Ralph of the roundhouse

Ralph on the Railroad is a turn-of-the-century adventure series for boys, similar in vein to the Tom Swift adventures, which is probably the most famous of the genre of the era.  The series employs standardized formula: a young and indomitable hero sets out to earn his way, facing foes and finding new friends. In this case, Ralph is determined to be a railroad man, and has it in his mind to start at the bottom. Each subsequent book follows Ralph's climb up the railroading ladder.