From time to time in this blog, I’ve mentioned writing by railroaders, especially ones that convey what the jobs were really like. A favorite railroader author, Linda Niemann, stated that you don’t really understand the work until you’re passing signals down a long yard to the switch engine with a hand lantern at 2 AM under a steady rain. (For more about her and her work, see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-appreciation-linda-niemann.html .)
The book I want to present today is by Canadian Pacific railroader Jim McLean. This was the first book of his poems, printed in 1982 by Coteau Books of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Jim’s home town and his place of work for the CP. The cover of the 6 x 9-inch book is below. Several on-line booksellers list the book as available. Another book by him was published in 2016.
I won’t include a whole lot of his poems here, just a few I especially like. For those of us who know and enjoy Timetable & Train Order (T&TO) railroading, this one is quite enjoyable:
Another one I liked, since it has to do with switching, has an introductory explanation so you understand the lingo:
Lastly, one of his I’ve always liked, one that that tells you something about Canadian immigration, not so different from immigration anywhere, working on the railroad:
As I mentioned, this book is for sale on the internet from several used-book dealers. I know most of my readers would enjoy it if they choose to find it.
Tony Thompson
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