After reporting on the air horn theft at NCTM, I wanted to share with you guys something good. This happened to me yesterday, and it that reaffirmed my belief that what we're doing is a good thing.

I was the fireman du jour and Paul Hess, who has also been a volunteer since 1986, was the engineer. On our 1:30 p.m. run, we had a special kid who came and rode the engine cab with us. He's 10 and lives in Virgina with his mom, dad and two siblings. He's got relatives on both sides who worked for the N&W, one of them helping to build the Js in Roanoke. The lad is also fighting a brian tumor.

This boy's dream was to ride the cab of a working steam engine. When he climbed up into the cab of our Shay, with his engineer's hat and steam engine belt buckle, I could tell he was really into it. We showed him around the cab and got him settled into my seat on the fireman's side of the 1925. We gave him appropriate turns on the bell and whistle. He helped me with the injector and while we were in the station, he even tossed a couple of scoops of coal.

Pam, my wife, was on hand to lend a hand, and she was on the platform when the little fellow let it be known that we'd "made his year."

If the truth be known, he made ours.



http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

Stories like this are nice. It could have been any one of us when we were that age too!!

Thanks for sharing the story. I get letters and calls like that from time to time regarding videos of ours people have watched and how it has helped their kids, etc. It energises us for another year or so as well.

Will we see you next weekend shayman?

Greg Scholl

sales@gregschollvideo.com