MEET LORENZ P. SCHRENK AND ROBERT L. FREY

Lorenz P. Schrenk, a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a member of the headquarters staff of Honeywell. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the George Washington University and an MA and PhD degree in experimental psychology from Ohio State University. A long-standing interest in railraod history led Larry to found and edit a newsletter for fans of the famed Colorado Midland Railway for seven years. He then turned his attention to a railroad that once ran closer to home — the Northern Pacific. As a trained researcher, he has especially enjoyed the many contacts with fellow rail enthusiasts.

A native of York, Pennsylvania, Robert L. Frey is currently professor of history and dean of the college at Wilmington College in Virginia. Bob has been interested in railroads since his father took him to the railroad station in York, to watch the western parade of passenger trains during World War II. In addition to his love for full-sized railroads, Bob is an avid HO model railroader.

MEET ROBERT L. FREY AND LORENZ P. SCHRENK

A native of York, Pennsylvania, Robert L. Frey is currently professor of history and dean of the college at Wilmington College in Virginia. Bob has been interested in railroads since his father took him to the railroad station in York, to watch the western parade of passenger trains during World War II. In addition to his love for full-sized railroads, Bob is an avid HO model railroader.

Lorenz P. Schrenk, a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a member of the headquarters staff of Honeywell. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the George Washington University and an MA and PhD degree in experimental psychology from Ohio State University. A long-standing interest in railraod history led Larry to found and edit a newsletter for fans of the famed Colorado Midland Railway for seven years. He then turned his attention to a railroad that once ran closer to home — the Northern Pacific. As a trained researcher, he has especially enjoyed the many contacts with fellow rail enthusiasts.

MEET DAVID J. DeBOER

David J. DeBoer began watching trains along the rails of the Michigan Central at an early age. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and holds an AB and an MBA degree. Steel rails eventually led him to the marketing department of the New York Central in New York. He later moved to Trans World Airlines as manager of cargo marketing and later to Washington DC where he served as director of the Office of Policy and Economics for the Federal Railroad Administration. He joined the Southern Pacific Company in San Francisco where he ultimately headed up the intermodal operations prior to co-founding Greenbrier Intermodal where he retired as Chairman. As a long time member of the Lexington Group of Railroad History, he was promoted to write the history of rail intermodal.

He now lives on Monterey Bay in California with his wife Sandy. He has three grown children and six grandchildren.

MEET GERALD M. BEST

As a boy in Port Jervis, New York, Gerald M. Best developed a keen interest in railroads and the history of his home state. He first saw the Catskill Mountains from the train window while going from Port Jervis to Kingston with his father who was tracing the Decker family history and Samuel Decker Coykendall offered him help. Best came away with a lasting impression of a dignified, gracious man and little did he realize that half a century later he would research the story of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad, of which Coykendall was then president.

Gerald M. Best is a name well known among historians, especially in railroad circles. His writings about the steam locomotive and railroad history have appeared in many journals, his locomotive photographs grace the pages of numerous books.

MEET DONALD DUKE

The name of the author and compiler of this book is well known in the blue book of railroad historians. Donald Duke established Golden West Books in 1960 to publish his own works, but eventually published the work of other authors as well. To date, his patient research and editing have enriched more than 140 hardbound titles.

He was a youth whenhis family moved to Alhambra, while awaiting construction of their new home in San Marino. The Alhambra home was next to the tracks of Pacific Electric’s San Bernardino Line, and there his interest in interurbans was born. The new San Marino home was located two blocks from PE’s Monrovia-Glendora Line.

Duke attended Colorado College, in the heart of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad’s narrow gauge country. He remained in Colorado for two years after his graduation, working as a commercial photographer. He is well known for the razor-sharp photographed produced by his 4×5 Super-D Graflex.

Besides publishing his own books, he has written numerous historical articles, frequently focused on railroads. He was literary editor for his Kappa Sigma fraternity for 20 years, and was editor of the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners’ Branding Iron for two periods of time totaling 15 years. He is a past director of the Southern California chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and was a founding member of the chapter. He is a member of the Lexington Group of Railroad Historians, and belongs to many railroad historical societies.

For Donald Duke, photography, writing, publishing, interurban railroading and western history all go hand in hand as rewarding professional pursuits and personal interests.

MEET DONALD DUKE

The name of the author and compiler of this book is well known in the blue book of railroad historians. Donald Duke established Golden West Books in 1960 to publish his own works, but eventually published the work of other authors as well. To date, his patient research and editing have enriched more than 140 hardbound titles.

