William D. Middleton has been active as a transportation and engineering historian and journalist for more than fifty years. Among his 16 books are a number of titles concerned with the history of electric railways and rail transit in North America, including When the Steam Railroads Electrified, The Time of the Trolley, and The Interurban Era. Other recent titles are Landmarks on the Iron Road, "Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take," and The Bridge at Quebec, all published by Indiana University Press. Middleton is a 1950 civil engineering graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia and Wisconsin. His professional career has also included work as a structural engineer and a bridge designer. He retired from the U.S. Navy's Civil Engineer Corps as a commander in 1979, and then served until 1993 on the general faculty and as the chief facilities officer at the University of Virginia. He remains active as a consultant in higher education facilities management.