I am trying to locate an article from Trains magazine. I believe it was in the last three years.
It is a first hand account of of boy in California who loved watching trains. The highlight was one of the trains stopping and handing him some items, including flares, etc. He built up a large collection of stuff from the train crews.
That would be the December 2004 issue, page 72. The “Railroad Reading” department is probably my favorite read each issue. Did Trains ever publish a compilation of these stories? If not, they certainly should.