Heard this will be an excellent book.... 'Railroads Of Los Gatos'; New History Book Features Billy Jones Wildcat Line And Others "Railroads of Los Gatos" by Edward J. Kelley with Peggy Conaway debuts November 6. Peggy's 2004 book, "Los Gatos", was also published by Arcadia. The earlier collection of town photos was part of the Images of America series; the new book is from Images of Rail. "The story of Billy Jones has fascinated me my entire life," says author Kelley. Born in New York, he has lived in Los Gatos since the age of two. "This book allowed me to meet many wonderful people, including Billy Jones' daughters, who assisted me in piecing together the complete story of Los Gatos' railroads." The 128-page book features many never-before-published photographs and thoroughly covers the original narrow-gauge, the Southern Pacific standard-gauge, the interurban, and finally the prune orchard Wildcat train that now runs in Oak Meadow Park. Kelley aimed to focus on real railroading, not just history or "train buff" trivia. His experience includes working on the Billy Jones, Roaring Camp, and Pacific Coast railroad in Santa Margarita. Edward Kelley and Peggy Conaway credit many Los Gatans with help on the book with one glaring exception. Somehow, they managed to write a book about Los Gatos history and trains without Bill Wulf, the town's official historian and avid rail fan. Perhaps a future collaboration will offer even more insight into the history of railroading in Los Gatos, but the present book serves well until then. Meet the Authors Edward Kelley and Library Director Peggy Conaway will be available for questions and book signing Thursday, Dec07, at 19:00 in the Council Chambers. At 20:00, the program will include railroad artifacts. - Alastair Dallas, The Los Gatos Observer
