Author Daniel L. Osborne is a longtime, dedicated volunteer and operates the surviving Tanana Valley Railroad steam engine No. 1. He always wondered how things work. That curiosity propelled his life; he is now a retired rocket scientist. Active after retirement and still curious, Osborne seized the opportunity to learn about steam locomotives. His current obsession in historic railroads led to the history of railroads in the development of Alaska and the question of why the gold rush settlement of Fairbanks did not become a ghost town.