The first amateur railway detective, Thorpe Hazell, was created by the British author Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch. Hazell is a railway expert and a vegetarian, who solved mysteries with his extensive knowledge of railway equipment and procedures. The author intended for him to be as far from Sherlock Holmes as possible. Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch (1868-1933) was a Church of England clergyman and author. He is best known for his detective stories featuring Thorpe Hazell, the first amateur railway detective, whom the author intended to be as far from Sherlock Holmes as possible. Another Whitechurch's character was the spy Captain Ivan Koravitch. His stories were admired for their immaculate plotting and factual accuracy. Whitechurch was one of the first writers to submit his manuscripts to Scotland Yard for vetting as to police procedure. Table of Contents: • Peter Crane's Cigars • The Tragedy on the London and Mid-Northern • The Affair of the Corridor Express • Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture • How the Bank Was Saved • The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box • How the Bishop Kept His Appointment • The Adventure of the Pilot Engine • The Stolen Necklace