Darryl Muralt, born in Victoria in 1944, was raised on a farm in the nearby Highlands District. After completing high school he embarked on what was to be a short, but distinguished career as an officer in the Canadian Army. He was injured in a motor vehicle accident which left him hospitalized for much of a ten year period. During his stays in military hospitals in eastern Canada, he became interested in model railroading and railroad history.
After receiving a medical discharge from the army in 1973 and moving back to Victoria, he worked in administrative capacities for the provincial government. In 1975 he became a member of the small, but enthusiastic B.C. Railway Historical Association, later serving as president.
The author's favourite lunchtime haunt was the Legislative Library, where he spent many hours unravelling the stories of local and provincial railways, and especially those of the early mining and logging days. He has written two previous books, Steel Rails & Silver Dreams and West Coast Shays, besides numerous articles about railways and modelling for various periodicals. This third book is a further tribute to his comprehensive research and writing.
