What do you think?
Rate this book
Troop Train
The Revised 2nd Edition of Troop Train!
Michael Gunderson comes of age just after WWII ends. He wants nothing more than to leave behind an oppressive life of rural farming to strike out on his own and discover what the alluring world has to offer to men who love other men. Michael’s big break arrives when he’s offered a porter’s job on a troop train with the Pennsylvania Railroad. On the train, Michael’s most ribald fantasies become reality when the young porter meets a hedonistic sailor with a fierce hunger in his heart.
Excerpt from Troop Train:
The dining car rounded a sharp curve, swaying violently. Drinking glasses, cutlery and the thin wire caddy containing the salt and pepper shakers, vibrated and slid across their table, teetering on the edge. With cat-like reflexes, Michael stretched out an arm, averting disaster. Both men went about the business of returning everything to its proper place. Two tables down, fortunate hadn’t smiled, as evidenced by the shattering drinking glasses and clattering silverware crashing to the floor. The victims, a rambunctious group of four foul-mouthed sailors, ranted and cursed.
A fat waiter with bad teeth and pitted skin sloshed water into their glasses and took their order, grumbling under his breath about useless busboys. Michael and Keith offered him perfunctory nods and smiles. Galumphing over to join two fellow servers, the waiter groaned as he knelt in the floor to assist in clean up of the broken glass.
“So,” Michael began, shifting his weight to the non-bruised hip, “tell me how you plan to make things up to me.”
After taking a sip of water, Keith returned his glass to the table, chuckling slightly. “Forgive me if I presume too much, but I’ve noticed you’re like me in many ways . . . the adventurous type with a voracious appetite for sex; although, you seem to have a higher tolerance for taking risks . . . how am I doing so far?”
“Dead on, I’d say.”
“Good . . . because what I’m about to propose involves all of the aforementioned.”
Michael arched a brow. “Consider my curiosity piqued, but I fail to see how this makes anything up to me.”
“I’ve made dozens of trips on this train, going and coming from overseas. I have my own automobile in the states. Don’t need to ride this damned train. I do it for only one reason.”
“And what reason is that?” Michael asked, fairly certain he already knew the answer.
“An insatiable appetite for cock,” the sailor whispered.
Coughing, Michael gulped down the last of his water.
“The stories of conquests aboard my ship alone would keep you glued to your chair for months. I wager you’d go off in your trousers after hearing only three.”
“Continue talking in that manner and I may do that here and now.” Michael responded, his cock stiffening.
Keith chuckled, but before he could reply, he noticed Michael’s gaze averting upward and smiling at their inept, obese waiter, who dropped their plates of food on the table with loud thuds, then rushed off without bothering to ask them if they needed anything else. At least a busboy refilled their water glasses, making the horrific dining experience a bit more tolerable.
“Asshole,” Michael and Keith mumbled in unison after the man was out of earshot.
Digging in with knife and fork, Michael said, “at least the steak is fairly descent,” a hint of anticipation in his voice. Since his friend failed to notice the inflection, he hoped Keith might glance up at him, seeing his eager gaze.
“My opinion might not count for much; I’m so hungry I could eat my own shoe,” Keith responded, talking with his mouth full.
Sighing exhaustively, Michael placed his hands on top of Keith’s to momentarily halt the sailor’s feeding frenzy. “Out with it,” Michael hissed.
Holding knife and fork upright in his fists against the tabletop, Keith began. “Alright then, here it is. Most of my nights on a sleeper car aren’t spent sleeping, but rather, skulking.
Michael’s jaw dropped as he slumped over the table just inches away from Keith.
“The world is made up of predators and grazers. Myself, I’m a ravenous wolf, always on the prowl. Here’s the question I put to you . . . are you wolf or sheep?”
Michael Gunderson comes of age just after WWII ends. He wants nothing more than to leave behind an oppressive life of rural farming to strike out on his own and discover what the alluring world has to offer to men who love other men. Michael’s big break arrives when he’s offered a porter’s job on a troop train with the Pennsylvania Railroad. On the train, Michael’s most ribald fantasies become reality when the young porter meets a hedonistic sailor with a fierce hunger in his heart.
