Railroad Stories: Riding the Rails Was Adventure

It sometimes was hard to go to sleep right away. Once we were buttoned in behind the thick curtains, it was such fun to run up the window shade over our berth and look out at the night. We would see gates and flashing lights at intersections as cars waited for our train to rush by.

One night, we woke up when the train was backing up very rapidly. An inquiry revealed that we were on the wrong track and were trying to get on a siding, out of the way of the Limited before it rushed through.

One evening, our train paused for just a few minutes at Albuquerque, N.M., and there was our Aunt Clara and Uncle Bert waiting for us on the platform.

Our return trip was equally thrilling. When we arrived home at last, Papa was waiting on the platform to greet us. He said we had grown and were the picture of health and full of sunshine. Now we considered ourselves seasoned travelers, and we were eager to share all our interesting experiences with our friends, neighbors, relatives and schoolmates.

Many years and many train trips have not erased our fond memories of this first luxurious train ride.

George and Mary Green
(Brother and sister)
Dearborn, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio

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.