Author LM Kuntz Releases New Book, "My 42 Year Summer Job: A Railroad Memoir"
YUCAIPA, Calif.: "Whatever happened to the cabooses? Is the future of railroading speeding toward a head-on disaster?" A career that originated with a detour on a seasonal steel gang illustrates that question and many other technical and cultural changes. The plan derailed and a life on the rails becomes a viable pursuit for writer LM Kuntz who is announcing the current release of his book, My 42 Year Summer Job: A Railroad Memoir through Amazon Books.
My 42 Year Summer Job recounts a frontline involvement, noting the humor, the drama, the comradery and the big moments—with no shortage of adversaries. He finds faith during a low point, and life is never the same. His railroad experience defines how technology and policy evolved, from covered wagon diesel engines to modern intelligent locomotives, and from four-person teams down to two-man crews. Kuntz also offers how-to descriptions and industry insight, from spiking a tie to stopping an 18K ton train. Despite life threatening weather, derailments, and fatalities, his journey continues from the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana, pursuing a position that fits. After an Amtrak stint and a return to the high prairies, the westward quest revisits Southern California. An hour from the ocean; in the shadow of the San Bernardino Mountain, close to family, with year-round golf, seems to be a perfect place and destiny seems complete—except for one more obstacle… will he survive the inquest?
Amazon Reviews: "I literally gasped aloud a couple times while reading this, not to mention the giggles. I never knew all the work that goes on behind the scenes of making a train run. I loved reading this memoir!" His story telling background includes local television advertising production and theater. Some of his North Dakota colloquialisms stem from his Black Sea German heritage in the flavor of Garrison Keillor's Scandinavian idioms. His platform for writing this book results from 3 years building tracks, 25 years operating trains as a locomotive engineer, and 14 years supervising operating employees where he stood with one foot on the front-line ballast with the crafts and the other foot in the florescent-lit world of management. LM Kuntz retired from railroad management and lives in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.
