Fred Ash's interest in railroads, especially passenger trains, was piqued as a teenager and nurtured after moving to Chicago. After thirty years specializing in nonprofit and government finance, he retired to complete this history that has lain in wait for over twenty years.
"The book includes more than 100 illustrations, a quarter of which are in color—but the real value is in author Ash's narrative; he's devoted decades to the study of terminals in the Railroad Capital, and it shows in this marvelous work. * Classic Trains * ""The station's history is thoughtfully revealed alongside concurrent economic and political events unfolding in Chicago at given points in time, thus providing the reader with a deeper understanding of why certain station milestones occurred when they did and the way they did."" * The Michigan Railfan *"