Excerpt from Troop Train:
The dining car rounded a sharp curve, swaying violently. Drinking glasses, cutlery and the thin wire caddy containing the salt and pepper shakers, vibrated and slid across their table, teetering on the edge. With cat-like reflexes, Michael stretched out an arm, averting disaster. Both men went about the business of returning everything to its proper place. Two tables down, fortunate hadn’t smiled, as evidenced by the shattering drinking glasses and clattering silverware crashing to the floor. The victims, a rambunctious group of four foul-mouthed sailors, ranted and cursed.
A fat waiter with bad teeth and pitted skin sloshed water into their glasses and took their order, grumbling under his breath about useless busboys. Michael and Keith offered him perfunctory nods and smiles. Galumphing over to join two fellow servers, the waiter groaned as he knelt in the floor to assist in clean up of the broken glass.
“So,” Michael began, shifting his weight to the non-bruised hip, “tell me how you plan to make things up to me.”
After taking a sip of water, Keith returned his glass to the table, chuckling slightly. “Forgive me if I presume too much, but I’ve noticed you’re like me in many ways . . . the adventurous type with a voracious appetite for sex; although, you seem to have a higher tolerance for taking risks . . . how am I doing so far?”
“Dead on, I’d say.”
“Good . . . because what I’m about to propose involves all of the aforementioned.”
Michael arched a brow. “Consider my curiosity piqued, but I fail to see how this makes anything up to me.”
“I’ve made dozens of trips on this train, going and coming from overseas. I have my own automobile in the states. Don’t need to ride this damned train. I do it for only one reason.”
“And what reason is that?” Michael asked, fairly certain he already knew the answer.
“An insatiable appetite for cock,” the sailor whispered.
Coughing, Michael gulped down the last of his water.
“The stories of conquests aboard my ship alone would keep you glued to your chair for months. I wager you’d go off in your trousers after hearing only three.”
“Continue talking in that manner and I may do that here and now.” Michael responded, his cock stiffening.
Keith chuckled, but before he could reply, he noticed Michael’s gaze averting upward and smiling at their inept, obese waiter, who dropped their plates of food on the table with loud thuds, then rushed off without bothering to ask them if they needed anything else. At least a busboy refilled their water glasses, making the horrific dining experience a bit more tolerable.
“Asshole,” Michael and Keith mumbled in unison after the man was out of earshot.
Digging in with knife and fork, Michael said, “at least the steak is fairly descent,” a hint of anticipation in his voice. Since his friend failed to notice the inflection, he hoped Keith might glance up at him, seeing his eager gaze.
“My opinion might not count for much; I’m so hungry I could eat my own shoe,” Keith responded, talking with his mouth full.
Sighing exhaustively, Michael placed his hands on top of Keith’s to momentarily halt the sailor’s feeding frenzy. “Out with it,” Michael hissed.
Holding knife and fork upright in his fists against the tabletop, Keith began. “Alright then, here it is. Most of my nights on a sleeper car aren’t spent sleeping, but rather, skulking.
Michael’s jaw dropped as he slumped over the table just inches away from Keith.
“The world is made up of predators and grazers. Myself, I’m a ravenous wolf, always on the prowl. Here’s the question I put to you . . . are you wolf or sheep?”
- GenresM M Romance
60 pages, ebook
First published April 4, 2016
5 people want to read
About the author
N.D. Clark
9 books12 followershttps://www.amazon.com/stores/N.D.-Cl...
N.D. Clark is a gay novelist who writes mostly steamy historical and some contemporary novels and short stories. He is passionate about telling stories that explore the full range of human experience, including love, loss, and redemption. He enjoys reading and watching sitcoms, movies, and stand-up comedy shows with his husband and partner of over twenty-four years.
N.D. Clark is a gay novelist who writes mostly steamy historical and some contemporary novels and short stories. He is passionate about telling stories that explore the full range of human experience, including love, loss, and redemption. He enjoys reading and watching sitcoms, movies, and stand-up comedy shows with his husband and partner of over twenty-four years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 22, 2025
Troop Train is the story of Michael Gunderson, a young, muscular dairy farmer in post–World War II America, living in the closet like many other men of that period. Michael feels trapped in a caged existence with his conservative family and believes that the world has more to offer than endless chores and cow feed.
Michael’s first encounter with another man happens on the farm, with Paul, a sexually confident fellow farmhand. As Paul boasts about his exploits with local girls, the tension mounts until both men end up masturbating side by side, climaxing into a feed trough. It’s more than just a horny episode—Michael secretly tastes Paul’s semen, confirming what he’s always suspected. He desires men. It’s an intimate, taboo-breaking moment, and unambiguously queer.
