Sign-In
Cart
Woman Driver: First Woman Railroad Engineer on the Santa Fe Valley Division
Hardcover
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Published: Jul 2 2026
Pages: 284
Weight: 1.56
Height: 0.69 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
The stories of women walking directly into the lion's den - into blue-collar, industrial, dangerous, and testosterone-laden jobs - are not well known. And these stories are even more important in the current political climate in which women's rights are being rolled back. FRANCIS J. CAPALBO - LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER, BR&W RAILROAD
What was it like to be one of the first women to step into the cab of a freight locomotive?
In Woman Driver, Patricia shares her remarkable true story as one of the pioneering women hired as a locomotive engineer in the United States. Set against the backdrop of the 1970s and 1980s, this compelling memoir takes readers inside the world of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway-a time when cabooses still brought up the rear of every freight train, switch engines worked around the clock, and station agents wrote up train orders in a trade that was built on grit, skill, and tradition.
With warmth, humor, and honesty, Patricia introduces the unforgettable railroaders and colorful characters she worked alongside while revealing what it was like to enter a profession that had long been closed to women. Her story is both deeply personal and historically significant, capturing the determination, resilience, and courage required to succeed in a workplace where she constantly had to prove herself.
More than a railroad memoir, Woman Driver explores the landmark legislation that opened the doors for women to pursue careers once reserved exclusively for men. Through Patricia's firsthand experiences, readers witness how those legal changes reshaped lives, challenged long-held assumptions, and helped redefine opportunities for generations of women.
Whether you're fascinated by railroad history, women's history, or inspiring stories of perseverance, Woman Driver offers a vivid and unforgettable journey through a transformative era in American life.
Printed in vibrant full color, this 7 × 10 memoir is enhanced by authentic photographs generously shared by railroad photographers, adding depth, history, and realism.
1 different editions
Also available
Woman Driver: First Woman Railroad Engineer on the Santa Fe Valley Division
Lollis, Patricia
Paperback
Also from
Lollis, Patricia
Woman Driver: First Woman Railroad Engineer on the Santa Fe Valley Division
Lollis, Patricia
Paperback
Also in
Biographies General
Bluesland: Portraits of Thirteen Major American Blues Masters
Pete Welding (ED.)
Toby Byron (ED.)
Hardcover
Karl Popper - The Formative Years, 1902 1945: Politics and Philosophy in Interwar Vienna
Hacohen, Malachi Haim
Hardcover
The Children of Athena: Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 Bc0-400 AD
Freeman, Charles
Hardcover
Make It a Double: From Wretched to Wondrous: Tales of One Woman's Lifelong Discovery of Whisky
Sackier, Shelley
Hardcover
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Isaacson, Walter
Hardcover
An Enemy Such as This: Larry Casuse and the Fight for Native Liberation in One Family on Two Continents Over Three Centuries
Correia, David
Hardcover
Agents of Chaos: Thomas King Forçade, High Times, and the Paranoid End of the 1970s
Howe, Sean
Hardcover
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich
Wittman, Robert K.
Kinney, David
Paperback
Florence Kelley and the Nation's Work: The Rise of Womens Political Culture, 1830-1900
Sklar, Kathryn Kish
Paperback
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
Warnicke, Retha M.
Paperback
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Purnell, Sonia
Hardcover
Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything
Ehrenreich, Barbara
Paperback
Seafaring Women: Adventures of Pirate Queens, Female Stowaways, and Sailors' Wives
Cordingly, David
Paperback
The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy: A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry
Cherington, Gretchen
Paperback
Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man
Lame Deer, Chief Archie Fire
Erdoes, Richard
Paperback
My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
Dessa Wander
Hardcover
Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
Giuffre, Virginia Roberts
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
Kuehn, Christine
Hardcover
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground
Dohrn, Zayd Ayers
Hardcover
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans
Jones, Sheinelle
Hardcover