Hero of the Rails: A story of courage along the A-B-C line of the Union Pacific Railroad

Softcover, 88 pages, 8.

5 x 11 in., 30 B&W illustrations.In June 1905, two-year-old Paul Ussary was playing on the railroad tracks of the St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway near Powell, Nebraska. Tragedy seemed certain when a freight train suddenly rounded the curve. However, the locomotive's fireman, George Poell, suddenly leaps into action.

Little Paul is saved, but George is maimed for life. Hailed a national hero, George becomes the first recipient of a new Congressional medal for railroad valor. It's a long-forgotten story of hero worship, political scandal and bonds of eternal gratitude between two men. It's also a historic account of what is now the A-B-C line of the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska.

Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction, pp. 5–10
• Grand Island and Hanover, pp. 11–14
• The St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad, 15-20
• The A-B-C Railroad, pp. 21–23
• A Town Called Powell, pp. 24–26
• Just Another Day at Work, pp. 27–31
• To Save a Child, pp. 32–36
• Healing, pp. 37–40
• Accolades and Medals, pp. 41–46
• City Clerk and Disgrace, pp. 47–54
• The Latter Years of a Hero, pp. 55–57
• A Family Moves On, pp. 58–66
• Saving Tots from Trains, pp. 67–74
• Aftermath, pp. 75–79
• The Origin of the A-B-C Town Names, pg. 80
• Acknowledgments, pg. 81
• Bibliography, pp. 82–87
• A Hero of the Rail, pp. 88. Features: New Softcover James J. Reisdorff South Platte Press 2022