The Moment of Truth and Railroading

[Anonymous]

What was the single most dramatic event that made you realize just how beautiful railroading was?

I was in Grade 7. I was the short fat kid everybody picked on, now I'm the tall, skinny kid everybody laughs at. Anyhow, students were giving me grief because I loved trains. Everything involved trains, and tragically I said, "Fine, I'll conform, I give up my life."

I walked to the tracks for the "last" time that January night, and as I started to ponder, I heard a distnt whistle. As the train neared, it was a heavy grain train with four SD40-2's on the point. It was my good buddy, and he notched those babies up two notches, black smoke spewed from the stacks, and he laid on that horn for 1/2 a mile. I balled. That was my moment where I realized I would never conform to society.

[sooblue]

I have had many but two stand out in my mind.

The first time I put the reverser into the corner and pulled the throttle back on a 4-8-4 northern and the steam blew out the engine cocks and we moved.
That was euphoric

I almost hate to say this because I'll probably catch flack but I'm going to anyway.

The other thing that stands out the most is the time when I was 10 and living at the top of the "big hill" in NE Mpls. and a little V W tried to beat a train out.
That was before crossing arms were installed. The train was MOVING man. Like they did heading west to the yard down grade.

The lead F unit caught that V W in the butt end behind the rear wheel. The V W had to be goin 50 mph. The back of that car flipped up and it rolled end over end literally like a ball up the street a good 3/4s of a block.
The driver, believe it or not, climbed out of the car through the front window and ran towards the train shaking his fist at it as the train slid by to a stop.
I was sitting on the corner of 36th st (columbia blvd.) and central ave. waiting for this train to come by.
Why did that make me realize just how beautiful railroading is?

It taught me that trains are a force to be reckoned with. Powerful, unstoppable, and when the cops hauled that nut driver off and the engineer and fireman were both standing there giving him the BIRD I knew they were "gods".

Sooblue
Ps. from that moment on I've always said that the engineers should have a rubber stamp so they can stamp the side of their engines after they take out a nut.
One less on the road to cause a killer accident.
Before I catch it, I realize that there are some train hits that are caused because of a momentary lapse of judgment, and there are times when innocent passengers are killed. Of course there is the trauma to the engine crew too, so crossing accidents are a no win situation. LETS BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!

[Anonymous]

Well, what made me a "born again railfan" was.....a breakup! I was very depressed over it, and I decided to go to Montpellier station (that's in northern Montreal, and pronounced MON-PEL-YAY....don't confuse with the capital of Vermont), and catch an electric commuter train to downtown Montreal. Forget about "Tell it on the mountain".....this is "Ride it THROUGH the mountain"

~Ra'akone

[Anonymous]

I had always loved railroads but really hadn't done too much about it until my company was awarded a little contract for a powerhouse evaluation in Upper Ontario in a little town called Kapuskasing [hope I spelled it right]. I noticed that Canadian Railways had a passenger train that stopped there every day. Well, at the end of the job, I decided not to fly home but to take that train to Montreal and fly home from there. I had a ball, that brought home to me how much I loved rail travel and if possible have travelled no other way since.

[Anonymous]

When was this, ScootyDog? Until 1990, there was a joint VIA/ONR train to Kapuskasing, and until 1995 or 96, there was VIA between Cochrane and Montreal (closed not due to lack of riders, but because CN decided to abandon part of the route)

and "Canadian Railways"? You mean CN?

~Ra'akone

[Anonymous]

Hey Ra'akone,
This was in 1980 and I guess you are right, I think I remember a VIA sign. I don't mean to insult when I said Canadian Railways, it was the best I could think off, as this was the first and only time I travelled by rail in Canada. But, my friend, this was one of the happy times in my life. Please forgive any indiscretion.

[Anonymous]

No offense taken, just curious!

~Ra'akone

[Anonymous]

I've always liked trains and I've dabbled in 35mm photography since I was in the service in Thialand in 68-69. I never put the 2 together until 2000 when 3985 came thru Vegas (both ways). I spent 4 days chasing that magnificent piece of machinery and I've been hooked ever since. So now I'm a 55 year old newby railfan. Nothing beats spending a whole day out in the middle of nowhere try'g to get that perfect railroad shot. Trains and big wide open deserts were made for each other!!

[Anonymous]

I was about 5 yrs old and my parents bought a Marx O-27 train set for me for Christmas (warbonnet F units). Dad even pre-manufactured a small layout that would slide under my bed. I spent hours playing with it. The love of full size trains seemed to grow out of that as I would make my parents stop and watch at RR crossings.

I married the girl who said, hey, lets take a train ride out to California (from the midwest.) She was the same girl who had earlier seen a copy of Trains Mag on my desk in college and said, "Why do you have that??? Oh dear God, you're one of those train nuts, like my dad."

Nowdays my business card at work even has something to do with RR's. (Got that job because I knew a fair amount about the RR network.) Coincidentally, my folks were pretty please about me getting that job and probably didn't realize that they started me down that path about 30 yrs ago.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I'm not sure that I had a moment of truth since I always had trains nearby. I grew up with the South Shore Line visible from my back yard and it only took a short walk or a ride in Dad's car to see anything else.
A family member once stated later that I never outgrew trains, and that's probably what happened.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sooblue



Sooblue
Ps. from that moment on I've always said that the engineers should have a rubber stamp so they can stamp the side of their engines after they take out a nut.
One less on the road to cause a killer accident.

Sooblue
Your not going to get an argument from me, In my previous postings to a nutjob on this forum who shall remain nameless I've stated that I'm a firm beleiver in Darwinian evolution, and any idiot trying to joust a 2 million pound train in a 2000 pound car is proof positive.

For me I guess it was as a kid riding cross country on the streamliners on the UP and SF. I would ride in the domecars from the moment we boarded to the moment we arrived. I even slept up there and my parents had to drag me down for meals. I realized how big and grand the country was at an early age and I have never forgotten how much I loved riding the trains.

[Anonymous]

1. My first train set for Christmas- an American Flyer. I was about 3 or 4- my Mom said years later that I was way to young for a train that year, but my Dad wanted one "so bad"
2. My Grandfather giving me MR magizines even before I could read.
3. Pacing a GG-1 and train on US-40 somewhere near Aberdeen, Maryland in the mid to late 1950's- I shouldnt say pacing as it passed us with little effort as I recall.
4. Went for years with out thinking much about it after that then in college had a roommate who brought in a pile of old Trains mags- about 50 of them- read them all in a week- all the memories ( see 1-3 above) came back and been hooked ever since.