Railroads and the "rolling thunder" from years gone by. Moving America in peace and war. I remember as a very young lad long ago steam locomotives (quickly being replaced by the diesels) pulling up the mountains in coal country (coal mining was on the decline even then) in southwestern VA. The sounds of the whistle and chugging of the locomotives pulling long lines coal cars. Something you don't forget.

Watch (along with the crowd waiting) as the 4014 whistles her arrival to downtown Navasota, Texas slowly rolling to a stop.

To paraphrase one of the comments made:
Imagine laying in bed when trains like this were in service and hearing their whistle in the middle of the night.

Here's a cab view of a similar startup and arrival at some OK towns.

Of course time marches on and progress has been made but it is sometimes fun for those of us able to remember when.



Happy 4th Everybody!

A steam engine whistle in the distance late at night had a haunting quality to a young boy not quite asleep in his bed. Heard them many times out on the Kansas plains when I was growing up (some people think I never did grow up!).

Dang, that’s a looooooong locomotive!

Yes, I remember the rumble of a passing freight train on nearby tracks as I laid in bed at night. Very comforting sound to a young boy drifting off to sleep after a long summer day (window open to let in the cool night air).

I remember the first year that Circus World Museum sent a load of circus wagons to Milwaukee for the big circus parade. Uncovered wagons were loaded onto rail cars with horse teams, then a steam locomotive hauled the historical cargo from Baraboo to Milwaukee. I was able to watch the procession along the cliffs lining Devil's Lake at Baraboo. Photos are long gone but vivid (and maybe accurate) memories remain.