Found this old book.

  I guess you could call a book published in 1981 old but if you really want old books about trains - specifically first person accounts of working on the railroad then you might want to consider these

The General Manager's Story - Hamblen - original publication date - 1898





Singing Rails - Pease  -original publication date - 1948




Danger Signals - original publication date 1899



Or if you are in the mood for some outstanding railroad fiction - a collection of short stories like

Held For Orders - Spearman - original publication date - 1901



  If you like Hollander's book I  think you will find these to your liking as well - all have been reprinted since their first printing and can be found listed in places like Bookfinder.com

Thanks keithb.  Actually, the 4 are just a tiny fraction of my pile of railroad history books.  I have about 160 first person accounts of working on the railroad.  The oldest is Trips in the Life of a Locomotive Engineer published in 1863 and the newest is 3,400,000 Miles Walking the Rails - the story of a New Haven Grill Car Girl - published in 2021.  They cover just about every occupation and span the time from the earliest days of U.S. railroading to the present.

 While there are many similar experiences described by individuals in the same railroad occupation there are plenty of recounted experiences that are unique to the particular author.  An example from the 1863 book is the following:

  "Hi used to run the morning express or "Shanghe Run" which left the Southern terminus of our road at 6 in the morning. It was a fast run, making the length of our road (141 miles) in 3 and a half hours. Hi ran the engine, the Columbia, a fast machine with 7 foot driving wheels and a strong inclination to mount the rail and leave the track on the slightest provocation. About midway of the road there was a large brick house standing back about a rod or two from the track and on the outside of a very sharp curve. As Hi was passing the curve one day, running at full speed, some slight obstruction caused the Columbia to leave the track, breaking the coupling between it and the train leaving the coaches on the track.

  Away went the Columbia , making the gravel fly until she met with an obstruction in the shape of this very brick house, which the engine struck square in the broadside, and with characteristic contempt of slight obstacles crashed its way through the wall and on to the parlor floor, which, being made for lighter tread, gave way and precipitated the engine into the cellar beneath, leaving only the hind end of the tender sticking out of the breach in the wall. Hi, who had jumped off at the first symptom of this furious onslaught looked to see if there were any dead or wounded on this charge of his heavy brigade.

  Seeing that both he and his fireman were safe he turned his attention to the Columbia which he found "slightly injured but safely housed" lying coolly among pork barrels, apple bins, and potato heaps evidently with no present probability of continuing its present course. By this time the people of the house, who were at breakfast in the farther part of the building when the furious incursion upon their domestic economy took place, came rushing out, not knowing whether to meet friend or rebel foe. Very naturally, the first question shouted at Hi, who was renewing vegetable matter for present rumination (i.e. taking a chew of tobacco) was, "What's the matter?"

  Hi coolly surveyed the frightened group and replied, "Matter - nothing's the matter I only thought I would call on you this morning and pray. Don't put yourself to any trouble on my account!"

Ron Hollander's book probably did as much as anything to reignite interest in Lionel O-gauge back in the late-1980s. Met him once, at York; just a terrific guy lost too soon after his retirement.