ON BECOMING A RAILFAN
Every railfan probably has their own story about how they became a ferroequinologist. I think mine is a bit different, however, in that I could have as easily become enamored to another mode of transport instead. Here’s what happened.
My mother was the middle of three sisters. The eldest and her family lived in Cincinnati, we lived in Columbus (OH), and the youngest lived in Dallas TX at the time, where my uncle was employed by Proctor & Gamble. T
In my case, it was pretty much pre-ordained. Before I was born my folks moved to a new house across the street from a railroad line, so from the day the brought me home from the hospital I had trains right there. Plus of course our local “kiddies” TV show was “Lunch with Casey” (as in Casey Jones).
Stix:
I am properly envious of your childhood. I’ve often lived close enough to railroads to hear them, but never within sight of them.
Like many others, my first home was down the street from a railroad (Telford PA, 1970s, where Reading passenger trains made thier way to and from Philadelphia). My Mom took me down to the tracks a lot to watch. My parents fed the interest with books, and later model trains, and the rest was history. Of course you have to exclude the 25 year lapse to account for adolescence and young adulthood when it just isn’t all that cool to be into trains. But I’m 37 now, and it’s funny how all comes back around.
One of my best memories was riding the Southern Crescent with my Mom to visit my grandparents in North Carolina. I must of been 4 or 5. I remember eating breakfast in the diner; the waiter brought me ketchup for my scrambled eggs.
Thanks for your input, Utley26. I envy your experience too. I’ve never had the occasion to ride trains in the South. To chase trains there on a limited basis, yes, but never to ride them. But that’s another story.
With me it all goes back to my Grandmother’s house in Narberth, PA. She lived 3 blocks from the PRR station on the Main Line to Harrisburg until 1969. So I cut my eye teeth watching G’s, MP54’s, E44’s, Silverliners, etc. all day long. I remember the BS24 helpers giving way to RS3’s, etc. Plus we rode those MU’s to Philly a LOT. Too late to see steam. One of my favorite memories is staying overnight in the summer with the windows open hearing the passage of trains at night, especially the helpers pushing up Merion Hill in Run 8.
I was almost 4 - the summer of 1952. My grandfather, a by then retired local grocer, was a loyal lodge brother and had many lodge brother friends who were employed by the KCS, Frisco, MOP and Katy in Joplin, Mo. One day we went down to see the agent at the MOP depot in Joplin who, intuitively suggested I be lifted up into the cab of the brace of waiting MOP F units and given a “ride” around the yard. That sold me.
Since I was 14 I’ve held just about every office in every sort of railfan and model railroad club you can imagine…I wouldn’t trade the love of trains for anything…all these years I still think back about that day and how my long journey started.
Ah yes, PRR’s Main Line. Never had the pleasure to ride its rails. However, I remember visiting an uncle in New Jersey who lived within sight of the PRR 4-track main out of New York, some time around 1949-1950. Was somewhere near New Brunswick, I think, a place I managed to railfan in later years a couple times. Thanks for the memories, GG1Rick.
Well done, FlyingCrow. Ironically I’ve had one exposure to the KCS, and that happened to be in Joplin MO. Managed to capture a movie of the southbound Southern Belle leaving town there one sunny, cold day in February, 1967. But that’s another story.
I too grew up observing trains right from the double dining room windows of my parent’s home. It is a long story; you may find it here: How I became a lifelong railfan
Thanks for your comment, Glen. Having reviewed your webside in the past, I would recommend it to other fans.
Becoming a railfan was hardly an optional thing for me. Until 1951, (11 years old), I grew up in the town of Tela, Honduras. The part of town where we lived was known as New Tela, and was wholly built and owned by the Tela Railroad Company, a subsidiary of The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands). The main purpose of the TRRCo. was to transport bananas from the interior of the country to load onto ships. The houses we lived in, the appliances, furniture, even the linens and tableware were owned by and stencilled or engraved “TRRCo.”
There were no roads connecting with other towns, so all transportation was by rail. Several times a year we would take the daily train to Baracoa and change trains to the fairly large city of San Pedro Sula for shopping or visiting the dentist. Alternately, you could arrange to take one of the many “motorcars” scurrying back and forth on the track. The motorcar was an adventure–they were open-sided, so you got a nice breeze, but the main line was all single-track, and the driver would have to stop at every siding and call in at a line-side telephone, after which we’d either proceed or pull into the siding and wait. Here is a picture of a motorcar. They came in a variety of sizes.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1378970275442&set=o.63040146410
Here are pictures of a trainload of bananas, two of loading operations, and a view of the wharf from the beach:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1492953532737&set=o.63040146410
Thanks for your input, Paul. Your story demonstrates that the appeal of railroading knows no borders.
Good question.
My Grandfather took my little brother, and I, to a Long Island Railroad Yard in 1965.
I was a little kid and I remember it was a Sunday. The yard was quiet. Grandpa had worked for the New York Central and Baltimore and Ohio, in the early 1920’s. He showed us how to throw a turnout, no it wasn’t locked. More explanation, but I was looking around the yard, for something to do…
A brown 40’ boxcar looked appealing, and after Grandpa boosted me up on the ladder, I climbed onto the roof. What a view! He had to get up there, and help me get back down. I was hooked!
Cheers!
William Hudson
Thanks for your contribution, Will. Just try climbing on a freight car in a railroad yard today, no matter how innocent your intent, and see what happens to you!
Trains go way back in my memory. They were always there when I was growing up around . Apparently I was fascinated by the things from an early age. My first direct memories of seeing trains was going to to watch the . This would have been in the late 1950s. Every afternoon the passenger fleet would descend on on its way west. To a young mind this must have been impressive because the memories are still there. So is the zebra striped switcher and the time I got to go into the engine room of a
Nice, Ed, thanks for sharing.