Ticket to 1885

Richard LittIngston is driving west for a funeral when a detour leads him to a forgotten railroad museum and a ticket dated August 8, 1885. What begins as a moment of curiosity becomes an impossible journey as Richard boards a train bound not just across the American West, but across time.

Carried into the age of steam, he finds himself among the men who built the rail lines—engineers, firemen, and switchmen whose lives were shaped by iron, fire, and choice. Traveling mile by mile through depots, junctions, and open prairie, Richard forms an unexpected bond with a young engineer whose name he recognizes in ways he cannot yet explain. As history tightens around a single pivotal day, Richard must decide whether the past is something to observe…or something that can still be altered.

Blending historically grounded detail with subtle time-slip elements, Ticket to 1885 is a literary historical novella about legacy, memory, and the quiet weight of responsibility passed between generations. Rather than focusing on spectacle or paradox, the story emphasizes human connection and the moments where ordinary decisions leave lasting marks.

Set against the grit and beauty of nineteenth-century railroads, the book explores how history is carried not only in records and photographs, but in the choices people make when no one is watching. Some journeys are not about changing the past, but about understanding the line that leads us home.

Because every mile tells a story.

Craig Markley is the author of Ticket to 1885, Maple Creek, Harmony, The Gatherers, and The Day Las Vegas Died. His writing blends realism, mystery, and subtle speculative elements, focusing on ordinary people facing moments that quietly alter the course of their lives.

His work often explores themes of memory, legacy, and the unseen connections between past and present. Rather than relying on spectacle, his stories emphasize atmosphere, character, and the emotional weight of choice. History—both personal and collective—frequently serves as a backdrop, not as a lesson, but as a living force that continues to shape identity and purpose.

Markley's interest in American history, forgotten places, and transitional moments informs much of his fiction. He is particularly drawn to stories set along the edges of change—where technology, time, and human intention intersect. Railroads, small towns, and overlooked corners of the American landscape recur as motifs in his work.

He lives in the United States and continues to write fiction that bridges time, memory, and place, inviting readers to slow down, listen closely, and consider the stories that linger just beneath the surface of everyday life.