Trains, childhood and FDR

Did you ever wave at a train engineer when you were a kid? I can remember many times standing by the tracks and waving. I always got a thrill when he would wave back. It was like being friends with a person from a foreign country. In my mind the man must have stayed on the train always.

Well Sherry and I were caught by an oncoming train and stopped at the barricade. I don’t know what made me do it, but I waved wildly at the engineer who smiled and returned the wave. He was towing a hundred cars. That brought back so many memories. Childhood was wonderful. Thrilling things happened almost daily.

On April 13th or 14th 1945 we did not live close to a rail road track, so I did not see the train carrying FDR’s body to Washington DC. Sherry did live in Belmont at the time and the RR tracks ran right beside the place where her mom & dad worked. So she, along with thousands of folks from the small town gathered along the tracks to watch the famous man pass thru.

Authur Godfrey described the train:
A funeral train slowly brought Roosevelt's body from Warm Springs to Washington. Although copper was rationed as part of the war effort, a copper-lined coffin was built for his internment. After the funeral ceremonies his body was again placed on the train for a last ride to his home in Hyde Park, New York.

Sherry’s dad was a staunch Republican. He was never rich and was a working man. But this time he crossed the line, he always held that FDR was the best president he knew in his lifetime democrat or republican. That was the only times in his lifetime he voted a Democrat ticket. LOL
FDR died in Warm Springs Georgia. 12 April 1945. We have visited Warm Springs; it is a National Historic Place now. There are many interesting things there and worth the time, if you are ever in the area. FDR was truly an interesting person. His home in Hyde Park is also an interesting place.

Several things I remember about trains. I loved to stand on an overpass and watch the old steam engines go under. I loved the smell of the ‘train smoke’. When I saw a train at night with the lights on in the passenger/dining cars, I always wondered where they were going, and wanted to be there. I guess it just fueled my wanderlust.
Our first trip to live in Missouri, we were towing our home, a 42x8 trailer, and drove up highway #63. It runs parallel with the RR. That night the train must have been braking, because it was one of the most spectacular sites I have ever seen. There were sparks flying around ALL the steel wheels presenting the appearance of all of them being on fire. It was breath taking to me.
I have never taken a serious train ride. Just the historic trains where they do it as entertainment. We have always planned to take a dinner train out of Bardstown, KY. We haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Nite Shipslog
PS: Andy Rooney said:
We praise women over 50 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 50, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.
I must agree with Andy! I love you ladies who have put up with us ignorant men until we learned how lucky we ARE!