Editor’s note: This is one of a trio of books that highlight an aspect of Utah’s history.
“IMAGES OF RAIL: Tooele Valley Railroad,” by Emma Louise Penrod, Arcadia Publishing, $21.99, 125 pages (nf)
“Images of Rail: Tooele Valley Railroad” by Emma Louise Penrod shares a detailed account of how the railroad of Tooele came about.
Many trials occurred for those working for the railroad and those who owned it. The journey takes the reader from the time when the railroad was first coming in the early 1900s all the way through its wind-down in the 1980s.
Captions from the book include relevant cost estimates for if things were done today rather than in the early 1900s, impact on residents and other interesting historical tidbits.
Many of the photos and captions follow a loose chronological order. The photos have been compiled in a way that can captivate readers through the combined words and images.
Visitors in Tooele can go to the Tooele Valley Railroad Museum, although the tracks aren’t in use today. The museum is only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Part of the book makes a brief mention of the Mormon pioneers. It’s a clean historical book, and it was created with the help of a research and creative works grant.
Penrod has a knack for Tooele’s railroad history and is a contributor to the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin and a former Deseret News intern.
Ashlynn Green is a wife, daughter, sister, pug-lover, soon-to-be mother and a huge believer in the family.
This book review was originally published in Deseret News.
