Signature Press Authors


Brief biographies and information about the authors of most Signature Press books can be found by links on the individual book pages. On this page they are listed alphabetically.

Jeff S. Asay is retired from a 36-year career with Union Pacific. His recent book for Signature Press is entitled Union Pacific in the Los Angeles Basin.

Henry E. Bender Jr. is retired from a career with IBM and its business partners. His new book for Signature Press is entitled Southern Pacific Lines Standard-Design Depots.

The late Gerald M. Best was known in his lifetime as the dean of Western railroad historians, and is the author of our reprinted book, Pacific Coast Company, subtitled "Ships and Narrow Gauge Rails."

Larry Brasher is an experienced historian of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. His authoritative book, drawing on company records and his father's working experience, is entitled Santa Fe Locomotive Development, and its subtitle, "The Journey to Supreme Steam and Pioneer Diesels," well summarizes its topic.

Jack A. Burgess is a master modeler as well as an historian, concentrating on the Yosemite Valley Railroad, and information about his modeling can be found on his website, www.yosemitevalleyrr.com. He is the author of our book, Trains to Yosemite.

Robert J. Church is a partner in Signature Press and is the author of our recent book, Steam Days in Dunsmuir, and of three earlier books, The 4300 4-8-2's, Southern Pacific Daylight Locomotives, and Snowbound Streamliner. He also coedited Railroad History in Photographs, and he is also a coauthor of the revised edition of Pacific Fruit Express.

Harre Demoro had a long career in journalism and particularly in railroad writing prior to his untimely death in 1993. His book for Signature Press is among his most acclaimed works: Sacramento Northern.

Patrick C. Dorin is an established railroad author, with some 20 books to his credit. He is the author of Great Northern Lines East, which is a second edition of this title, with 70 more pages and numerous new photos, and also contributed a new book, The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway.

Mallory Hope Ferrell is a distinguished historian of narrow-gauge railroading and the West, who has written 21 books and hundreds of magazine articles. He is the author of our recent book Rails Around Lake Tahoe.

Richard H. Hendrickson is a well-known freight car historian and author of several books on the freight car fleet of the Santa Fe. His recent book for Signature Press is Billboard Refrigerator Cars.

Roger C. Hinman is an established historian and author. His first book for Signature Press is Merchants Despatch.

Daniel P. Holbrook worked for BN in a variety of jobs from 1973 to 2015. He has written extensively and provided photograpy for various model railroad magazines. The Duluth Missabe Iron Range Equipment is his second book, and his first for Signature Press.

Edward S. Kaminski is an employee of ACF Industries, which enabled him to write their centennial history, American Car & Foundry Company, 1899-1999. His second book is a history of Magor, entitled The Magor Car Corporation, and his third book marks a return to AC&F material, with Tank Cars from American Car & Foundry, 1865-1955. The following book is a survey of another car builder: Pullman-Standard Freight Cars, 1900-1960. His latest effort is co-authored with Richard Hendrickson, Billboard Refrigerator Cars.

Phillips C. Kauke is an accomplished railroad historian and photographer, with boyhood roots in the Visalia area. He is the author of the book, The Visalia Electric Railroad, subtitled "Southern Pacific's Orange Grove Route."

A.D. McLennan is an Australian railroad historian with special interests in the Southern Pacific. He is the author of our book, Texas & New Orleans, describing Southern Pacific's lines in Texas and Louisiana.

Jeff Moore He is the author of our book, The McCloud River Railroad, A detailed history of the railroad built for McCloud country logging, 1894 to 2016.

Jeffrey J. Moreau has a lifelong interest in electric railways, particularly Pacific Electric. His extensive knowledge of electric railway history, particularly in the West, led to his co-authorship of the recent book, Central California Traction.

David F. Myrick was a distinguished historian of Western railroads, and author of Volume 4 of Railroads of Arizona, entitled The Santa Fe Route; and Volume 5 in the series, Santa Fe to Phoenix. The latest addition to the series, Volume 6, is subtitled Jerome and the Northern Roads. Mr. Myrick passed away in September 2011.

Robert A. Pecotich is known as a historian of Southern Pacific steam locomotives. This led naturally to his interests in SP shops, and to the book Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops, with the subtitle “Incubator of Innovation.”

Vernon J. Sappers was a well-known collector of historic photos, especially of streetcars, and a historian of the Key System. He wrote Key System Streetcars, subtitled "Transit, Real Estate, and the Growth of the East Bay."

John R. Signor is well known as a writer about Western railroads, particularly the Southern Pacific. He is a coauthor of our book, Southern Pacific's Coast Line Pictorial, and also authored the predecessor volume, Southern Pacific's Coast Line. His next book was entitled Southern Pacific's Shasta Division, followed by Southern Pacific's Western Division. John's most recent volume is Southern Pacific's Salt Lake Division.

David G. Stanley has worked for several railroads, including CCT, and currently is a locomotive engineer for Union Pacific. His work experience as well as acquaintance with many CCT employees was vital to the project of writing this volume. He is the co-author of our book, Central California Traction.

Richard Steinheimer was among the most highly regarded rail photographers anywhere, and was unquestionably the Dean of Western railroad photographers. His famous book, The Electric Way Across the Mountains, was first published in 1980 and was soon out of print. It has returned in a Second Edition from Signature Press.

Anthony W. Thompson is a partner in Signature Press and is also the author of the recent series entitled Southern Pacific Freight Cars, now with all five volumes in print: Volume 1: Gondolas and Stock Cars, Volume 2: Cabooses, Volume 3: Automobile Cars and Flat Cars, Volume 4: Box Cars, and Volume 5: Hoppers, Covered Hoppers, and Tank Cars.He also co-authored Southern Pacific's Coast Line Pictorial, coedited Railroad History in Photographs, and is also a co-author and the editor of the second edition of Pacific Fruit Express.

Chard L. Walker is renowned as the longtime train-order operator at Summit, California, the crest of Cajon Pass in southern California. He passed away in September, 2007. We were proud to reprint his definitive book, Chard Walker's Cajon.

The late Charles R. Wood was well known as an author of books about railroading in the Northwest, covering several of that region's railroads. His revised edition of Great Northern Lines West is expected to be only the first of several reprints of the books he originally authored for Superior Publications.

The late Warren Zeiller had several books to his credit, though this was his first one about railroads. Acquiring a collection of original construction photos of the railroad to Key West led to his undertaking this project. He is the author of our Florida book, The Florida Keys Overseas Railway.