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Boomer: Railroad Memoirs
This classic account of self discovery and railroad life describes Linda Grant Niemann’s travels as an itinerant brakeman on the Southern Pacific. Boomer combines travelogue, Wild West adventure, sexual memoir, and closely observed ethnography. A Berkeley Ph.D., Niemann turned her back on academia and set out to master the craft of railroad brakeman, beginning a journey of sexual and subcultural exploration and traveling down a path toward recovery from alcoholism. In honest, clean prose, Niemann treks off the beaten path and into the forgotten places along the rail lines, finding true American characters with colorful pasts—and her true self as well.
- GenresBiography
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 25, 2019
I would actually give this book 3 1/2 stars, because it's such an unusual story.
"Boomer" describes the author’s experiences working as a brakeman for the railroad late in the 2oth Century, during a time of deregulation and the breakdown of union protections.
I came across an excerpt from this book, and was struck by the author’s “voice.” Despite some problems I had with the book overall, that voice is very present throughout, and was probably the main reason I kept reading. Niemann is candid about her bisexuality (sometimes a problem in the male-dominated world of the railroads), and about her struggles with alcohol and drugs. She describes the various jobs on the railroad, the satisfactions she gets from the work, the sexism and harassment she faces from some of her male colleagues, but also the help and encouragement she receives from others. But she tends to be opaque about her past, her family, and her ambitions. Before she joined the railroad, she had been a college professor, and, I think, a sort of drugged-out hippie, but felt she needed a radical change in her life. But it’s not really clear what kind of life she was leaving, and why exactly she needed to leave it; what she was hoping to gain from the change, and at the end of the book, it's not really clear about what kind of new life she is starting. I felt there were gaps in the story; for instance, Niemann is called Gypsy by everyone, but she never explains the nickname. Is it a childhood nickname, a railroading nickname? Why Gypsy? It seemed an easy enough thing to explain, but she never bothered. And although she talks about railroad wages, and the boom-and-bust nature of railroad work, Niemann never seems to really worry about money. I couldn't help but wonder, based on her various mentions of a Pasadena childhood, if perhaps she came from money, and so always had a basic income available to her. But I don’t know. I don’t know how she knew millionaires she could stay with, or people in Hollywood who have houses big enough to accommodate her staying there at a moment’s notice. The writing was sometimes lyrical, sometimes clear and direct, sometimes choppy and vague, and often various combinations of all of the above. But Niemann’s story did give me a glimpse into a life I had no knowledge of before, and I enjoyed riding the rails through her experiences.
There is an extremely necessary glossary in the back for all the railroad terms. Even with the help of that glossary, I tended to skim over the descriptions of the actual work, for example:
"The Colton hump job was mindless brutal labor. You took a switch engine, coupled onto a track in the receiving yard, and started shoving it toward the hump. So that the engine could hold the cars without any airbrakes, the pinpuller had to tie ten handbrakes on the end of the cut. You then rode the end of the cut as the engineer shoved slowly toward the crest of the hill"
because I never could quite figure out what in the world she was doing.
"Boomer" describes the author’s experiences working as a brakeman for the railroad late in the 2oth Century, during a time of deregulation and the breakdown of union protections.
I came across an excerpt from this book, and was struck by the author’s “voice.” Despite some problems I had with the book overall, that voice is very present throughout, and was probably the main reason I kept reading. Niemann is candid about her bisexuality (sometimes a problem in the male-dominated world of the railroads), and about her struggles with alcohol and drugs. She describes the various jobs on the railroad, the satisfactions she gets from the work, the sexism and harassment she faces from some of her male colleagues, but also the help and encouragement she receives from others. But she tends to be opaque about her past, her family, and her ambitions. Before she joined the railroad, she had been a college professor, and, I think, a sort of drugged-out hippie, but felt she needed a radical change in her life. But it’s not really clear what kind of life she was leaving, and why exactly she needed to leave it; what she was hoping to gain from the change, and at the end of the book, it's not really clear about what kind of new life she is starting. I felt there were gaps in the story; for instance, Niemann is called Gypsy by everyone, but she never explains the nickname. Is it a childhood nickname, a railroading nickname? Why Gypsy? It seemed an easy enough thing to explain, but she never bothered. And although she talks about railroad wages, and the boom-and-bust nature of railroad work, Niemann never seems to really worry about money. I couldn't help but wonder, based on her various mentions of a Pasadena childhood, if perhaps she came from money, and so always had a basic income available to her. But I don’t know. I don’t know how she knew millionaires she could stay with, or people in Hollywood who have houses big enough to accommodate her staying there at a moment’s notice. The writing was sometimes lyrical, sometimes clear and direct, sometimes choppy and vague, and often various combinations of all of the above. But Niemann’s story did give me a glimpse into a life I had no knowledge of before, and I enjoyed riding the rails through her experiences.
There is an extremely necessary glossary in the back for all the railroad terms. Even with the help of that glossary, I tended to skim over the descriptions of the actual work, for example:
"The Colton hump job was mindless brutal labor. You took a switch engine, coupled onto a track in the receiving yard, and started shoving it toward the hump. So that the engine could hold the cars without any airbrakes, the pinpuller had to tie ten handbrakes on the end of the cut. You then rode the end of the cut as the engineer shoved slowly toward the crest of the hill"
because I never could quite figure out what in the world she was doing.