When he receives a job offer to work as a porter for a railroad company in Watertown, Michael seizes the opportunity to escape. On the road there, he hitchhikes and is picked up by James, a milkman—pun fully intended, I believe. This is where Michael has his first full sexual encounter with another man. Through oral sex and a playful but dominant dynamic, he gets his first taste—literally and figuratively—of the world he’s been longing for.
Upon arriving in Watertown, Michael meets Mr. Cromwell, the head porter. Cromwell wastes no time making a move. In his cramped office, things escalate under the guise of fitting Michael for his uniform. This scene shifts the dynamic: Cromwell represents authority and power, someone who uses his position sexually. But it also shows Michael beginning to understand his own appeal. He realizes that his body and charm might offer leverage in this new environment.
The biggest transformation comes with Keith, a bold sailor who first makes his interest known with a grope. Their sexual encounter is intense, direct, and—frankly—hot. Keith deflowers Michael in every sense, initiating him not just into gay sex but into unapologetic queer identity. There’s no ambiguity left. Keith’s cock does all the work—bluntly and beautifully. After this, Michael isn’t just discovering himself; he’s actively claiming his space.
The easiest way to describe Troop Train is to call it a sexualized queer version of Finding Nemo. It’s about a young man leaving his nest to explore the world and, more importantly, to discover his sexual identity. Some readers might overlook the story’s metaphors and nuance because it’s erotica—but that would be a mistake. The train, for example, is more than transportation. For Michael, it becomes a vehicle of queer liberation and self-realization in a postwar world that offers no space for men like him.
Yes, the sex scenes are very arousing—and they’re supposed to be—but they aren’t just there for titillation. Each one reflects Michael’s evolution. With every encounter, he learns more about himself and his place in a world that would rather he stay hidden. Troop Train uses eroticism not as a distraction from the story, but as its driving force. It’s a bold, layered journey of self-discovery, and the author deserves credit for crafting something so charged, yet so emotionally grounded.
The Review
Michael’s first encounter with another man happens on the farm, with Paul, a sexually confident fellow farmhand. As Paul boasts about his exploits with local girls, the tension mounts until both men end up masturbating side by side, climaxing into a feed trough. It’s more than just a horny episode—Michael secretly tastes Paul’s semen, confirming what he’s always suspected. He desires men. It’s an intimate, taboo-breaking moment, and unambiguously queer.
When he receives a job offer to work as a porter for a railroad company in Watertown, Michael seizes the opportunity to escape. On the road there, he hitchhikes and is picked up by James, a milkman—pun fully intended, I believe. This is where Michael has his first full sexual encounter with another man. Through oral sex and a playful but dominant dynamic, he gets his first taste—literally and figuratively—of the world he’s been longing for.
Upon arriving in Watertown, Michael meets Mr. Cromwell, the head porter. Cromwell wastes no time making a move. In his cramped office, things escalate under the guise of fitting Michael for his uniform. This scene shifts the dynamic: Cromwell represents authority and power, someone who uses his position sexually. But it also shows Michael beginning to understand his own appeal. He realizes that his body and charm might offer leverage in this new environment.
The biggest transformation comes with Keith, a bold sailor who first makes his interest known with a grope. Their sexual encounter is intense, direct, and—frankly—hot. Keith deflowers Michael in every sense, initiating him not just into gay sex but into unapologetic queer identity. There’s no ambiguity left. Keith’s cock does all the work—bluntly and beautifully. After this, Michael isn’t just discovering himself; he’s actively claiming his space.
The easiest way to describe Troop Train is to call it a sexualized queer version of Finding Nemo. It’s about a young man leaving his nest to explore the world and, more importantly, to discover his sexual identity. Some readers might overlook the story’s metaphors and nuance because it’s erotica—but that would be a mistake. The train, for example, is more than transportation. For Michael, it becomes a vehicle of queer liberation and self-realization in a postwar world that offers no space for men like him.
Yes, the sex scenes are very arousing—and they’re supposed to be—but they aren’t just there for titillation. Each one reflects Michael’s evolution. With every encounter, he learns more about himself and his place in a world that would rather he stay hidden. Troop Train uses eroticism not as a distraction from the story, but as its driving force. It’s a bold, layered journey of self-discovery, and the author deserves credit for crafting something so charged, yet so emotionally grounded.
