Grate Clinkers

Wilhelm Hess and Walter Hornby emigrated from Germany and England, respectively, in 1895. Though coming from different backgrounds, their stories entwine as their families seek to become Americans.

Bill and Kent, sons of these immigrants, man “The Challenger,” a belching steam-engine locomotive in a blizzard. They work together on the great American railway. Their story is one filled with adventure and vivid imagery of the country of the 1950s and the enticing stories of the passengers they encounter