Travelogue From an Unruly Youth

Mr. Burkhardt has written another fine monograph in celebration of railroads. His previous books have captures the history, technology, and geography of trains. This book expands upon this and tells a tale of love of trains and of women. Through his travels in the West and Old Northwest the writer weaves parallel stories of love: his love of the rolling sojourn and his haphazard love with Marie. This is a book of celebration for Burkhardt, as i understand it. He is able to do well writing of this poetic and endangered mode of transportation, and he found his Marie...and married her. I look forward to his next publication.

Another great railroad book from Burkhardt...although this one's a lot more than trains. This is the story we all lived, or wanted to live -- it's what happens when youth, freedom, freight trains and love get mixed together. Imagine riding freight all across the west, while trying to figure out the ways of the heart, and writing it all down -- and then coming back to it thirty years later and making sense of it all. If you ever hopped a freight, or wanted to, you could read it just for that. If you ever followed your heart wherever it led, good or bad, you could read it for that. This is a personal and honest book, full of love, rebellion and redemption. What more is there? My advice is get it and read it.