Interesting and well-done history of the "Old Woman," the New York, Ontario & Western Railroad, followed by an examination of the period before and after World War II when the O&W adopted diesels in the hope that it would save the line from financial ruin. Although the O&W did go under in 1957, the author argues that the diesels extended its life by about a decade. Many of the diesels went on to serve on the New York Central, Conrail, and the New York, Susquehanna and Western. Illustrated throughout with a mixture of black and white and color photos of the O&W and its locomotives, both steam and diesel. With maps, bibliography, and locomotive dispositions. 96 pages.