….what stories they could tell.
Have you ever stood somewhere away from the urban area and looked around wondering about people whohad been there before? Twenty, 100 or 200 years ago? And then, maybe you looked
for signs of someone having been there—initials carved on a tree, a discarded bottle, or a lost button. And if lucky enough to see any clue, did you let your imagination paint a picture of someone who might have stood on this same spot?
The photograph on this page is a mark on the landscape that has remained for well over a century and is wrapped in a rich history. It is a railroad track bed and the opening for a bridge that was part of the Pacific Coast Railroad that operated from 1876 to 1933 and terminated in Los
Olivos. The bridge (trestle) is long gone but the roadbed has withstood nature’s erosion.
When I first learned what this landmark was, I was intrigued. I read everything I could find including The Pacific Coast Railroad by K. E. Wescott and C. H. Johnson. These good escriptions
piqued my interest in the people who traveled on and operated these trains. What might have been their reasons for travel? And what were their hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows? Some of
the secrets exist in recorded history, but most are sealed forever and can only be simulated by one’s imagination.
This railroad on California’s central coast mirrors hundreds of places throughout the country. For economy or other reasons, many rail lines were abandoned, but some track beds remain. Some are hiking, cross country skiing or snowmobile trails; others have been obliterated by urban development or eroded by forces of nature. The railroads opened the country to population and industry. The remaining traces of roadbeds are monuments to the development and growth of the country. The people traveling might have been immigrants from Europe eager to claim homestead land, wealthy people traveling to winter havens in their private cars, or hoboes (many who were sons of “respectable” parents) during the Great Depression looking for almost anything.
As a writer, I am motivated to learn as much as possible about these rail lines and let my imagination take me further into the secrets held in the land.
Your splendid word prompt and imagery struck respondent chords within me.
ReplyDeleteAs a small boy I lived with my grandparents on an isolated cattle ranch in summertime. A railroad track ran parallel to my bedroom and it was situated not more than 75 yards away. The road that led to our ranch house crossed over the tracks at about 100 yards away.
It was a traumatic experience when the steam locomotive approached the road just 100 yds from my bedroom in the middle of the night. I was awakened numerous times by the approach of the locomotive and the shrill blast of the train whistle.
There were nights when the train didn't travel by my bedroom. It seems that I missed the event so much that I replaced it with nightmares about the train stopping and the engineer chasing me through the night.
I returned with my new bride to this family ranch house in the early 1980s. We both saw the old steam locomotive make its last few runs at that time. In 2012 there is nothing to suggest that it ever happened. Even the tracks have been removed.
I was the new bride!
ReplyDeleteIt's a damn shame that we don't have a railroad system like the one they have in Europe. I traveled all over on it. One of the best things I've ever done.
I also remember our trip to Minnesota on the train. I think I was six at the time. I remember sleeping in our own little compartment and eating in the dining car. Would like to go somewhere on an overnight train again sometime and be rocked to sleep by the motion of the train.
This conversation made my day!
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