The holiday season story itself

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Got a good reality check today.

Everyone has a bad day once in a while, you know, those days where you could care less about any and everything, catch a good case of the blues, and end up feeling really sorry for yourself? Had one of those yesterday, and it looked like a repeat for today. The yard is jammed to the gills with cars, no place to switch them to, more work than we could ever get done …that along with some personal issues keeping me down in the dumps, having a real good pity party for myself…

There is a young man, now a teenager, who shows up just about every day it isn’t raining…he sits across from our yard entrance watching the action on the old XYZ line, and watching us switch. The thing is, he sits in a wheelchair. His Dad brings him up there in the afternoon, around noonish, and they sit, him in his chair, Dad in the van he has, watching, taking the occasional photo, waving at the crews as they go by. I have never really talked to either one of them, other than giving them a few cans of water during a scorching summer day, and sneaking a free cap out to the kid once…didn’t really know his story, other than he shows up all the time, and a few of the other regular railfans seem to enjoy sitting with him.

Well, we were sitting there on the lead, blocked by another inbound, while we were trying to go grab another switch cut from the receiving yard…just piddling away time really, when I noticed the van drive up. Dad unloads the kid; they have one of those hydraulic lifts in the side door. He gets the boy all covered up with a blanket, and they are taking in all the sights. The boy keeps looking over at us, we are literally just across the street from them, when I get one of those ideas that usually end up with me having to try to explain to someone higher up why and what I was thinking and doing. I talk with my helper a minute, and he thinks it is a great idea a

2

I recognize this. The first place it was ever posted was right here in the Forum! I’ve posted a more edited version of it a few times since. Still a great story, and makes it hard to hold back the tears.

I wonder if some anonymous guy on that crew would be willing and/or able to provide an update on this young man…hope the news, if any, is good.

3

He can…

As of last summer, the young man (who is now an adult) is engaged to a pretty cute girl, he attended a technical school, transferred to a local university whose mascot is a Cougar, (where he met the girl) attained his associated degree in design and technical engineering and is currently employed at a company that’s last owner was known as a hermit (and an eccentric billionaire movie maker and aviator), as an intern in the fabrication design department, currently working towards his masters.

He and Dad show up once in a while, last time brought the fiancé, and ended up getting the “official” dime tour of the place.

The trainmaster accepted the apologies he deserved, and has since moved on into the private sector with a large utility here.

The crew mentioned has, as is often the case in railroading, gone their separate ways to different railroading assignments, the conductor/foreman is still switching the same lead job though, and still remembers to kiss his last live at home daughter, and his two granddaughters goodbye every morning, cause there really isn’t anything wrong with his world at all.

4

Thank you!

My best to everybody mentioned.

5

From Canada.

This is an epic story…thanks again Ed…

Charlie

Chilliwack, BC

6

Certainly puts things in perspective.

7

Ed, please propose this for a Trains Magazine 2013 Holiday issue. Trains has some great artists, and the cover of the magazine would be the engineer hosting the youngster up to the cab, with the conductor and dad on the ground, with the wheelchair obvious. The story lead would show dad unloading the wheelchair with young man from the van. The next picture would be the Trainmaster and the youngster shaking hands or the conductor and engineering facing the trainmaster. The last picture would be the youngster running the train with the engineer standing behind with hand ready to intervene if necessary.

The followup would be included at the end.

Love you,

8

Dave, check your email…

Here is the original, no need to worry about disguising identities, although the story is based on real events that happened to me, no real names were used, and only broad descriptions of the entire event are presented.

I would say it was to protect the innocent, but then I would have to pretend we were innocent, and trust me, a scruffier band of rascals, miscreants and malcontents would be hard to find!

But I trust every one of them with my life….

Got a good reality check today.

Everyone has a bad day once in a while, you know, those days where you could care less about any and everything, catch a good case of the blues, and end up feeling really sorry for yourself?

Had one of those yesterday, and it looked like a repeat for today.

The yard is jammed to the gills with cars, no place to switch them to, more work than we could ever get done, knee deep in gators…that along with some personal issues keeping me down in the dumps, having a real good pity party for myself…

There is a young man, 16 now, who shows up just about every day it isn’t raining…he sits across from our yard entrance watching the action on the old SP line, and watching us switch.

The thing is, he sits in a wheelchair.

His Dad brings him up there in the afternoon, around noonish, and they sit, him in his chair, Dad in the van he has, watching, taking the occasional photo, waving at the crews as they go by.

I have never really talked to either one of them, other than giving them a few cans of water during a scorching summer day, and sneaking a gimmie cap out to the kid once…didn’t really know his story, othe

9

Ed, thanks again for sharing this story. It’s often said that most people learn best and are most interested when you “tell them a story”, and that you’ve certainly done (I wouldn’t change a word of it, the tone is just fine, worthy of O. Henry on his best day !). The epilogue above is touching, too - it’s not the proverbial “icing on the cake”, but maybe more like a fruit filling inside, etc. . . .

Have you ever thought about submitting it to NPR - which often does a compilation of Christmas stories like this - or the “This American Life” program that is on most of those stations ? See:

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/21/17488106/tinsel-tales-npr-christmas-stories

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5028755 - John Henry Faulk’s Christmas Story from Texas

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/371/scenes-from-a-mall

Thanks again. There should be a special place for all of you guys on the Big Rock Candy Mountain line when you get there (may it be many decades from now, though).

  • Paul North.
10

Ed, can you tell us what the power (locomotive) type was in use on this particular day?

11

MK 1500D.

12

I have this story (and the Christmas Story) copied in my personal files for reading on otherwise boring days. Ed you could (and should IMO) write a book. Ain’t nothin’ like a good storyteller.

Thanks.