In my dream world Utah is strumming everyday and Shep is on the radio every night.

There are a number of Shep train stories that have been preserved by radio archivists and made available on the web. No single link has them all, so go Googlin'

I love all his work, but what always strikes me no matter how many times I hear his stories is the way railroads and streetcars are woven in because they were a constant part of the scene. In some ways, I like this better than the stores about trains, as they help me fabricate a mental picture of an era when local industries switched daily by trains, steel mills and corner taverns were commonplace.

Today, I seek these things to find what's left. Nothing puts me in a better mood for urban exploring, field research or an evening in an old man bar than Shep.

Utah gets me too riled up to focus on anything else. Don't let me listen to him an visit the Johnny Mitchell statue in Scranton on the same day. ;-)

Rob

One of my great memories of working during the various summers on the Black River & Western back in the mid 1970’s was tuning into WOR at 10:15 at night and listening to Jean Shepherd before going to bed in one of the cabooses or the doodlebug (4666 had a bed in the baggage room). Sometimes on a hot night, I would sit on the station platform listening to the stories about the mythical land of steel mills in Hammond Indianan, the 6XJ7, that day in New York, Flick, or just Shep singing the Bear mist the train. I was living in New Hope Pa at the time but could not pick up WOR that far west. One of the engineers and I had a plan to meet Jean Shepherd, (I think it was either Don Smith or L V Rockafellow). We liberated some BR&W stationary from the office and wrote to Shep inviting him for a cab ride in a real steam locomotive. At the time Jean Shepherd was doing his New Jersey TV show for WNJT in Trenton (Shepherds Pie?). Jean Shepherd never wrote back, but we did get a letter from the station thanking us for our pledge and support for WNJT, and a handy tote bag. Always thought Shep would have loved a cab ride in BR&W 60. "...Excelsior you fat heads!..."
David Notarius, London UK, ex New Hope Pa

Wow. I could see Les Rockafellow being a Shep listener, but DD Smith?

Shep was my usual audio companion during many long hours in the B&W darkroom, processing negs and prints of lates 60s-early 70s steam operations in the Northeast. I have 3 of his hardcover books autographed (someplace).

Ah, "the Flagship! Route 22, Union, NJ. Open from 10 am till 5 the next morning!"

Howard P.

You'd be surprised how many guys on the BR&W, or railfans on the east coast were into Shep. Once I was in a car full of RMC guys, loaded with camera’s and root beer floats, down from Carstens, playing a Jean Shepherd tape in the car (Margate Elephant) chasing a Bel-Del north bound freight being pulled by seven Penn Central GP30's, as we were flying up route 29 in a station wagon. Another time I saw a Morris County Central conductor reading Wanda Hickie’s Night of Golden Memories on a train in New Foundland, and a bunch of guys at Princeton Jct waiting to photograph some GG1’s in a heated discussion about the previous nights show. And lest not forget the NJ Transit E unit that had Flick Lives! , written inside the cab, neatly with a magic marker under the Danger 600 volt sign. (OT)
So Howard, if you know Rocky & Don, where you around back in the 70’s?
David Notarius, London UK

How many people here know that the L&N issued record of the General was a recording job the railroad commissioned to O. Winston Link? I have it (and Link's other material) on vinyl, but I believe this is also on the digital re-release that is available as a boxed set.

"I think I can, I think I can,. . ."

Link himself sold this as something like "Volume 6" in his series; Volume 7 would be the last issued record, "Mainline to Panther," which featured a ride on a caboose cut in behind the tender of one of the later class A 2-6-6-4's speeding along with a time freight. Notable bits on that record included commentary by Link on the scenery, the lights in the very early morning, and the brakeman's powerful cigar. The climax is the A and its crew attempting to climb Blue Ridge with a train overloaded at something like 20% over the rated tonnage! They almost make it! Uneven track on a switch and loss of momentum finally defeat the locomotive and crew within sight of the station at the summit, and assistance comes from a summoned Y-6 pusher. With that other engine shoving on the rear end, there's plenty of power and the start is easy and fast.

