Loving The Pere Marquette
By James Donahue
When we lived in Harbor Beach, our house was on a hill that looked down over a golf course. Just beyond the number one fairway was the Pere Marquette Railroad track.
The train, driven by one the last of the old steam locomotives, came into our town every day at about 6 p.m., at about the time my father was getting home from his daily job and my mother was setting the table for dinner. We always knew the train was coming when its whistle sounded as it was approaching the crossing where old US-25 twisted its way out of the city.
Most of the time I liked to watch the engine and its trail of cars rumble past from my second floor bedroom window. In the summer months, when the days were fair, I often slipped out of the front door, followed a time-worn path down the hill, through a cluster of trees, and dashed between golfers across that fairway so I could be up close and wave at the engineer.
Those were the wonderful days when the engine, something in the nature of a moderate 2-5-2, always blew off excess steam as it was slowing. On one marvelous occasion, after riding my bike to the switch yard, the engineer recognized me, stopped his train, and offered me a ride in the cab of that engine.
Like any young boy of that era, I loved trains. I always had an active electric train set in my room. The walls of my bedroom were decorated with wallpaper depicting antique steam engines.
My interest in trains has never wavered. I recognize a need for a good railroad system in our country as a way of moving a lot of people. And I have been appalled to think big business interests, the railroads, and many of our government leaders don’t seem to agree with me.
I believe the railroad has always been a solution to our need for mass transportation and shipping. Rather than clutter our roads with pollution generating cars and trucks we should have followed the example chosen for Europe, China and Japan . . . replacing the old railroad systems with new, high-speed trains and good track to handle the nation’s needs.
The decision to establish the Amtrak system seemed to be like a dream coming true when approved by Congress in 1977. It was late, but I perceived that America’s dream railroad system was finally going to happen.
Instead of evolving into a new railroad system, however, Amtrak became a patched-up continuation of the old, without attracting enough business to ever generate interest in making it better. The passion for the many cars, trucks and other motorized vehicles hawked on radio and television took precedent. Over the years I have watched as the Amtrak system has cut more and more services, and communities have torn up more and more precious track.
Many of the old right-of-ways where the tracks once ran have been turned into snowmobile and bike trails. Our railroads are quickly disappearing. I never thought I would live to see the day when the magic would end.
By James Donahue
When we lived in Harbor Beach, our house was on a hill that looked down over a golf course. Just beyond the number one fairway was the Pere Marquette Railroad track.
The train, driven by one the last of the old steam locomotives, came into our town every day at about 6 p.m., at about the time my father was getting home from his daily job and my mother was setting the table for dinner. We always knew the train was coming when its whistle sounded as it was approaching the crossing where old US-25 twisted its way out of the city.
Most of the time I liked to watch the engine and its trail of cars rumble past from my second floor bedroom window. In the summer months, when the days were fair, I often slipped out of the front door, followed a time-worn path down the hill, through a cluster of trees, and dashed between golfers across that fairway so I could be up close and wave at the engineer.
Those were the wonderful days when the engine, something in the nature of a moderate 2-5-2, always blew off excess steam as it was slowing. On one marvelous occasion, after riding my bike to the switch yard, the engineer recognized me, stopped his train, and offered me a ride in the cab of that engine.
Like any young boy of that era, I loved trains. I always had an active electric train set in my room. The walls of my bedroom were decorated with wallpaper depicting antique steam engines.
My interest in trains has never wavered. I recognize a need for a good railroad system in our country as a way of moving a lot of people. And I have been appalled to think big business interests, the railroads, and many of our government leaders don’t seem to agree with me.
I believe the railroad has always been a solution to our need for mass transportation and shipping. Rather than clutter our roads with pollution generating cars and trucks we should have followed the example chosen for Europe, China and Japan . . . replacing the old railroad systems with new, high-speed trains and good track to handle the nation’s needs.
The decision to establish the Amtrak system seemed to be like a dream coming true when approved by Congress in 1977. It was late, but I perceived that America’s dream railroad system was finally going to happen.
Instead of evolving into a new railroad system, however, Amtrak became a patched-up continuation of the old, without attracting enough business to ever generate interest in making it better. The passion for the many cars, trucks and other motorized vehicles hawked on radio and television took precedent. Over the years I have watched as the Amtrak system has cut more and more services, and communities have torn up more and more precious track.
Many of the old right-of-ways where the tracks once ran have been turned into snowmobile and bike trails. Our railroads are quickly disappearing. I never thought I would live to see the day when the magic would end.