Jan Young

“White Flag Trains,” the latest book by Jan Young, rail enthusiast, author, and volunteer at the Strahorn Library of the Illinois Railway Museum, presents a summary history of “Extras”, those special moves of passengers and freight that railroads have been accommodating since 1826.

It can be said that our fundamental understanding of railroads and railroading is based on the rise and fall over time of scheduled moves that appear in employee timetables. But surrounding these moves, and forever complicating dispatcher and train crew’s lives are the “Extras” - the unavoidable deviations from the norm that, when examined closely, represent experimentation, accommodation, opportunity and necessity, and above all add color and understanding of the variety and potential of railway service.

White Flag Trains is an enjoyable and comprehensive exploration of the topic told through well over 100 short stories of Extra moves, classified by type, and presented in a compact form. The format of the book encourages you to keep it close by and read a story or two when you can spare a few minutes.

It is an ideal reference to the universe of special moves. The book provides an extensive bibliography and index that encourages the reader to go out on their own and explore a particularly interesting Extra move.

A significant portion of the research for the book was conducted using the resources of the Illinois Railway Museum Strahorn Library. We are pleased to share this example of what can be accomplished through the Strahorn.… (más)