I remember listening to Shep in high school. I'd finish my homework and instead of watching TV at 10:00, tune into WOR. I used to record his shows on my 8-track recorder so I could listen later but sadly gave them to a family friend when I left for college never to see them again.

For my first wedding anniversary my wife sent copies of his books down to him on Sanibel Island and he autographed and personalized each one for me. I particularly remember him talking about the Monon Railroad shifting cars in "Holhman" Indiana. Or the story about being on the troop train and having Flick or Schwartz swing down to get some beer only to have the signal clear and the train start to move while they were on the ground.

I though his memories only lived on through 'The Christmas Story" nice to see that so many people here appreciated his storytelling. Truly the Mark Twain of our time.

Michael Thomas

Jean Shepherd's first PBS series, "Jean Shepherd's America" had a couple of railroad related episodes. One in particular episode was done in Wyoming and featured one of the Union Pacific's "City" trains both on and off the train. It's a shame that PBS doesn't offer the series on DVD (or the later Shepherd's Pie).

OK, this does have a railroad preservation connection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rke5xFNO0og

because it was

The Official Route to SO many places west of the Hudson! BR&W, NH&I, Strasburg, High Iron, Jim Chunk, Bethlehem, you name it!

Howard P.
Circle Diner, NJ

I'm not surprised to find that Shep has an audience wider than WOR ever could have thought! Seems most of us of a particular age had transistor radios under our pillows listening to him spin tales, and I'm proud to say many of the volunteers at ELDCPS are counted among his legions.

The programs related to railroads may well be lurking in this trove of podcasts:
http://jeanshepherdpodcast.blogspot.com/

(cue "Bahn Frei"!)

As to those other, younger unfortunates who missed out, I recently had to explain at a worksession that the phrase "Excelsior, you Fathead!" was not necessarily an insult! ;^)

I was a radio DJ 1969 to 1986. Shep was the best & inspired me to get into radio. Had to quit when the program directors would no longer let me choose any of the music played. I have fond memories of seeing Shep live at a college near Philly. I actually taped his performance on a little Aiwa reel to reel recorder. Wish I knew where that tape is.

The recording was done on the locomotive's first run after restoration, designed to be a test run by the L&N to figure out fuel and water consumption rates, among other things. The trip ran from Louisville down the mainline to Lebanon Jct., KY to Lebanon, KY. The "tran" (The General and Jim Crow combine 665" then backed down the Greensburg Branch so Link could record the locomotive in a tunnel (the branch had a short tunnel).

Of course, part of the Lebanon Branch, from just north of Boston, KY to New Hope, Ky is preserved by the Kentucky Railway Museum. The remainder of the line to Lebanon and the Greensburg branch were torn up.

From what I've read and learned from someone on that trip, the trip took a lot longer than anticipated, with and arrival back in Louisville late that night.

Hi Guys; I think Shep is important to us in the way he preserved an era of America through his stories in the same we try to do with equipment and buildings. His stories about the great Zeppelins, steel mills and even simple everyday life inspired a new generation of people willing to spend the weekend scraping rust and paint. David Notarius, London UK, just east of the Margate Elephant

PS, What if the Long Island Railroad or NJ Transit named a Locomotive for Jean? Would be nice..

Hi guys, This is a useful link for a Christmas Present that keeps on giving

http://shepcast.blogspot.co.uk

Excelsior you fatheads and to all who sail on the flagship on Route 22

David Notarius, London UK, ex New Hope Pa

Sometimes it takes a while for my brain cells to get tickled, but the tickling finally brought up a memory of another Jean Shepherd piece, a movie made for public television back in 1976. No railroad material I'm afraid, but it is classic Jean Shepherd (and my late father loved this flick), so Merry Christmas, and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVCfWbSs6O0