Hi!
Tomorrow morning I leave for Marion Illinois, to meet my sisters & Mom (from Chicagoland) for a weekend visit. During that time, we will drive down to Anna, to the sight of my Grandmom's home of years ago. She lived at the end of the block, with a full view of the IC racetrack. As a child in the '40s/'50s, I spent a lot of vacation time watching those IC trains - steam & diesel roar by.
Back then, the trackage next to Grandmom's house consisted of two mains, a passing track, and a long (to me) siding. In the mid-'50s, a mill was built that blocked some of my view, and each year it seemed that the Wright Brothers added on to it. I didn't like that it blocked the view, but it did provide a lot of truck/train "action".
Well, the last time I visited the 4 tracks were down to one main and a short siding. The mill was mostly torn down and was a shell of what it was. And, I never saw a train.........
Anyway, you can't relive the past, and while I look forward to seeing "what's there", I suspect it will be a bittersweet experience.
This has been on my mind, and I just wanted to tell "someone" who would possibly understand.
Thanks,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I perfectly understand for you and I have an almost similar recollection of some great memories at grandma's house. For me as a child growing up in the 1950's, 60's it was in Portage PA, my grandparents were next door neighbors and right across the street was the four track main of the PRR and the Portage passenger station. Johnstown was about 20 miles west and Altoona about 20 miles east, mountain railroading...what a show. And it was free!!!
So have a great and wonderful time, relax and let your mind take you back to what appears to be a great memorable time for you. Oh, and don't forget the cookies you sneaked from grandma's jar!!!
Its a lot easier, more rewarding, and less heartbreaking to think about than to do.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
Hi,
Just got back from my visit to southern Illinois. Went with my sisters to the house in Anna, and we stood out in the street and over at the cemetary reminiscing about those "better" times back then.
Funny thing, the CN took up the siding for the mill, so now there is only the one main line track where once there were 4 total tracks. BUTTTTTT, for the first time since I have been visiting there in the last 30 years, a freight train actually came by while I was there. It was a mixed freight with 3 CN diesels on the point, and I suspect about 70 cars or so (I was too excited to count). WOW, that was a treat!
Thanks all,
I wish I could go back to my favorite train spot, which would be my grandmother's one acre lot. It was located out in the country six miles west of the little town of Greenville in western Kentucky. There was a single set of IC tracks that ran within 100 feet of the front of the old house, and passing trains literally rattled the windows. I spent summers there in 1957, 1958, and 1959 when I was 8, 9, and 10 years old.
The IC was still running steam locomotives on their coal trains in those days, even though almost all trains were being pulled by diesel electrics by that time. I am so glad that I have the memories of steam engines!
Sadly, the old house has been torn down. Even the railroad tracks are gone. That section of track was abandoned several years ago, and the rails and ties have been taken up. I go back to that one acre lot, and it nearly brings me to tears to see that all of the old familiar things are gone.
I might post a little essay that I wrote about the night trains that passed while I was staying with my grandmother.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Welcome to the Forum! Normally I am on the Model Railroader section, but occasionally hit this one and the toy train section.
My Anna memories are strongest from 1954 - 1960 when I was 10 - 16 years old. The house was only four rooms with no plumbing (eventually it had a cold water line for a kitchen sink), a lot of small outbuildings, 2 hole outhouse, and a sizeable garden. The trees were huge, and the flowers were all over the place. When I visited, I slept on a pallet on the living room floor. At night it was very still and you could hear the whistle of the oncoming steamers - or the horns of the oncoming E units or GPs - from miles away. Ha, I got a real education on the "Doppler effect" at a young age.
Anyway, my avatar is an HO model I built of Grandmom's house, and it will have a special place on my layout (under construction) in the future.
I relish the wonderful memories of my childhood visits, and they will always be there.
mm44, you and I almost certainly share very similar memories. I think we will have some fun in here exchanging messages about our recollections of our childhoods. I'll post that essay in a new thread when I get a chance. I think you will be able to relate to it very easily.
mobilman44 At night it was very still and you could hear the whistle of the oncoming steamers - or the horns of the oncoming E units or GPs - from miles away. Ha, I got a real education on the "Doppler effect" at a young age.
In the world of diesels there is nothing greater than the sound of an E unit in the still of the night. Thanks, another great memory.
I've been an HO nut for decades, and early last year went from DC to DCC operation. I picked up a number of steam/diesel locos with sound, and whenever I give the horn/whistle blast (long, long, short, longggg) for a crossing, it brings a smile to my face - and often memories of wonderful times long ago.
I remember the Santa Fe Northern District passenger main line between La Junta and Albuquerque, MP 555 to MP 902, where the Super Chief, El Capitan, Chief, Grand Canyon and Fast Mail numbers 7 and 8 ran daily in each direction. There were so many locations where these trains coild be seen but perhaps the most photographed was at Wootton Ranch on Raton Pass. See July issue of TRAINS, pages 49 & 50 for an Amtrak photo.
Today only Amtrak numbers 3 and 4 operate at this location that has so many memories for me.
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