Railroad Life

Ruth’s beau died - simply because he was a slave.She is determined to help other enslaved people as she assists with the Underground Railroad. Recently freed and illiterate, Ruth is hired to bake mouth-watering delicious bread in a Philadelphia bakery. Her boss Joseph is kind, handsome, and determined to put an end to slavery. She feels emotionally connected to him as they work together for a common cause. His presence is like a fresh splash of spring rain on her parched soul. However, Joseph has plans. He’s determined to make some major changes in his life. He desperately wants to ...

It's 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue - until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena's Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states.

The term robber baron has largely fallen into disuse in the 21st century but there was a time when it was a popular epithet that described the kind of man who, it was believed, built his fortune by taking things belonging to others. Of all the men labeled as robber barons during the Gilded Age, few were as influential as Henry Clay Frick, who rubbed shoulders with men like J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie while overseeing some of the era’s biggest companies.

Named one of the "75 People You Should Know" by Trains Magazine, Jim McClellan was a railroading legend and one of the railroad industry’s titans. An iconic and innovative executive, McClellan participated in the creation of both Amtrak and Conrail and worked for the Norfolk Southern, the New York Central, US Railway Association, and the Federal Railroad Administration. My Life with Trains combines a world-class photographer’s love of railroading with the insights of a government and railroad official.

No one knows where the term Underground Railroad came from - there were no trains or tracks, only "conductors" who helped escaping slaves to freedom. Including real stories about "passengers" on the "railroad", this audiobook chronicles slaves' close calls with bounty hunters, their exhausting struggles on the road, and what they sacrificed for freedom.

Two hundred years ago, slavery had the Southern United States firmly in its evil grip. Around four million African Americans languished in the most appalling of living conditions, their lives controlled by people who saw them as objects. They were starved, whipped, and put to work despite being pregnant, sick, or so young that they could barely walk.

Born free in 1821 to two parents who had been enslaved, William Still was drawn to anti-slavery work from a young age. Hired as a clerk at the Anti-Slavery office in Philadelphia after teaching himself to read and write, he began directly assisting enslaved people who were crossing over from the South into freedom. Andrew Diemer captures the full range and accomplishments of Still’s life, from his resistance to Fugitive Slave Laws and his relationship with John Brown before the war, to his long career fighting for citizenship rights and desegregation until the early 20th century.

This compilation of dozens of incredible true stories gathered over a 39 year railroad career, spotlights the unexpected hilarity involved in working in public transportation. Personal experiences run the gamut from sexual escapades to train accidents and even hijackings, almost all of which culminate with laughter. Chapters include: Light at the End of the Tunnel, Not Quite the Mile High Club, I Could Have Slept with Sandra Bullock, My Homosexual Years (sort of ;), How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Poopy Pants, Do Not Hump, I Was Lost But Now I'm Found, and many more. Commuters, train enthusiasts...

Twelve-year-old Ann Maria Weems works from sunup to sundown, wraps rags around her feet in the winter, and must do whatever her master or mistress orders—but she has something that many plantation slaves don't have. She has her wonderful family around her. To Ann, her teasing brothers, her older sister, and her protective and loving parents are everything. And then one day, they are gone. Separated from her family by her master and shipped off as a housemaid, Ann learns something about independence and about love before the opportunity for escape arrives.

The fates of two unforgettable women—one just beginning a journey of reckoning and self-discovery and the other completing her life's last vital act—intertwine in this sweeping, deeply researched debut set in the Black communities of Ontario that were the last stop on the Underground Railroad. In the Upper Country weaves together unlikely stories of love, survival, and familial upheaval that map the interconnected history of the peoples of North America in an entirely new and resonant way.

Before the rails bound a nation, before love defied all barriers, there was a foundation laid in quiet longing and impossible dreams. Xiulan, the daughter of Chinese immigrants serving the Hastings family, has grown up in the shadow of wealth and privilege, her every day intertwined with the grandeur of the estate. But within her heart lies a secret: an unspoken affection for Robert Hastings, the heir who left for the Civil War when she was just a girl. Now, as the household eagerly anticipates his return, Xiulan’s quiet admiration blossoms into something deeper—something dangerous. ...

