Two tickets on the Wood River Train : the life and times of the Wood River Branch railroad
J. B. Kennedy (Author)
"Tucked away in the southwest corner of Rhode Island there once was a little gem of a railroad. Less than 6 miles long the Wood River Branch Railroad battled hard times, fires and floods to serve the little mill villages in Richmond and Hopkinton for over 70 years. Little teakettles like the Gardner Nichols, and putt-putts like the President's Special and the 1872 kept Hope Valley connected to the outside world aided by a colorful cast of local characters who simply refuse to be forgotten. There was tobacco spitting engineer William Hoxsie who once tangled with a skunk. People may not have seen the train arrive that night, but they sure smelled it. President Roy Rawlings who bought the line for $301 and quipped his road might not be as long as the Pennsylvania, but was every bit as wide. Trackman Dan Patterson could never seem to catch a break. What about Mother Watrous who saved the line from extinction with a plate of doughnuts and a pitcher of fresh milk? There was Tom Briggs who started railroading at the advanced age of 12 and became the youngest engineer to qualify in Rhode Island. How could we ignore Otis Larkin who for three years was engineer, baggageman, brakeman, conductor, purchasing agent, track walker, maintenance man, station agent and freight agent. Larkin had a different official hat for each job and would swap hats as needed. And in a male dominated world there was the unforgettable Lucy Tootell, a force of nature and the tiny road's Vice President of Operations. Also read about the Terrible Wreck at Richmond Switch at the cursed bridge at Meadow Brook, fires, floods and the horrifying end of John Newton."-- Back cover
Print Book, English, 2018
Cranberry Junction, Watertown, NY, 2018