For people interested in the story of a 1951 streamliner rescue, and also for those who want the complete details about how resources from east and west acted together to rescue the 300 plus passengers and later, the streamliner itself. I had a special interest in the book as I'm a docent in the California State Railroad Museum, and each winter, we display the 7209 Rotary Snowplow which was part of the rescue. The book first sets the scene for one of the more difficult routes in railroad, Donner Pass across the Sierra Nevada. The tracks then (as they do now), continue to follow the line of the original transcontinental railroad that successfully reached Promontory Utah on May 19, 1869. The book can be read in several difference ways. One is s summary of what happened and how it all turned out. Another is the hour by hour developments for the stranded passengers, the rescuers from the each, and how a collection of railroad employees, San Jose State ski bums, PGE linemen, the US Army, California Department of Transportation, and local citizens all worked together to effect the rescue. A final way to read the book is a management study about overestimating your strengths in the face of Mother Nature, and how that the powers-that-be continued to throw resources in the face of one of the most severe show storms in California history. The train passengers, crew, and rescuers faced temperatures below zero, winds over 100 mph, and snow drifts of over 60 feet. When should the train even attempted to cross the Sierras in the face of such a storm? What resources needed to be added? All and all, the book is a tour de force for railroad "foamers", history buffs, and everyone who likes a real human drama with heroes and failures and unfortunately more than one death.
The book is out of print, but I found a relatively low cost copy online. And, the author is still alive and living in the Sacramento area. At the CSRM, he gave a sold out talk on the rescue. If you like railroad, this is a great book for you.
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