Burlington Northern Adventures: Railroading in the Days of the Caboose (Paperback)

by William J. Brotherton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Great stories and a terrific read. Not your typical railroad book. -- Steve Glischinski, author of Burlington Northern and its Heritage

It is one of those books one wishes never ends. -- Jim Harris, retired railroad radioman

Product Description
Burlington Northern Adventures relate the personal experiences of the author,William J. Brotherton, who went "railroading" as a brakeman, conductor and trainmaster for the Burlington Northern Railroad system, starting in 1979 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Through his many interesting short stories, Brotherton illustrates what it was like to work for a major railroad company before branch lines, vintage diesel locomotives and cabooses were phased out. Brotherton, who hopped freights as a youth growing up in Atlanta, takes the reader along on his personal encounter with a railroaders' life in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Colorado. He ended his railroad career as a trainmaster with the Colorado & Southern Railway in Denver.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: South Platte Press (October 2004)
• ISBN-10: 0942035682
• ISBN-13: 978-0942035681
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #857,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all train enthusiasts, January 10, 2005

By	Mr. Thomas R. Sill "Thomas Sill" (New Canaan, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I received this book from my Parents at christmas and thought that my Parents had lost it. I called to remind them that I wasn't 10 anymore. However, I took the book with me on one of those boring flights to no where. Much to my surprise this book was an incredibly funny set of stories about growing up around the railroad as a child and subsequent stories about working late nights on the railroad in the frozen Northern reaches of the midwest.

The stories had me laughing out loud. I truly felt bad for Brotherton as he was convinced to sleep in a camper in -40F weather. No matter how bad I thought some jobs I have had were, they don't compare to having to switch out rail cars in sub-zero weather in the middle of the night. In fact this should be mandatory reading for whiney teen-agers who complain about their jobs.

I finished reading the book before my 3 hour flight was over and I wished I there was more.

I can also see why the railroad would be upset by this book. I can imagine that they wouldn't want anyone to know how they run their business as no one would work for them. For me, I bought several more copies for my staff as this is much better than "Who Moved My Cheese" and if any of them think they have it bad, it could be worse, much worse.

Great Book!!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Training, January 11, 2007

By	John B. Lochridge (Atlanta) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's something about trains. Like rivers they embody past, present, future. If you're outside, they go by. If you're inside, the world goes by. William Brotherton does a masterful job of bringing the reader inside the massive probe into the hinterlands of the Dakotas through to Montana; stories of places and characters that relatively few humans have experienced or even thought about. Well-written and with a child's eye for adventure, Brotherton's somewhat picaresque novel deserves acclaim as a study of the strenghts that make up our railroad men. To the reviewers who complain about the salty language......I guess you weren't there.

3.0 out of 5 stars Should be Rated R, December 13, 2006

By	Iron Head "Steve" (Texas) - See all my reviews

The local newspaper ran a couple of stories from this book and they were pretty interesting so I bought the book. Unfortunately the newspaper didn't mention the frequent use of profanity because I intended to pass it along to other folks who love railroading but would be offended by the language. There are many colorful characters that the author encounters and their favorite expression seems to be the F-bomb. Mr. Brotherton has a law practice so is not an ignorant man who is incapable of conveying the excitement of a story without quoting everything word for word. Overall, the book is like a delicious hearty soup with bugs scattered through it.