Great American Railroad Stories

(Note – I am on my way to Guatemala this morning for a mission trip, and will be gone into next week. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back. Meanwhile, here’s a book review that I wrote for our local model railroad club’s newsletter.)

Trains magazine recently celebrated its 75^th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, Kalmbach Publishing has released a new book – Great American Railroad Stories: 75 Years of Trains Magazine. The book is available both as a softcover and hardcover.

As the name suggests, it features 51 stories chosen from across the magazine’s three-quarters of a century, including stories by some of the most famous railfans in the country: Lucius Beebe, A.C. Kalmbach, J. David Ingles, David P. Morgan, Jim Boyd, and many others. The stories include selections from the magazine’s first year of publication (1940), up through 2009, but many of the stories are historical pieces that document earlier railroad history – from the wild ride of “Death Valley Scotty,” to a firsthand account of taking a transcontinental train ride just weeks after it opened in 1869, and others.

There are stories about working on the railroad, whether as a fireman or a telegraph operator, and stories about riding trains; some pay tribute to a favorite locomotive or railroad, while others tell about memorable people encountered on the rails. One of my favorites is “Confessions of a Train Watcher,” from 1957, by David P. Morgan, where the then-editor of Trains magazine explains his fascination with railroading.

The book is beautifully produced, with 256 glossy pages and an easy-to-read typeface. The cover has only a single, small photograph of a stream locomotive pulling a passenger train – appropriate, since the emphasis is on the best stories from 75 years, and not necessarily the best pictures. But there are plenty of great pictures; the editor notes that they used the original photos to accompany the article whenever possible, but he acknowledges that there are fewer pictures, to keep the focus on the writing.

If you like reading great railroad stories, or have an interest in how trains shaped American life, you’re going to want this book. If you have a friend or family member who is a railfan, he or she will DEFINITELY enjoy it. It’s probably not the kind of book you would read from cover to cover, but more like a magazine, where you skip around and read the stories that really interest you. The softcover has a list price of $24.99, and is available both at local book stores and online. It’s a little cheaper on Amazon, but if you have to pay for shipping, it probably comes out about the same.

Great American Railroad Stories: 75 Years of Trains Magazine (Kalmbach Books, Waukesha, Wisconson) is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it.

 

Thoughts While Mowing

Let me make this clear: I don’t like mowing.

I realize that in the grand scheme of things, mowing isn’t all that bad. And I’ve heard many people say that they enjoy it – they find it relaxing and stress-relieving, something they can do without having to think about it, to let their minds unwind for a while. That’s fine.

Me, I’d rather be watching trains. Or reading. Or visiting with a friend. Or doing lots of other things. But, mowing is one of those things that we nearly all have to do, and I do. So while I was mowing my yard the other day, I came up with a list of things to be thankful for while mowing.

Rain. This definitely tops the list. In a few more weeks, the West Texas summer will be here with all its searing heat and lack of moisture, and the yard will turn mostly brown. So while it’s green, I will be thankful for the showers.

Health. My health is far from perfect – I’m overweight, I have Type II Diabetes, and I don’t exercise nearly enough. Still, I’m healthy enough to be outside and do this work. Many of our neighbors would love to be healthy enough to mow their own yards, and so for that, I’m thankful.

Space. I have been blessed with a large lot and nice house to live in as part of my job. When I think about how much of the world’s population lives in housing smaller than my bedroom, it seems extremely ungrateful to complain about mowing. Talk about First World problems…

Tools. Along with the house, I have a riding mower to use, and also a push mower for areas where the big mower can’t reach. Again, these are definitely blessings for which I am thankful.

Resources. Of course, it takes money to buy the gas to run those things, and I have been given that. Another reason to be appreciative.

Peace. I can worry about needing to mow, because there are courageous men and women going in harm’s way to protect us. Let us never fail to give thanks for their valor and sacrifice.

Security. The mower was still where I had parked it after the last time I used it, at least partly because we have police officers who protect and serve our community. They are not perfect, and do not claim to be, but I’m thankful for their efforts.

So that’s my list. If I worked at it, I’m sure I could come up with more things to be thankful for while mowing. But for now, I think I’m going to take a break and get something cool to drink and sit in the shade for a while. Besides, I think I hear a train whistle somewhere…