Railroad Stories: Loved Passenger Train Travel

When the waiter sat a small plate filled with little yellow squares in the center of the table, my sister Donna reached over, picked up one of the little squares between her thumb and forefinger, with her pinkie finger arched way up high, and began nibbling daintily away. Dad nudged her under the table and told her that she was about to eat butter, not cheese.

We were back in our regular seats when the train went through the famous Moffett Tunnel. Just as we entered the tunnel, all the lights went out on the train. We thought it was great, but it scared Grandma so bad that she fainted, which scared the rest of us because we knew she had a bad heart. Luckily, there was a doctor on the train, and Grandma came through it just fine.

The rest of the trip was fun, and without further incident. Dad got the job on the logging train as a fireman, but was soon promoted to engineer. Sometimes when he came into the railroad yard to turn his engine around, he would let me and my sisters ride with him on the turntable, before he started back up the mountain. That was the happiest time for all of us.

Helen Wilson
Anderson, Calif.

Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.