There's Nothing Like a Train!

All my life I've loved the sights and sounds

of railroads.  And I've been fortunate enough

to live within sound of train whistles almost

everywhere I've lived.  Where we are now, in

Manly -- north Southern Pines -- we are a short

walk to the train tracks.  There was a train stop

in Manly beginning in 1877, ten years before 

the town of Southern Pines was incorporated.

The sparsely settled Sandhills were a prime

source of turpentine and other forest products. 

Manly, along with Shaw's Ridge (future Southern 

Pines and Blue's Crossing(future Aberdeen)

 were the loading spots.

On Tuesday, Judy and I took Bri and Hunter

to the vacant lot nearest the tracks.  We hid

Easter eggs and played games like Frisbee

and Pine Tree Tag until we heard the first 

train whistle in the distance.  We got a good

viewing position on the high bank beside the

tracks.  We listened with anticipation as the 

rumble of the heavy locomotives drew nearer.

Bri counted 89 cars.

There's the last one.  Modern trains don't 

need a caboose or conductor.  Everything

the conductor once did is handled electronically.

 Even after the train was gone, the

excitement lingered.

The tracks are clear-- lets' take a look.

Train watching is still fun!

We talked about the rails, wooden ties, gravel

bed, and iron spikes.

The very next day, Claire and Evan got to

see the afternoon freight train and investigate

the tracks, too.

DO NOT try this at home!

Here's 14 seconds worth of the excitement

if you can stand it.

I don't think we'll go running every time

we hear a train, but I won't be surprised

if the kids ask to go again.  There's nothing

else quite like the anticipation of the rumbling

engines and clattering freight cars zooming by.