The authors and historians Brian Antonson and Rick Antonson discuss the book they co-wrote with Mary Trainer, Whistle Posts West: Railway Tales from British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon (Heritage House, 2015), train travel, and more, with Joseph Planta.

Whistle Posts Wests: Railway Tales from British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon by Mary Trainer, Brian Antonson, and Rick Antonson (Heritage House, 2015). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Whistle Posts Wests

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

A delightful new collection is the book from Mary Trainer, Brian Antonson, and Rick Antonson. Their new book, Whistle Posts Wests: Railway Tales from British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon has some memorable pieces from the rich history of Western Canada had in and around, and sometimes because of trains and the railroad. The book’s tales span a century and a half of Western Canadian history, and you see how the railroad threads through history. Especially when you consider the commerce that still comes across a vast expanse of land, not to mention the building out of the west from the late 19th century onwards. You meet some colourful people along the way, some scoundrels, some heroes too. It makes you nostalgic for a more civilised and less hectic way of travelling. You want to hop on a train right away and see this part of the world forthwith. I’m joined in person today by Rick and Brian Antonson. Rick’s been on three times, twice for his book To Timbuktu for a Haircut, and Route 66 Still Kicks. He was vice president of Rocky Mountain Railtours, and was CEO of both Edmonton Tourism, and more recently, many years as Tourism Vancouver’s CEO. Brian Antonson is a veteran of broadcasting, and was for a number of years the head of BCIT’s broadcasting program. The Messrs. Antonson and Mary Trainer had previously co-written the bestselling Slumach’s Gold: In Search of a Legend, which was first published in 1972 and was a huge hit. Its 2007 reissue, has itself sold over 10,000 copies. Whistle Posts West is published by Heritage House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brian Antonson and Rick Antonson; Brian, good morning. And welcome back, Rick.

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