The Red Mountain Press
announces that the R&LHS will present Marvin Clemons and Lyle Key the
George W. and Constance M. Hilton Book Award on July 9, 2010, at the R&LHS
Mid-South Chapter meeting. Lyle Key is a member of the Southeast Chapter
as well. To print the PDF of the release,
click here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Birmingham Rails”
Receives National Society Book Award
The first book to chronicle the colorful history of Birmingham, Alabama
railroads in the mid-20th Century has been selected for an award by the
leading society of railroad historians in the United States.
“Birmingham Rails: The Last Golden Era” by co-authors Marvin
Clemons and Lyle Key, has been chosen by the Railway & Locomotive
Historical Society (R&LHS) as recipient of the Society’s prestigious
George W. and Constance M. Hilton Book Award. Established by the Society
in 1982 and endowed by the Hiltons in 1985, the award honors “an
outstanding work of lasting value to the interpretation of North America's
railroading history.” Previous recipients include such noted railroad
historians and authors as David Morgan, John H. White, and George Hilton,
for whom the award is named.
A formal presentation of the Hilton book award is planned for Saturday,
July 9 at the regular meeting of the R&LHS’ Mid-South Chapter at the
historic Leeds (AL) depot. Mark Entrop, chairman of the R&LHS awards
committee, will make the presentation to authors Clemons and Key, both
Mid-South Chapter members. Clemons is chapter president and resides in
Hayden, AL. Key is retired from CSX Railroad and lives in Nashville, TN.
Published in 2007 as a limited edition of 1800 copies, “Birmingham
Rails” focuses on railroad operations in the Birmingham railroad
district following World War II to the advent of Amtrak in 1971. The
authors term this period in Birmingham history the railroads’ “last Golden
Era,” as passenger train service staged a brief come-back followed by a
steady decline from its wartime peak. At the same time, many iconic
symbols of Birmingham’s once-omnipresent railroads such as the city’s
magnificent Terminal Station, disappeared forever.
“Birmingham Rails” was well received by railroad historians
and enthusiasts, as well as the general public, and the limited edition
sold out within 10 months of publication. No second printing is
anticipated, although publishing rights may become available at a later
date.
For more information, please contact Marvin Clemons at
mclem46*att.net or Lyle Key at
cdkrlk*comcast.net.
[Replace any asterisk (*) with an at sign (@)
in all e-mail addresses]
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society - Southeast Chapter
P. O. Box 600544, Jacksonville, Florida 32260-0544
Site contents are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.
