Railroad Stories: Passenger Train Travel Was Exciting

Another time, I was reading in the dome car and half-listening to a conversation between two college students. I heard the girl say something about having the article in her luggage. She said she would be glad to explain it to him in case he would be interested in obtaining one. I was startled when the young man politely asked me if I would keep an eye on his camera equipment. I'm not an expert by any means, but I knew this was costly equipment and said I would watch it for him. The two went off, and I began wondering if they were ever coming back. About four hours later, they returned. I left the dome car for the car I was in, and the couple greeted me with, "Where have you been?" They had paged me, looked through all the cars, including the dome car, where I had been. I'm small, but not invisible!

Trains and their whistles were a part of my life, until about three years ago, when the railroad through our town was discontinued. I'm close to 90 years old, and I'm thankful for the memories of trains and whistles. Even yet, I miss seeing them and hearing their whistle.

Clara Young
Oxford, Kan.

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.