Railforum readers will be interested to know that the current New Yorker (Volume 81, No. 30, October 3, 2005) contains Part 1 of a two-part article about freight rail transportation by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning essayist John McPhee. The article, entitled "Coal Train--I", runs from page 72 to 83. It's mainly a sober, detailed, ground-level introduction to how the modern freight rail system works, based in part on lengthy cab rides and other field research by McPhee; there's also some material on rail videos, railfanning, and hobos. Presumably some different ground will be covered in the second part. The magazine doesn't say whether the second part will be in the October 10 issue or later.
This article is part of a series of articles by McPhee on freight transportation that will be published in book form in May 2006; the title will be Uncommon Carriers. It occurs to me that if any of us spot any errors in McPhee's work, there may still be time for him to incorporate corrections into the book. McPhee, who is Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, can be written to at 24 Joseph Henry House, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544. His campus e-mail address is angus@princeton.edu.
Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :
neat
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Thanks for this info. McPhee is a marvelous writer, in my experience.
A Q&A accompanying the article seems to be free on line. Here is the URL:
Part two of John McPhee's article on coal trains is in this weeks "New Yorker." Don't miss it.
Posted by Kairho (Member # 1567) on :
This was eyeopening in another way for me: I live quite far from town and with fuel prices high it is not routine to go the 15 miles or so to Barnes&Noble or Books-a-million, where they would have the New Yorker. And the New Yorker is not carried at any of 4 closer supermarket/drug store type newsstands. But the eyeopener is that 3 of those 4 didn't carry even Time and Newsweek! I live in a cultural void!
So, as I would really like to read those articles, if anyone has completed them and would be willing to sell the two issues, please let me know.....
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
When I am in your area, Mr. Kairho, I find the Barnes & Noble on SR 200 in Ocala has New Yorker and The New York Times. However, if you want the Sunday Times, get there early. Last visit, I got the last one they had at 10AM.
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Mr. Kairho, if you'll send me your mailing address, I'll send my copy to you.
Tom Black
Posted by Kairho (Member # 1567) on :
Thanks, Tom! I greatly appreciate it. Will send a private message if you have an address in your profile.
Mr. Norman, that is indeed the B&N I usually visit. Alas, I've had no need to be in that part of town the last few weeks...
Posted by Fla1 (Member # 2989) on :
It was a very interesting article, including the bit about the police dispatcher / train watcher who had his notebook confiscated by the F.B.I.at Tower 55 in Fort Worth.
I find the easiest option in Ocala for getting the New Yorker is to subscribe for $28.00 / year or about 55 cents per issue.
Incidentally, as of 30 Sept we have lost our Amtrak agent at the Ocala station (she still has a job, but in Hollywood, FL). I think the station is now listed as a "bus stop" for the bus connecting with the northbound Silver Star at Jacksonville and the southbound Silver Star at Lakeland.
It is apparently not possible to take a bus / train connection to Tampa.