[LadyX]

What a great topic, Billie!
While aware many regulars here have heard this before, newer ones might find it interesting, and the last part of it funny.

Back at the end of the 1800's, my father's father was a railroad engineer of some prestige.
His run was between Pittsburgh (where he lived) and Washington, D.C., and advertised such dependability that for every minute they ran over the scheduled travel time, they would pay each passenger a whole dollar!!

As you can imagine, he was quite proud of his position of trust, fully dedicated to avoiding having to pay that penalty.
One very snowy winter day, he was leaning out the open window, scanning the track ahead for any possible impediment not visible through the windshield, when his upper dentures came out of his mouth and flew out into the deep snow!

HUGE DILEMMA!!
To stop the train and look for them, risking causing payments to the passengers - or to have them forever lost??!!

Without hesitation he pulled the Emergency Cord, the train abruptly grinding to a halt, yelling loudly to his fireman,
"I think I just hit a man on the track!!" - hopped down, ran back and found his dentures, not yet buried in the snow - and hopped back aboard, quickly resuming the trip.

The real miracle was he managed to make up the time, arriving in D.C. right on schedule..)

Sadly, he a few years later was pinned between two railroad cars in the yard and was badly injured, and he moved his family to Orlando for the kinder climate when my Dad was 10 years old. He died when Daddy was 17, so I never knew him.
By the way, he was credited with inventing air brakes to stop the trains, but failed to apply for the patent before another man did.

[MEG33]

Fun story and then a sad story..Thanks for sharing it, Lady.

[Just mythoughts]

What a great story. Your grandfather had his priorities in order, and I bet he always remember to keep his mouth closed when he stuck his head out the window.

I barley remember my grandfather, although I was born on his birthday and was named after him. His father was born in 1814, fought in the Civil War, and fled Kentucky after the war when his home was attacked by 'bushwhackers' and killed two of his children.

He move to MO. and remarried after his first wife died and had three more children after he achieved the age of 70. I get the strangest looks when I tell people that my ggrandfather was born in 1814.

[.30Carbine]

Great story, LadyX. I am glad you shared it, because I had not read it before, and it is a perfect addition to today's thread!

[freema]

I love your stories!

[Majie Purple]

Thanks for posing your train memory...As one of "the newer ones" i did "find it interesting! Sorry you never got to meet nor to know your GrandDadad. Sorry too am I to read of his being cruched between 2 trains...Tis a miracle he survived something like that...I'm sure you realize that too... Take care,

[Billie]

Thank you, Maggie. It's been a fun day revisiting others' train stories. :)