conner’s book provides a brief history of the evolution of the Washington Division, its growth and the changes in the fortunes (both good and bad) associated with the various railroad branch lines that were part of the system.

Having provided the reader with an understanding of why he became a railroad man and a thumbnail sketch (with sufficient details to hold the readers attention) of the evolution of the Division the author moves on to detail events, folklore, and highlights of railroad work.

The chapters that follow the Division history discuss wrecks and folklore, the work involved in running a station, in the yard and across the various sections that make up the Division and the art of running trains. These chapters are followed with a general discussion of steam engines and their engineers and a final, rather curious chapter that takes the reader on a verbal tour of the rise and fall of telegraph offices, control towers, and water tank and coaling stations along the Division.

The stories connected with individuals mentioned in the book are in the form of vignettes and there are many of these. Some come close to a very brief short story while others are reminiscent of the line from the old Dragnet TV series – “just the facts, mam.”

Overall, I thought the book was worth the time I spent reading it. I wouldn’t call this a “must read” but I do think the author has something to offer anyone who might be interested in sketches of railroad life. (Text Length - 123 pages, Total Length - 143 pages. Includes bibliography, a separate 16-page photo gallery, and photographs as part of the text) (Book Dimensions inches LxWxH – 5.75 x .5 x 8.75)

See Common Knowledge for an example of the writing style.… (meer)