Excitement filled the air this week as the Nickel Plate 765 passed through the area on its way to the Train Festival 2011 in Rock Island, Illinois. There's something about the sound of the whistle and the puff of the black smoke that bring people out of their homes. My Grandma lived to be 102. She passed away last November. I loved to hear her stories about the days of traveling by rail. Recently I found a journal of memoirs she wrote to me a few years ago. She writes, "I remember when the train whistles would blow as the trains neared town or a road crossing near the city. Also the chug, chug, chug of the gears as the train started up, after stopping at the water tower or the station. Then there was the screeching of the wheels as the engineer applied the brakes to bring it to a stop." I too am a big fan of the old steam engines. If we could just somehow turn back time so this could once again be a familiar sight.......Sweet dreams.
No comments:
Post a Comment