My dad's the reason I got into trains. From the first model he gave to me for Christmas when I was three years old, I was hooked. I remember when he went into the railroad industry, he would get all kinds of promotional material and memorobelia and would bring it home to me. I can't tell you how many maps, and books, and calendars I ended up with, and still have after all these years.
I remember going on train chases with dad, and how much fun they were. Often, we'd chase trains from Deramus Yard in Shreveport, nearly to Vivian before having to cut away and return home. In later years, he'd often ask about my website, and who all had been sending me e-mails from what part of the country or world.
I have some of his photographs of trains on my site, which to this day brings either a smile to my face or a tear to my eye, because I was with him when he took those pictures. There were also many times in later years when we were out together when I took pictures, and some of those I remember the fun we had.
Any time I carried a stack of pictures in to him, he'd look at with fondness, and ask where they were taken, or how much horsepower the locomotive had, or how old or new it was. That was often our way of bonding.
Though his body was ravaged by the strains of Multiple Sclerosis, he managed many times to stay out with me for hours, riding around looking at trains, taking pictures, or reminiscing about times when I was younger. Though he had his bad days like everyone else does, he managed to retain a positive attitude in the face of difficult circumstances, and he held on to a strong, mountain-moving faith that continues to be a legacy to those who loved him.
So, this site is a gift to him, and his memory.
I love you, and I'll see you again some day.
Thanks for everything.
Brian, June 7, 2007
