Book signing event at Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum

Monday, May 19, 2025 at 11:00 PM

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson will welcome William O’Neal (Neal) Stringer for a book signing event on Saturday, May 31^st, from 10:00 AM until 12:00 noon, CT. Railroad Stories from the EJ&E and Other Stories, a non-fiction book about the experiences of a native Northwest Indiana railroader, will be available for purchase in the HVRM depot before visiting with its author.

The Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway (EJ&E or “The J”) was a belt line around Chicago that ran between Gary and Waukegan. It worked closely with the steel industry and offered other freight services in the area. Passenger service was offered only in its early years.

Neal grew up in Hobart and started at the EJ&E in February 1970 in the signal department. He was the third generation working on the EJ&E and was known as “Baby Stringer.” Neal transferred to transportation in October 1976 and retired on disability in March 2003 at 57 as a locomotive engineer.

Neal states: “Railroad Stories describes my start on the EJ&E Railroad, from the beginning, and it includes all my trials and tribulations. The heart of the book is in the 150 stories of events and employees within the EJ&E Railroad. The cover picture depicts a Red Wing Blackbird, sitting on my hand, inside the cab of a moving locomotive. This was a very special moment for both of us. I worked with numerous men at EJ&E over my 33 years, and you could best describe them as "Railroad Characters." You would have to work 100 different jobs in your lifetime to meet such a diverse array of people. According to one reader, ‘The book is a good read and will provide insight into what is really going on with the crews and the work that they do. If you were not there on the inside to appreciate how things played out, you can read this book and get all that special inside information.’”

HVRM regular train excursions continue to run every Saturday (and some select Sundays) through the end of September, at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM CT. Ice Cream Trains have become very popular throughout the season. Pumpkin Trains will run in October, and Santa Trains will run in November and December. Online reservations are recommended, especially for the specialty trains, at hoosiervalley.org or call the depot on Saturdays at 574-896-3950.