Brownie the Boomer: The Life of Charles P. Brown, an American Railroader

by H. Roger Grant

Overview

Charles P. Brown—"a boomer railroad man"—offers in this exceptional autobiography an unusually vivid portrayal of everyday life as a trainman for some of the country's greatest rail lines.

An itinerant railroad worker, or "boomer," Brown hopscotched across America between 1900 and 1913 seeking employment wherever opportunities arose. His wanderlust led him into a variety of jobs—including fireman, brakeman, switchman—for such railroads as the Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Wabash, and New York Central until he was disabled at age thirty-four in a railroad accident. In this sometimes tragic, frequently funny, behind-the-scenes account of railroading, Brownie reveals the reality of working conditions for the railroad laborer at the turn of the century as he relates his many adventures and misadventures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780875801469
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	07/01/1991
Series:	Railroads in America
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	279
Sales rank:	1,044,737
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

H. Roger Grant, Professor of History at Clemson University, is author of 23 books, most of them on railroad history. His earlier company histories cover the Chicago & North Western, the Chicago Great Western, the Erie Lackawanna, and the Wabash railroads.

Read an Excerpt

"A fireman on a coal burning engine stands a pretty slim chance of getting out in case of a wreck or a head-on collision, for the most of the time he is standing down on the deck behind the boiler head where he can't see out ahead, and besides he is so busy shoveling coal into the fire box especially on a fast run, that he has not got time to think about anything else, for his business is to keep the old mill hot so that the engineer can make the time." —from Brownie the Boomer
 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction by H. Roger Grant
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Appendix
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

"A fine portrait of working conditions in the early years of the century.... A colorful bit of Americana."

-Publishers Weekly

"A firsthand account of the life of an itinerant blue-collar working man of 90 years ago.... A document of unique significance."—Los Angeles Times Book Review

From the Publisher

Farm work in Indiana not to his liking, 19-year-old Charlie Brown and a friend hopped a freight train for Chicago in 1898. So began Brown's career as an itinerant railroad worker, a ``boomer''--15 years as fireman, brakeman, switchman on the major rail lines of the country. After a near-fatal accident in 1913, Brown wrote this autobiography , which was published in the 1920s; Grant, editor of Railway History , here provides background and explanatory notes. Brown's unpretentious and matter-of-fact story offers a fine portrait of working conditions in the early years of the century. He lived in boardinghouses and the YMCA; he recalls events that involve runaway cars, a train robbery, drunken brawls, a collision, chance meetings with other ``boomers.'' Rail buffs and social historians will welcome this colorful bit of Americana. Photos. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Reads like an oral history. Brown was a boomer (itinerant) fireman, switchman, brakeman on several roads from New York to California from 1900 to 1913. A clear account of the operation of railroads and workers. Edited by H. Roger Grant (history, U. of Akron) with myriad notes (but not a needed glossary). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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