Conducting Chaos: A Hilarious Commuter Railroad Experience Get ready to laugh and be entertained with "Conducting Chaos: A Hilarious Commuter Railroad Experience". Written from the perspective of a train conductor, this book takes you on a journey through the chaotic and often absurd world of commuter rail life. Filled with humorous anecdotes and real-life experiences, this book delves into the behind-the-scenes antics of daily rail operations, from the mischief and sensuality to the unexpected events and crisis management. From the interactions with coworkers, management, and passengers, ...

After his wife suffers a serious injury in a train wreck, Chen must find a place to live in Santa Cruz. He lands a job at Powder Works, where workers risk their lives manufacturing gunpowder. During their years in Santa Cruz, the unusual couple confront discrimination, catastrophic fires, and help introduce surfing to the thriving seaside community. Powder Works is the final volume in a trilogy about a Chinese immigrant family's life in 19th century America. China Grade is volume one, and Wrights is volume two. The complete trilogy is available as a Kindle ebook called Broken Tools. Also ...

"The employee is regarded by the employer merely in the light of his value as an operative. His productive capacity alone is taken into account." (Stanford) Leland Stanford: The Life and Legacy of the Railroad Executive Who Became California’s Governor and the West’s Most Famous Robber Baron chronicles the remarkable life of Stanford.

During the Gilded Age in 1868, following the death of the woman he loved and their unborn child, HARKE De JONG flees his Dutch homeland with only a packet of old love letters and a promissory note from George Washington to claim his heritage in the New World. Harke DeJong had loved Lainie Van Huel since the moment he first saw her, but their family members were at the oposiher family were members of the liberal elite who ruled the Dutch government, and Harke's father was the leader of a group of Dutch Seceders who secretly opposed the liberal views of the state church. When Lainie's body is...

Of all the men labeled as robber barons during the Gilded Age, nobody was as notorious during his time as Jason Gould, known to his few friends as Jay and his many enemies by names not suitable to print. Famed editor Joseph Pulitzer called Gould “[o]ne of the most sinister figures that ever flitted, bat-like, across the vision of the American people,” and Robert G. Ingersoll said of him, “I do not believe that since man was in the habit of living on this planet anyone has ever lived possessed of the impudence of Jay Gould.”

Paul and Anna McAllister begin to implement their plans to bring a railroad and other trappings of civilization to New Mexico Territory while continuing to build Estancia Dos Santos, reduce the animosity between the Apache and White men, and fight the shadowy foe known as "the Boss". Long trips, spies in their ranks, and increasing violence between anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups stretch Paul and Anna's resources in every direction. With the help of their family and friends, they race against time to complete their plans before the incessant drumbeats of war begin in the east.

When a toy train locomotive—a chilling replica—is discovered at a gruesome homicide scene, Special Agent Sandra Rose finds herself pulled into an investigation that's off the rails. To crack this enigmatic case, she enlists the help of Samuel Lynch, a railroad expert and former FBI agent. Together, they embark on a perilous journey, tracking a killer whose gruesome tableau unfolds along the railway lines between Chicago and San Antonio, the very route of the Texas Eagle train line.

Prologue At a young age his life revolved around the next paycheck and nights at the local tavern. After three years he knew the mind numbing factory work, was but a slow death drowning in drudgery. The excitement of adulthood had long ago lost its luster. The endless cycle that he had fallen into with only a high school education he saw no favorable escape from. Tranversing the highway of life between youth and responiably there are unexpected bends and turns and even detours along the way. Decisions made, both good and not so favorable, affect each each leg of our journey. Late on a ...

This is my fourth book about my experiences of working on the railroad. It covers thirty-eight years working for the Santa Fe and then finishing with the BNSF railroads. It takes a youth to adulthood learning many lessons the hard way. Through winters and summers, it was a slow journey getting to the jumping off place. Many life lessons are shared all through the book. These pages might make life a little easier for those that work in this profession.