The Boomer: A Story of the Rails

Eddie Sand is railroading with a capital R. A "boomer," Eddie travels the country making a living as a telegraph operator wherever he finds himself. Never content to sit behind a desk or undertake "the upkeep of a blonde," Eddie's courage, restlessness, and cunning lead him to high adventure. Harry Bedwell's The Boomer portrays an elite fraternity of railroad men--men who were driven by one of the defining elements of the American character: a desire to wander. They were the glamour and glory of railroading, and no one was better equipped to tell their story than Bedwell. He reveals the behind-the-scenes battles that were fought to keep the trains running. This edition also includes a glossary of railroad slang and a bibliography of Bedwell's work. Originally published in 1942, Harry Bedwell's The Boomer is widely considered the best railroad novel ever written. "An exciting yarn in sinewy prose . . . it has almost everything except sound effects." -- New York Herald Tribune Harry Bedwell (1888-1955) is the author of more than sixty short stories. The Boomer is his only novel. James D. Porterfield is the author of several books, including From the Dining Car: The Recipes and Stories behind Today's Greatest Rail Dining Experiences.