For those of you too young to remember Southern Railway's steam excursion program, or for those of you who didn't get a chance to witness it, the industry has lost a great part of its heritage. I remember seeing him and meeting him when the 4501 came to Lexington during the summer. I can't say I knew the man intimately, but I knew and admired his work. Take a moment here to reflect and share your thoughts on his passing.
Bill Purdie–an asset to the Southern Railway System. I never had any conversation with him, but I am confident that he is the man who gave permission for me to ride the 722 for the sixty-five miles from Anniston to Birmingham in December of 1970.
The Southern was moving both the 722 and the 630 from Atlanta to Birmingham where they would be shopped during the winter. Several members of the Heart of Dixie Club (Birmingham chapter of the NRHS) went over to Atlanta on the Southern Crescent the day before, and I talked with the engineer (also a member) who would be running the 722 the next day, asking if I would be able to ride the engine. He told me it was not his decision to make. Both engines took coal and water in Anniston, and I went up front to watch the operation–and this engineer beckoned to me to come up. Mrs. Purdie was there, sitting on the fireman’s box (neither fireman sat down at all, but together they kept the engine hot), and Bill Purdie rode outside the cab (he may have come inside when we were going through Cook Springs Tunnel). I complimented Mrs. Purdie on her makeup–and as we came into Birmingham, she told me that my mother would not know me.
Bill Purdie, with his expertise (and other people as well), gave many people great pleasure through the Southern’s (and the Norfolk Southern’s) steam program. At one time or another, I rode behind 4501, 722, 630, and the former S&A Pacific when they were pulling excursions in the Birmingham area. Having moved out west in 1974, I was unable to ride behind the other engines that were later used, but I know that they, too, gave pleasure to many who otherwise would have known little of steam locomotives.
Johnny
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