Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Romance of Dots and Dashes

I found this book while researching the job of telegraph operators for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My heroine is a telegrapher in Hamilton, Ohio, before embarking on a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.

Feisty Nattie Rogers is a telegraph operator. She meets the mysterious “C”, a telegraph operation in another station on her wire. He refuses to tell her his full name and they develop a friendship over the wire that soon has her dreaming of love.

Nattie tells her fellow boarders all about “C” and they can’t wait for the two of them to meet. But the course of true love meets some hurdles.

This book is written in the omniscient viewpoint. The reader knows what everyone is thinking all the time. Written in 1880, this story has the long conversations prevalent in writings of that day. I confess that I skimmed over some of those, but still enjoyed the story.

The author gives a thorough overview of a telegrapher’s job in the story, which I appreciated.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.

I love this book. I needed to find a source that provided information about the depots, locations, how far apart they were, what was at each station, and the scenery.

This guidebook provided all that information and more. It’s a fount of information!

I read this book and several others to understand how train passengers in the 1880s traveled. There were long lines for the small washing rooms in the morning. Many, especially women, brought their own towels and toiletries. There was a basin with water to wash your face, brush your teeth, or take a quick sponge bath.

The trains stopped at specific depots for meal stops. These were called eating stations. The food might be undercooked or nearly raw. Each place had its specialties. In the 1880s, nearly every station charged a dollar per person.

I loved the early history the author included for towns that the trains passed on those journeys. Very interesting!

This book is fascinating, with wonderful details of situations and sights along the rails. Recommended for those interested in learning the history of the West and also train travel.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.

Early western trains had express cars where an armed agent guarded the safes. There often carried gold from mines, silver coins, gold bars, bank notes, precious stones, and expensive jewelry. This tempted bandits to rob the train.

Some famous train robbers discussed in the book are Chris Evans, John Sontag, and Jesse James. Butch Cassidy and Kid Curry were the leaders of the Wild Bunch

These robberies took months of planning. Some bandits had previously worked on the railroad.

This book was interesting and easy to read. Recommended for those interested in learning the history of train travel.

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884. On the last leg of their journey, they rode in Palace cars.

This book was especially helpful for learning about the jobs of the train crews and engine crews and were scattered at 100-mile intervals. At division points they had repair crews, blacksmiths, machinists, and painters.

Clerks, train dispatchers, flagmen, baggagemen, and switchmen were a few of the jobs needed at train depots.

An engineer, a conductor, a fireman, and two brakemen made up the typical train crew.

This book provided wonderful details like these and I believe this book would appeal to those desiring to learn more about train travel.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Rudyard Kipling’s West American Notes

I checked this book out of the library when doing research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884.

I found his experiences interesting but he didn’t take the route I needed my characters to follow. Also, his journey happened five to six years after my story so it wasn’t a research book for me.

Kipling’s excellent writing transported me back in time. His well-written descriptions gave just enough details so that I could see the scene.

Recommended for readers who enjoy learning about the West in the latter part of the 1800s.

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Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

This book was part of my research for A Not So Peaceful Journey, Book 3 in my “Second Chances” series. My characters take a train journey from Ohio to Oakland, California, in 1884. On the last leg of their journey, they rode in Palace cars.

George Pullman was one of several in the railroad industry who built cars for passenger travel in the 1800s. The Palace car was an elegant way to travel for the more well-to-do guests and there were a variety of designs.

In the West, the Pullman Palace cars were painted canary yellow for a number of years.

One thing I love about this book is the many photos, early ads, and sketches of old cars. The descriptions included with them were quite helpful.

Recommended for readers who want to learn more about early train travel.

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