Really not much "there" there for there be anything to be.
Posted on 07/04/2022 6:40:37 AM PDT by Rummyfan
Mendon, Missouri. Population 171. There’s really nothing here. The tiny town is located off Route 11, just south of Yellow Creek. You’re three hours west of Saint Louis, two hours east of Kansas City.
It’s quiet. No attractions. No major landmarks. Nobody famous ever lived here unless you count Vern Kennedy, right-hander for the White Sox, circa 1934.
If you’re looking for entertainment in Mendon, your main option is Busch Light. But you’ll have to drive all the way to Brunswick to find a liquor store.
“We are just country folk,” said Mendon native Carol Ann Wamsley, “and that’s what makes us a special place.”
At its heart, Mendon is a railroad town. The first iron tracks were laid in 1887. Within a decade, a town sprang up. You had a few dozen storefronts, a school, a newspaper, and a couple churches with steeply conflicting views on eternal damnation. Most of that is gone now.
Today, the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad line still passes the northwest side of the community, only now it’s the Southern Transcon Railroad.
The Amtrak Southwest Chief runs through town regularly. On summer afternoons you can see the Amtrak locomotive in the distance, racing across the prairie like a polished chromium bullet. But the train never stops here. It just keeps moving.
Until last week.
It was a Monday that will live in infamy. The Southwest Chief made an unexpected stop near Mendon, of all places.
The Chief was traveling 87 mph, bound for Chicago. There were more people aboard than there are living within Mendon’s city limits.
Up ahead a dump truck was on the tracks. The truck was obstructing the crossing of County Road 113. This was not a small truck. This was a vehicle about the size of a Sonic Drive-In.
(Excerpt) Read more at seandietrich.com ...
Passenger trains need seatbelts... and/or airbags...
Excellent story.
Agreed, great story.
Lovely article.
Excellent,cell written article about the heartbeat of America. Thank you for posting it. God bless you and your family.
Riding Brit Rail, heading north out of London, dozing when the entire train shook violently and all sorts of dust and debris flew up. The train stopped quickly and we all sat there wondering what the heck happened.
Several bells were run and EVERY staff member onboard ran past to the rear. I was in First so I got to see all this stuff.
Announcement made saying the train derailed and stay onboard, assistance was on the way.
Assured no fire, no threat.
Second train arrived about an hour and a half later and we transferred trains. Saw the rail damage and saw the cars off the rails. We were lucky because we didn’t roll over and first class was off the rails the most.
Staff came by and gave us paperwork to make a claim for our train ticket. I filled out the paperwork and received a letter from Brit Rail sent to my US address.
Nice letter EXCEPT they said because I live in the states it is more than likely I would never use the refund so my refund request was denied. Boy howdy, I let them know how wrong they were. I traveled to London once a month and used Brit Rail when headed north. They apologized and sent me the refund that I used within the next two weeks.
I enjoy his “slice of life” daily pieces. A very uplifting writer.
This writer’s name is Sean Dietrich. He files a better report than 99% of the so-called “reporters” in the print media today. If only we had this thorough background analysis of the lies that spew nonstop out of Washington ....
Yes, the article is good in lots of aspects yet he still conflates some details about the railroad. He is historically correct that it was originally the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (AT&SF) and became the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) with a merger in the 90s. Along the way, the route from the West Coast to Chicago became known as the Southern Transcon but the railroad’s actual name has not changed. Also, AMTRAK uses the line as a result of the 1971 act that formed AMTRAK to take over passenger operations from the respective operating railroads.
This is the kind of story that would make AOC’s head explode. Except most of her constituents in Bronx and Queens are really no different than the people of Mendon, regardless of their age, race, sex, or national origin. She’s the one that’s different.
“your main option is Busch Light.”
Oh Lord.
Trump is a Mendonite.
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