Last Friday, as Carolyn, Hobbes, and I were spending the day getting out and running around, we were stopped on PA Rt. 285 near our home…a train was approaching, and we had to stop in OUR tracks, while it proceeded on its tracks of steel.
The tracks have been there ever since I can remember...back further than my childhood. We often hear the languished cries of the engines as they transverse the tracks in the middle of the night, or during the early hours of the morning.
As usual, Carolyn had her camera in-hand...THANK HEAVEN!
As we stopped while the train made its way down the tracks into the far distance of our memory, she shot the a photo of the approaching engine.
Emblazoned upon its side was the nearly forgotten insignia, “ILLINOIS CENTRAL.” Needless to say, I was immediately struck speechless. The memories of a song from long ago re-entered into my conscious mind. As it opened the door to my memory, an infinite number of recollections tumbled in.
SAID, DON’T YOU KNOW ME I’M YOUR NATIVE SON…
1954…leaning against my Grandma Finster’s side, fast asleep. The side-by side motion of the train as it made its way from the railway station in Pittsburgh onto the southbound tracks leading us on our journey lulled me to sleep. Gradually, the clacking of the wheels on the tracks moved me back to consciousness. WOW!!! How gorgeous! All the incredible lands, farms, and towns that lay before my vision were truly incredible. The colors of the dawn…the trees.. the homesteads…and the cities can NEVER be erased from my Life.
Gradually, after a few days of unbelievable experiences, our train slowed down to make its final stop in the town of Pensacola, Florida, Here we were to meet-up with my Aunt Gerry and her recent husband, my Uncle Earl, who was currently serving in the U.S. Navy at that locale.
As we exited…my new Uncle ran to grab me and hoist me onto his shoulders…a position of Love which I will NEVER forget. The engine of our travels hooted its voice in a tremendous proclamation of this day…one which will last FOREVER.
This first trip was one of three which I accompanied my Grandma, my Mom, and her sister, my Aunt Eileen onto Pensacola. These folks have all Journeyed-On now…however, the sounds of the train and its precious memories still live onward.
HALFWAY HOME, WE’LL BE THERE BY MORNING….
1970…living on the East Coast, running between my teaching jobs in New Jersey and the “BIG APPLE”…directing my talented acting students in many, many plays and musicals…then, producing stage designs for several off-Broadway productions kept me MORE than busy 24/7/365!
Nevertheless, as the Autumn and Winter holidays rapidly approached, I always managed to find the Time to make my way back to Western PA and the Family I had left behind.
Grand Central Station! How INCREDIBLE! Everything a person could possibly imagine about this venue’s magical moments and enormous crowds is absolutely TRUE!
I would always manage to board the available train heading towards my REAL home, no matter what!
The journey was never long…usually lasting on a mere 12-15 hours. BUT…the sounds, the visions, and the passengers were a trip back into my Past.
Off-boarding at the Grand Station in Pittsburgh, my Mom, Dad, and sometimes, my Uncle Earl were always waiting to greet me.
THE TRAIN ROLLS ALONG PAST HOUSES, FARMS,
AND FIELDS…
1953 till now…
The tracks throughout our Region have led us all to remarkable destinations all along many, many Journeys.
As riders, we could have journeyed from southwestern Pa to Conneaut Lake and Exposition Park during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Moving even further northward, we could have stopped in Cambridge Springs to enjoy the waters and the magnificent hotel.
Then, onward to Erie and all its marvels.
Some of the tracks still exist…as well as the mounds upon which the removed steel rails once stood. They lead us on a Journey throughout the History of our Grand Nation, and the many towns and areas of our beloved Region.
Recently, a number of historical societies have ventured to recapture the essence of those eras by committing to the rehabilitation of a few of the Region’s train stations…Cambridge Springs, and Meadville, to be specific. Their task is awesome…and, the results of their efforts will be even MORE incredible.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL…GOOD MORNING, AMERICA!
HOW ARE YOU?
That evening, after we arrived back home, Carolyn downloaded her images from that morning..
She forewarned me about the image of the train engine...knowing that after I realized what I saw emblazoned upon its side,, tears of remembrance would travel from my Heart and down from my eyes.
There, upon the shiny, black side of that engine were the words, ILLINOIS CENTRAL.
The words of that song from the 1970’s filled my mind…Arlo Guthrie’s singing filled my ears…and Steve Goodman’s lyrics echoed along the rails of my Heart.
THE CITY OF
NEW ORLEANS
(Sung by Arlo Guthrie…Words by Steve Goodman)
Riding on the City of New Orleans
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
Passin' trains that have no names
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles
Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done