Books/Material containing stories to Acquire?

[Reopen the Alpine Tunnel!!]

Throughout the past several months, I've been collecting various railroad and train books for a collection I started in 2020. It's mainly technical and corporate history, but I'm also looking for books containing stories, including on accidents, tragedies, runaways, adventures, and such.

At this moment, I'm looking mainly for books containing stories from the DSP&P/DL&G, as well as the CCRR/UPD&G, and the C&S. I have both the DSP&P Memorial Edition and 1959 Edition of the Pictorial Supplement by Mac Poor, the 2003 edition of Goin' Railroading by Margaret Coel, the third printing of the Colorado Rail Annual No. 10, and I've just ordered Western Yesterdays Volume XI.

I know that the Historic Alpine Tunnel book by Dow Helmers contains some stories, but I haven't acquired it yet. I'm not sure about whether the Mineral Belt books or the Colorado Central Rail Road book by Abbot, McCoy, and McLeod contain anything, aside from history and plans. Though it's not that I don't want them, of course!

I also know of Mac Poor's recording with George Champion on the last trip of the Rotary through Alpine Tunnel. Plus, I've been told about Dan Edwards' documentaries on the railroads mentioned here, but I haven't looked into them yet, either.  

What other titles should I look for? Also, do the aforementioned titles I don't have yet contain story material, aside from corporate and technical history?

[Dave Eggleston]

It really depends on whether you're looking for stories told by oldtimers and others or for more history focused.

In most there are stories woven into the history, not necessarily sections devoted to stories. Poor and Helmer are notable in their sections quoting what they heard from old timers. Goin' Railroading by Margaret Coel is all recollections from her grandfather and father. The Mineral Belt series has stories from the author's newspaperman grandfather that cover trips on the lines but he didn't work for them. Klinger's books contain some direct quotes of events. Ferrell, the two CRM books, the Sundance books...more of blending some stories in. Most other books, including Edwards, which is pure quotations from newspapers and documents, aren't like that.

[Todd Hackett]

The Western Yesterdays series by Forest Crosson is a series of interviews with old-timers, many of whom were railroaders, so they're full of stories. These were written in the 1960s, so the old timers then were around in the 19th century. Look for Vol 1 which includes Chapter XXII "Narrow-Gauge Mountain Railroader" interviewing Jimmie Jones about working out of Como, and Vol IV with chapters XIX about John "Bon" Osier's experience the ex-DB&W brooks locos on the C&S and XX with recollections of Pete Lind about being snowbound at the Alpine Tunnel. These each only have a few pages dedicated to the South Park, but they are first-hand recollections. Volume XI came a bit later, but it is titled South Park Railroaders and the entire booklet covers interviews relating the railroaders, mostly on the South Park.

Also be sure to get Little Engines and Big Men by Gil Lathrop, which mostly covers his father's experiences on the D&RG in the early years, but it does have some stories that relate to the South Park. Gil was a railroader himself, so he was in a good position to soak in what his father told him, and to present it realistically. He was also a storyteller, so while his books have great stories of what life on the railroad was like, I don't know how accurate all of the fine details were, but it's a great read. His later book Rio Grande Glory Days chronicles his career later on the D&RGW. I started reading that one but it wasn't nearly as engaging as Little Engines and Big Men.

Look for issues of Railroad Magazine with "True Tales" or other articles of interest. These include:
"The South Park's 'Last Run'" in Vol XXII No,. 3 from August 1937 when the magazine was called Railroad Stories.
"My Narrow-Gage Album" by Lewis Lathrop (Gil's father - I understand that all articles by Lewis or Gil's uncle Carl were actually written by Gil) in Vol XXVI No. 3 from August 1939
"The Alpine Tunnel Route" by Lewis Lathrop in Vol. 30 No 1 from June 1941
"Smoking over the South Park" by Bill Dooley in Vol. 64, No. 3 from August 1954

Ed Haley wrote a great article for Trains Magazine (probably early to mid-1980s - I don't know what I did with my copy after my last move) where he describes the ordeals of getting to Leadville during a blizzard season while in college. IIRC he started off on the passenger train to Como, and wound up in the caboose of a rotary train as it opened parts of the line that had been cut off for weeks, and finally returning home on the D&RGW in order to get back in time for school.

[Mike Trent]

Tom Klinger's books have many stories of the C&S, many of which come from Brownie Anderson's son. Brownie himself also appeared in Crossen's work.