December 9, 2018
Interesting book, was looking for a book on Boomers (Nuclear Subs) Found this instead wanted to learn what working on the Railroad was all about. Like Gypsy says watch and learn nobody will tell you how or why. Paying attention I learned a lot about switching, braking, kicking, and the changing world of trains from Lights to Radios. Manual to automatic switches.
Would recommend to anyone doing the 12 step program, Hopefully . !!!!!!
A Good Quick Read
Would recommend to anyone doing the 12 step program, Hopefully . !!!!!!
A Good Quick Read
April 15, 2016
Niemann tells the story of her often painful but thrilling life as a railroad worker.
February 14, 2024
This book is a journey through the personal life of Linda G. Neiman, centering on her life as a railroad worker (“railer”) and revealing her struggles with alcoholism and love along the way. After earning a Ph.D. in English literature from Berkeley, the author wasn’t ready for the formal life of a job in academia. She chose a completely different direction. In 1979 she responded to a newspaper ad and was hired as a brakeman on the railroad. Her career as a brakeman and conductor lasted 20 years.
I have met Ms. Neiman, and she told me she wrote this book as a record of railroad work during an era before automation. If you’ve never looked at a railyard nor have zero interest in trains, this book might have some difficult parts for you. However, a glossary of all the railroad lingo is provided.
The author discusses in detail the dangers of the “craft” of railroad workers (“railers”). This part of the book was riveting, and the glossary was good enough for me to understand how railcars are disconnected from each other and put together in a new combination, to form a train bound for a specific location. In the railyard, railcars are moving in different directions. Railers communicate with lanterns and code messages in blistering hot days and in frigid dark nights. Later in the book, she discusses the negative effects of deregulation of the industry, when the work is no longer a craft, when one person can supposedly do any job. The public was led to believe that there is technology that makes up for the loss of skilled railers. Linda writes: “But railroading is still a primitive art form involving ten thousand tons moving sixty miles per hour with only minimal control over stopping.”
The book is both a physical and emotional voyage through the west and southwest, following the railroad to where the “boom” is: where you can work 12 hour days six days a week, where you have less time to think about drinking and the loss of the love of your life. She shares everything: stories of drinking, detailed descriptions of her sexual encounters with men and women, and her ups and downs in different railroad towns.
Her prose in the second half of the book is remarkable, as Ms. Neiman bares her soul:
“It was May, and spring hurt my eyes. The flowers wounded me, as if they were the vulnerable insides of the world, bleeding beauty. Everything hurt me. And everyone.”
I have met Ms. Neiman, and she told me she wrote this book as a record of railroad work during an era before automation. If you’ve never looked at a railyard nor have zero interest in trains, this book might have some difficult parts for you. However, a glossary of all the railroad lingo is provided.
The author discusses in detail the dangers of the “craft” of railroad workers (“railers”). This part of the book was riveting, and the glossary was good enough for me to understand how railcars are disconnected from each other and put together in a new combination, to form a train bound for a specific location. In the railyard, railcars are moving in different directions. Railers communicate with lanterns and code messages in blistering hot days and in frigid dark nights. Later in the book, she discusses the negative effects of deregulation of the industry, when the work is no longer a craft, when one person can supposedly do any job. The public was led to believe that there is technology that makes up for the loss of skilled railers. Linda writes: “But railroading is still a primitive art form involving ten thousand tons moving sixty miles per hour with only minimal control over stopping.”
The book is both a physical and emotional voyage through the west and southwest, following the railroad to where the “boom” is: where you can work 12 hour days six days a week, where you have less time to think about drinking and the loss of the love of your life. She shares everything: stories of drinking, detailed descriptions of her sexual encounters with men and women, and her ups and downs in different railroad towns.
Her prose in the second half of the book is remarkable, as Ms. Neiman bares her soul:
“It was May, and spring hurt my eyes. The flowers wounded me, as if they were the vulnerable insides of the world, bleeding beauty. Everything hurt me. And everyone.”
October 26, 2024
Loved it. Even though Gypsy writes from an earlier time in the rail industry it’s crazy how many things one can relate to from working the rail today. If you’re a railroader and enjoy reading I suggest you pick this up. If you’re a female working in the rail industry I strongly suggest you pick this up.
August 6, 2013
The fact that this was about a woman working on the railroad makes me want to rate it higher than I would otherwise, just because it's fun. I mean who gets a Ph.D. and then goes to work as a brakeman for the railroad? Linda Niemann did. I enjoyed reading this information about how railroads work and found it interesting. The author assumed the reader knows more about that topic than I did however, and I didn't know what she was talking about half the time as she described the work. There is a glossary but I didn't find it very helpful. Niemann describes some experiences with sexism but doesn't seem to have been too bothered by it and certainly handled it well. I enjoyed reading about her relationships with co-workers and lovers. Her struggle with alcoholism is one of the best descriptions I have ever heard about that process. I'd especially recommend it for people who fight that battle. I'd also recommend it for anyone who loves an alcoholic and wants to understand why the repercussions are so long lasting and really only begin after the drinking ends. Four stars.
November 1, 2013
1.6/5.0 Pretty bad stuff. Thanks for wasting my time.
November 29, 2014
Dr. Niemann is the best!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews