I know that nostalgia can be manifested in ways beyond just thoughts. I can get a whiff of creosote and then the mental sensation of coal smoke and hot steam with heavy oil are just as strong.
The distant blare of a Dismal's air horn can blend seamlessly into that of a steam whistle in my mind.
When I am watching JUST TWO yard workers (the Engineer and the Utility Man) doing some flat switching at the local yard, I "see" a half dozen other men, some with lanterns throwning switches to build a passenger consist, others comparing watches while passengers board and several men load baggage from 4-wheeled carts and 2-wheeled dollies, and a Car Toad crouched down next to a passenger train whacking at the wheels with a hammer, listening for a cracked one. (And just so you truely understand... Other than the freight engine, some freight cars and the two men, none of that is really there!)
Next time you smell some cinders, look around to see what you remember!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
A few weeks ago I rode my mountain bike down between the rails of the unused Minnesota Zephyr tracks. In one spot I smelled cinders. I don't know if the last steam engines that ran on this line in the 50s or 60s but thats still 50 years ago at least.
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
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