Steam Days in Dunsmuir, Featuring Dick Murdock's "Smoke in the Canyon"

Cloth with dust jacket, 264 pages, 8.5x11, 418 photos, appendices, bibliography, index. 2011. "This book features fascinating personal stories by Southern Pacific railroaders who worked out of Dunsmuir, California in the heyday of big - time steam railroading. The unique mountain railroad town, established in 1886, was the headquarters for Southern Pacific's Shasta Division and a helper point where locomotives were added to assist trains in the climb out of the canyon of the Sacramento River. "3 sections of the book contain stories that reveal just how it was to work in engine and train crew service. The first is a complete reprint of SP engineer Dick Murdock's 1986 book, Smoke in the Canyon, recalling years of working on the SP and living in Dunsmuir. The second is by Don Olsen, who worked two years out of Dunsmuir before steam operations ended. The third, "Incident at Morley," written by conductor Bill Reid, explains train operating and track occupancy rules and recounts a tragic accident that was a result of rules not strictly followed. Shasta Division history and interviews of Dunsmuir crewmen by Bob Church complete the book. "Historic photos, most never before published, depict the town, railroad, trains and locations on the Shasta Division. Thoroughly researched captions give the reader informative insight about the railroaders and people of Dunsmuir and Siskiyou County up to the mid-50s when dieselization was complete. "Having lived and worked in Dunsmuir for 34 years, I found the book Steam Days in Dunsmuir by Robert J. Church most refreshing. Not only is there a wealth of previously unpublished photographs of this old Southern Pacific division point town included within its covers, but they are augmented with the personal stories and adventures of the railroad men that worked here, many of whom I knew. Highly recommended." --John R. Signor, author and retired SP conductor