Have you traveled on the Crescent from Birmingham’s Morris Avenue train station south to New Orleans or north to New York? Are you a train aficionado? Have you been to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum? Are you from Woodstock, Georgia?
Then you will enjoy reading the new book by Richard Neil detailing a significant train wreck of the Crescent with the Southerner on November 25, 1951 in Woodstock, GA.
The author’s father was fireman of the Crescent during this event, and Richard Neil includes transcripts of wreck survivors as they tell the story of that fateful day.
On December 14, 9AM to 3PM, Richard Neil will have a book signing and discussion of his book, All the Livelong Day: The Thanksgiving Wreck at Woodstock at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera.
It will also be a great time to visit the museum, view exhibits, ride the trains…
and even visit the North Pole! A Christmas Tradition, the train travels in the dark to Santa’s workshop. For more information or to buy tickets, click here!
For more information about the book signing, visit Richard Neil’s website HERE or the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera HERE
Buy Richard Neil’s book on Amazon HERE
“All the Livelong Day is a creative nonfiction narrative by Richard Neil detailing theThanksgiving Wreck at Woodstock, on November 25, 1951. The true account is narrated by the son of the fireman on Southern Railway’s Second 47, The Crescent, southbound from Birmingham to Meridian, Mississippi to New Orleans. The story details the train wreck and the characters involved, The Greatest Generation of post-World War II. The author is a forester and describes the southern flora as well as the Klamath National Forest mountains of Northern California. The book begins with the author being stationed in Eddy Gulch Fire Tower in summer of 2021, a summer of intense wildfire. He returns home to Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama, on a perch below Vulcan, a cast iron statue of the god of forge and metalworking. The story is told from there, beginning on morning of the wreck. In fine detail, the narrative tells of the fireman’s ride to Birmingham Terminal Station and of the train ride south, a ride onboard engine, until the trains meet head-on in Woodstock. The fireman’s wife and brothers drive from Woodlawn, a community in Birmingham, to Woodstock on night of the wreck to try to find out who’s alive and who isn’t. National Transportation Safety Board transcripts allow the participants to tell their story in their own words using their actual testimony.” – Amazon