A happy man ..

I live in a very small town in North Carolina. Our Seaboard Street has a post office, a library, a hardware store and a few small businesses. They are all on one side of the street as you see here.

The other side of the street is heavily wooded and looks over the single train track that cuts through the town. The trains have to be scheduled very carefully since there is only one track. We used to get 3 or 4 CSX freight trains and an Amtrak one heading North during the daylight hours and another Amtrak passenger one heading South after Midnight.

A few days ago. at the Post Office. it occurred to me that I never saw the freight trains anymore. A chat with an old-timer verified this and he and I had great fun recalling when things were very different.

 

Only 8 or 9 years ago we had a fun loving conductor who would actually slow his freight train down as he approached our town. Then, as his train idled he would hop down and scale the small hill that led to the street. Once there he would jog across the street and disappear around the corner. According to “those in the know” he was on his way to the “Subway” eatery located in the BP Service Station one street away. “He does this once or twice a week at lunchtime” they said, “It's been going on for years.”

I remember actually witnessing this once and was trying to take it all in when the man reappeared carrying a large bag with the “Subway” logo on it. He had a big grin on his face and was thoroughly enjoying himself. He then disappeared over the edge of the bank and a few seconds later we saw him board the train.

 

As the engine gained speed he stuck his head out and gave us a last wave. “Now there goes a man who loves his job” I thought and the sheer audacity of his action makes me laugh even today. I want to believe that he's still breaking rules in this delightful way and certainly hope he hasn't disappeared along with the freight trains !