With all due respect to Milwaukee Road 69-C and the friendly engine crew that snowy Indiana morning, my love of trains was also fostered by a father and brother who admired trains before me, a mother who patiently supported my interests, and yes, as with so many of my era – a Lionel train layout in the basement of our house.įor many railfans, the “hometown” railroads of their youth hold a special place in memory. The genesis of becoming a train enthusiast is no doubt different for each of us and as often as not born not of a single event or experience, but many.
A life-long love of trains was thus assured. In a fuzzy image from the family’s box camera, the author is hoisted aboard Milwaukee Road F7 69-C in Bedford, Indiana, for his first cab ride. The ride, aboard what to me surely seemed a steel behemoth, lasted only a short distance, from one grade crossing to another. The train was Milwaukee Road’s morning freight which made its way from Terre Haute, Indiana, to my hometown of Bedford, Indiana.
On a snowy morning decades ago, when I was about three-and-one-half years old, I was lifted by my older brother into the hands of a Milwaukee Road fireman and then snuggled into the cab and fireman’s seat of Milwaukee Road EMD F7 69-C.
A life-long rail enthusiast, author, and active contributor to the Train Simulator community, Gary Dolzall reflects on his railfan journey.
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