Railfan and Railroad magazine gave it a two thumbs up review. One reader remarks that out his collection of a thousand railroad books, this one is on his top ten list. Another customer compares it to the phenomenal works of a famous Canadian railroad author. And a retired railroad official claims it’s the best railroad book he’s read in a long time. Those are just a few of the accolades received by Author Victor A. Baird, reference his new book, Railroading on the Wabash Fourth District. If Victor’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he has given a number of railroad presentations in the area, had a few of his articles published in the local newspapers and also organized the 2011 Wabash Railroad Historical Society Annual Meeting and Train Excursion in the Montpelier area. The book signing is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Montpelier Public Library at 216 East Main Street.
“My new, hardcover, 320 page book is a scholarly history of one of the Wabash lines that ran out of Montpelier (west to Chicago), but about half of the book is in the own words of Fourth District Railroaders and other folks that remember the railroad”, reports Victor. The book not only appeals to railroaders, their families and railroad enthusiasts but also local folks along the line from Northwest Ohio across Northern Indiana that remember the railroad. There is much researched text here but also hundreds of photographs, plus diagrams, maps and timetables. A large index is also handy. In one of the appendices Victor also included as complete as he could research a roster of Fourth District Enginemen and Trainmen and seniority rosters for operators and dispatchers for the Detroit and Montpelier Divisions eras.
Railroading on the Wabash Fourth District took three years to research and write, and Victor says it wouldn’t have been a success without the help of many local railroaders and their family members like Clarence Montgomery, George Thomas, Bill Peters, Ron Whetro, Larry Lett, Mike Thompson, John Reichle, local historian Alan Benjamin and many others. “Retired railroader Larry Lett will join me and we hope to have a good turnout at the library Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m”. In appreciation to the late Larry Snyder, a Trackside Modelers member and retired railroader, the Trackside Modelers at 414 West Main Street, downtown is having their model railroad open to the public that same day from 11 to 5 and will also have some Wabash memorabilia on display. (Some photographs from Larry’s collection were included in the book.)
For those that can’t make the book signing but would like to purchase the book, it retails for $39.95 plus $5.00 for shipping (no sales tax for Ohio residents) to Erstwhile Publications, P.O. Box 10119, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46850-0119. More information on the book can be found on the publisher’s website at www.erstwhilepublications.com or call (260) 745-5141. There is also a blog on the website to follow post publication news, plus information and photos from readers. And the site contains a schedule of book signings in the Tri-State area. “Retired Fourth District Conductor Clarence Montgomery, who unfortunately passed away (at the age of 97) before the book was completed, wanted the Fourth to be put on the map, per say, and I think he would have very much approved of the final product as have many of his colleagues and friends” remarks Victor. “Clarence was an inspiration for the book and provided much of the input, some in his own words”.