| |
|
|
|
EnCompass®
The AAA Companion |
| |
January | February 2005
Volume 79 Issue 1
|
|
|
| My Grand-daddy—O.W. "Mac" McCartney—standing in front of the La Junta Depot circa 1925.
|
|
Train Whistle Memories
By Gaye Brumit-Murphy
The sound of a train whistle in the night is something most people have feelings about. My husband says it sounds lonely and sad. I can understand that…but to me that same whistle reminds me of family.
Being born in La Junta, I was exposed to trains and train life right away. La Junta is Spanish for "the junction," and the town lived up to that name by being a busy railroad community. My grandfather was an engineer back when the train station still had a Harvey House restaurant.
My mother was almost born on a train. Her birth mother was heading to Arizona to have her baby and put it up for adoption. Coming into La Junta, she began experiencing labor pains, and soon after my mother was born. The doctor knew my grandparents wanted to adopt a baby, so he arranged for the train engineer (Grand-daddy) to keep this baby girl.
Often the train making stops at the La Junta station would have celebrities on board. Grand-daddy would call his wife and daughter to tell them who was in town for a few minutes. My mother's favorite celebrity "meeting" was Shirley Temple.
When Grand-daddy died, my grandmother was given a lifetime pass to ride the train whenever she wanted. This helped her to introduce trains to others, such as myself.
I was just four when my grandmother took me to Pueblo on the train to see her sister. Grandmother and I also rode the train to Denver when I was a little older.
Since I was so young on both trips, I have no memory of the scenery along the way, but I do remember the nice people, the motion of the train, that wonderful sound of the train zipping along the tracks, and...the whistle.
Now, when I drive by the depot and see a passenger train stopped there with people walking around, stretching their legs, I think: Those people are making memories of their own. What will they feel after their trip when they hear a train whistle in the night?
I hope it reminds them of family.
Do you have a special memory or humorous story about living in Colorado? EnCompass is looking for original essays that capture the uniqueness of our state. Payment is $60 upon publication. Entries must be typed, double-spaced and 200-300 words. Please include a daytime phone number. Entries will not be returned. Mail to EnCompass, Attn: My Colorado, 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222, or e-mail: editor@colorado.aaa.com. A response to a submission may take six to eight weeks.
| |
Return to Table of Contents
|