The Review
August 14, 2016
2.5 not for me stars
This was an odd wee story to say the least. It begins with Michael leaving home to board a train to his new life. Unsure how his parents will take the news, he packs his bags and leaves a note.
Along the way to his destination, Michael (aka, the boy, the kid, the virgin, the young-man) is picked up by the milkman and is finally relieved of his virginity. The milkman dumps him just as fast, scurrying home to his wife and family.
No longer a virgin, Michael boards the train and his sexual journey really begins. Not only does he openly ogle other men, but he also seduces Cromwell, and then instigates a threesome between himself, his boss and navy boy, Keith.
There is some head hopping, particularly during the sex scenes, as in more than one POV within the same paragraph. People who like terms like engorged angry rod, sticky rod, and cum spurting into eyes nostrils and mouths, will be in for a treat.
The reveal of the relationship between Keith and the tailor, and the way things ended with Keith and Michael, was so bizarre I turned the last page scratching my head.
If you’re after a short kinky read, with a hero going from virgin to sexual conquer, seemingly overnight, this one is for you.
Copy provided in exchange for an honest review
This was an odd wee story to say the least. It begins with Michael leaving home to board a train to his new life. Unsure how his parents will take the news, he packs his bags and leaves a note.
Along the way to his destination, Michael (aka, the boy, the kid, the virgin, the young-man) is picked up by the milkman and is finally relieved of his virginity. The milkman dumps him just as fast, scurrying home to his wife and family.
No longer a virgin, Michael boards the train and his sexual journey really begins. Not only does he openly ogle other men, but he also seduces Cromwell, and then instigates a threesome between himself, his boss and navy boy, Keith.
There is some head hopping, particularly during the sex scenes, as in more than one POV within the same paragraph. People who like terms like engorged angry rod, sticky rod, and cum spurting into eyes nostrils and mouths, will be in for a treat.
The reveal of the relationship between Keith and the tailor, and the way things ended with Keith and Michael, was so bizarre I turned the last page scratching my head.
If you’re after a short kinky read, with a hero going from virgin to sexual conquer, seemingly overnight, this one is for you.
Copy provided in exchange for an honest review
May 22, 2016
*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Michael wanting badly to escape the everyday grueling tasks of his parents dairy farm applied and was offered a job for the Pennsylvania Railroad, as a porter on the Troop
Train, a train that carries service men to Camp Kilmer. He sneaks out of his home in the night to make his way to the train. On the train Michael meets not only his new boss Mr. Cromwell, but also Petty Officer Keith Hearn.
This was a fast paced and quick read. Most of the book is erotica, but there is an underlying romance in the story. The story is well written with a few sexy, but kind of cheesy, as most erotica is, sex scenes. There isn't a lot of substance here, but it was still enjoyable.
All in all a quick and spicy read.
August 3, 2016
This is a very short erotic story. I was able to read it in under an hour and I have to say it was just what I needed. Sometimes we want long deep books and other times we want fast paced, sexy stories. Troop Train is that book.
There is a story in these 40 pages but I will say it's not all that deep. This books screamed that it was hear for your sexual entertainment and it does not fail in that department.
It's post WW2 and Michael is the MC. He's an 18 year old gay man. Michael shows great bravery going out into the world and I admired that a great deal.
But all in all this is a sweet quickie so to speak. I think you'll enjoy it.
There is a story in these 40 pages but I will say it's not all that deep. This books screamed that it was hear for your sexual entertainment and it does not fail in that department.
It's post WW2 and Michael is the MC. He's an 18 year old gay man. Michael shows great bravery going out into the world and I admired that a great deal.
But all in all this is a sweet quickie so to speak. I think you'll enjoy it.
May 31, 2016
3.5 stars. A nice short story about an 18 year old gay man going out into the world on his own in the post World War II era. A little on the exotic side it's fast and fun. I liked Michael's bravery in not only venturing out into the world on his own but also being open and true to his sexuality in a time where he could have been arrested or even killedmjur for holding another man's hand.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 26, 2016
Troop Train was a quick but sweet read. Michael Gunderson is out to experience the world, something more exciting than the family dairy he is escaping from. N.D. Clark does a wonderful job of taking the reader from A to Z in just 39 pages. You can devour Troop Train in a single sitting.
May 20, 2016
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun quick read. The main character Michael is on a journey to explore his sexuality. The plot us moderately paced with some mild sex scenes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews