Death By Train: Terrifying Yet True Stories of Train Wrecks and Accidents 1879-1927

Train travel could be dangerous, not just for the passengers, but also the trainmen. People were frequently killed or maimed by trains, merely by not paying enough attention to oncoming trains as they walked on the tracks; tripping at an unfortunate moment, or simply being aboard when the train derailed and crashed. Trainmen were often crushed beneath the cars as they went about their daily job, slipped under the wheels, or jumped from the locomotive when control was lost.

Reporters delighted in describing such accidents in the most lurid and gory detail possible, and this book has complied dozens of such articles, written exactly as they appeared in local newspapers.

Each is a fascinating look back at the dangers of traveling by rail in the late 19th century and early 20th century.