Trains Magazine for December, 2007, arrived yesterday. I heartily recommend the narrative by Dan Maher about his ride from Oakland Mole to Portland on December 22, 1967. First of all, Dan tells his story with linguistic skill; he has learned writing well. Secondly, his full-page photo on page 65 captures well the experience of wintertime railroading in that era. I pity that sturdy, but aged brakeman, trudging through the snow. That was no cushy job given to him by seniority. Many thanks to Dan for bringing me along on that Christmastime trip. (A week or so earlier, I was about to get off a Santa Fe train at Williams in order to visit Grand Canyon. The snow was far too deep for tourism, and the conductor helped this New Yorker by visiting the depot and buying me a trip extension to Los Angeles.)
…And yes, my surprise was seeing my Dec. TRAINS arrive so early.
Looks like lots of great photos included. Just have thumbed thru at this time but looks like an interesting issue.
Dang…I knew I shoulda walked down to the mail box yesterday!
…But Jim, isn’t your mail box right down at the end of your not too long drive way…{I peeked at the aerial view of your new home}…ha.
Well, I am not quiet THAT lazy…(yet)[swg]…although it is a fair question! The mail box is actually a neighborhood box unit at the entry to the neighborhood; (map) when I walked by it on the way back from town, I guess the mailman hadn’t been there yet…
But, I did just go by it a bit ago, and the December issue isn’t here yet anyway.
Which is a good thing, I was getting anxious about getting another chance to practice being patient. [:-^]
Dear BellmoreBob,
Can I consider your comments for RPO? If so, please let me know your name, city and state.
I had the pleasure of editing Christmas on the Klamath. Dan Maher was a delight to work with. You are correct. He is a talented writer and photographer.
I just finished reading it myself. It was an amazing story filled with emotion and imagery. I felt like I was riding in the seat next to him. Just all around a great way to shed light on a thing of the past. I give it “Two thumbs up”.