Trains

I remember when there were no diesel trains. All of the trains were powered by coal-fired steam engines. The two types of trains each had a distinct sound. Growing up I was used to hearing the chug-a-chug and toot-toot of the steam engine. I remember when the first diesel train went through our little town.

The first thing that made us aware of its presence was the sound of its enormously loud horn. You could hear it all over the town. Most of the kids hopped on their bikes and headed to the tracks to have a look. I think even some of the adults came out to see what the loud whistle was about.

When we arrived at the tracks we got our first look at the diesel engine. It didn’t look like any train we had ever seen before. It also was extremely noisy. It made a terrible vibration as it set there idling.

These trains held our interest for several years. But as the years went by the steam engine was the one that became the rarity. A decade or so later we would go out to look as the last of the steam powered trains would go through town.