O. and W: The Long Life and Slow Death of the New York, Ontario and Western Railway

William F. Helmer is also the author of Rip Van Winkle Railroads (Black Dome Press, 1999). His railroad scholarship is backed by practical experience. For two years, he was vice-president of the Canastota & Cazenovia Railroad, which Mr. Helmer described as "an unsuccessful but spirited attempt to acquire and operate a lopped-off branch of the Lehigh Valley." He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and was a professor of English and dean of liberal arts for many years at the State University Agricultural & Technical College at Morrisville, New York.