About
People often think I am retired. After all, when asked what I do, I reply, "I teach a little, I write a little, and I travel a little." The idyllic retirement life. But the reality is I am holding down three jobs. Each of those activities produces income. A little. I count it among my blessings that I am able to support myself in this way. And I welcome you to my world, most of it occupied by railroading and its diverse heritage: rail trails, restoration projects both structural and mechanical, museums, music, art, literature, and of course on board Amtrak when possible. Learn more at my web site -- jamesdporterfield.com.
Featured Work
DINING BY RAIL: The History and Recipes from America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine
Dare I call it "a classic?" My second book, it will have been in print 29 years come December 15, 2021. It has yielded a royalty check every six months across all 29 of those years. It has always been among the top 8% of all books sold on Amazon.com. I credit this to it providing entertaining social history -- only one of its roughly 175 illustrations is of a train -- and some 325 often prize-winning (and kitchen-tested) recipes from 48 of America's premier railroads of the first half of the 20th Century..