He was a youth whenhis family moved to Alhambra, while awaiting construction of their new home in San Marino. The Alhambra home was next to the tracks of Pacific Electric’s San Bernardino Line, and there his interest in interurbans was born. The new San Marino home was located two blocks from PE’s Monrovia-Glendora Line.

Duke attended Colorado College, in the heart of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad’s narrow gauge country. He remained in Colorado for two years after his graduation, working as a commercial photographer. He is well known for the razor-sharp photographed produced by his 4×5 Super-D Graflex.

Besides publishing his own books, he has written numerous historical articles, frequently focused on railroads. He was literary editor for his Kappa Sigma fraternity for 20 years, and was editor of the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners’ Branding Iron for two periods of time totaling 15 years. He is a past director of the Southern California chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and was a founding member of the chapter. He is a member of the Lexington Group of Railroad Historians, and belongs to many railroad historical societies.

For Donald Duke, photography, writing, publishing, interurban railroading and western history all go hand in hand as rewarding professional pursuits and personal interests.

MEET DONALD DUKE

The author and compiler of this volume is well known in railroad book circles. He established Golden West Books in 1960, to publish his own titles, but eventually began to publish other authors.

One might ask, “How did he get interested in such an obscure subject as incline railways?” By reading the Los Angeles Star and the Los Angeles Times from 1880. In the newspapers, one finds all kinds of interesting railroad history. So much about Southern California inclines, that Duke believed the story should be told.

Duke has written numerous articles and books about railroads, and western historical topics. He is a member of several railroad and historical organizations. For Duke, railroad and western history, and writing, all belong together.

MEET JIM A. LOVELAND

Jim was a reporter and editor in San Diego, New York City, and Boston before joining the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1977. He was named manager of public relations in 1986. He left the SP five years later to establish the public relations department for a geothermal power company. He later was a senior member in the corporate communications department of a major gas and electric utility. He is currently a freelance writer and editor. In addition, he is an instructor at the University of California, Berkeley Extension. He graduated from San Francisco State University and received an MS degree from Columbia University. He lives in San Anselmo, California, with his wife Paula.

MEET WILLIAM F. KNAPKE

With 50 years of colorful railroading to his credit, mostly in train service, plus some 200 published articles on rail lore, William F. Knapke is probably more familiar with cabooses than anyone else. Born July 17, 1870, at East St. Louis, Illinois, he hired out to the Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Railroad as a brakeman before he was 16, fired a huge Mallet type steam locomotive during the winter of 1907-1908, and then boarded a red caboose to start a long boomer career.

His work for 32 railroads was adventurous and exciting, as The Railroad Caboose points out. At length he settled down, more or less, as a Southern pacific home guard, was promoted to conductor, and retired in 1936.

But for Knapke, retirement meant a new life. Becoming a freelance writer, he sold 15 manuscripts in a row before receiving a single rejection, and has been writing ever since. His contribution to Freeman Hubbard’s first book, Railroad Avenue, originally published in 1945, helped to make that volume a classic in its field. Much later, when Knapke was assembling The Railroad Caboose, Hubbard reciprocated by assisting him.

MEET DONALD DUKE

The author and compiler of this volume is a name well-known in the blue book of railroad book publishing. He established Golden West Books in 1960 to publish his own titles, but eventually began to publish other authors. His patient research and editing have enriched over 135 hardbound titles which have been published to date.

As a small child his father took him to old La Grande station at Los Angeles to look at and watch Santa Fe’s big steam locomotives in action. Also, to see the arrival of the stramlined Super Chief sweeping into the depot. as a youth, his family moved to San Marino, located on the line of Pacific Electric’s Monrovia-Glendora Line, and only two blocks south of their house was Southern Pacific’s Duarte Branch. Santa Fe’s main line was only a mile to the north, with Southern Pacific’s Sunset-Golden State Route just a mile to the south. In reality, he was surrounded by railroads.

Duke attended Colorado College, in the heart of narrow-gauge country, and graduated there in 1951. He chose to remain in colorado as a commercial photographer. He is known for his razor-sharp photographs of steam trains taken by his trusty 4×5 Duper-D Graflex camera. He traced his way back to Southern California in 1954, and became associated with Mobil Oil Company in advertising and sales promotion.

He has written numerous articles on historical Western subjects, including railroads. He was editor of the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners Branding Iron for two periods of time totalling 15 years. He is a past director of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, and a founding member of the Western Writers of America, the Lexington Group of Railroad Historians, any number of railroad societies, and a member of the Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus.

For Duke, photography, publishing, writing and railroading, and Western history all belong together.