Set Up Running: The Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman, 1904-1949

John W. Orr

Nov 2010 · Penn State Press

Ratings and reviews

An outstanding book about what it is like to work on a railroad during the age of steam.Orr's father operated most of the steam locos of the Pennsylvania Railroad over his lifetime. He was highly respected for his abilities to save fuel and conserve water and for many years ran the 'hippos', Class I1sa class 2-10-0 Decapod locos which handled coal traffic in Pennsylvania which often occasioned 2 or three locomotives to handle the tonnage. As well, he ran the small steam switching locomotives and the respected K-4 class Pacific locos in passenger service. There are a number of mistakes in the telling, but only the sort a railroad fan of the PRR would notice. For anyone interested in the nature of work in the industry (or many others) this is a has-to-have book. I am a 70-year-old railroad fan and I read the book three times and passed copies on to several railfan friends. The story is not over-technical for those unschooled in issues of operating locomotives and, in particular, is well suited to any railroad buff familiar with stem and certainly those with merely an interest in railroads, period. Highly reccommended for the genre. Robert L. Briechle, Hudson, OH 2011