All Aboard!

"All Aboard!"
Echoes of journey's beginning
Sun glancing off polished metal
Steel, brass, copper
Steam hissing
Piston learches
"Whomp-Whump"
Dull throb of power
Felt more than heard

Movement
Inches at a time, slow acceleration
"Whomp-Whump...Whomp-Whump"
Wheels slip
Metallic screech carries down the rail
Momentum builds
The journey begins...only,
I watch as the train pulls away
Here, glued to the ground
Sounds of progress fading in the distance
I feel a drop of rain

I am having a bit of a melancholy morning today and I am feeling like I am missing opportunities ... actually, I know that I am missing opportunities and most of that is due to circumstances that might appear to be beyond my control. There is not much more to say about this other than this just came to mind for some reason.

I always liked steam power so as soon as the words "All Aboard!" were in front of me the rest just followed along. So while I am expressing a feeling of missing something I also am recollecting summers past.

My Grandfather had a steam tractor, 1908 I think it was built. I recall times of traveling with him to rural fairs around the area. We would load the tractor onto a flatbed to float it around most times. We would set up the tractor on old threshers or stone crushers ...whatever old equipment that may have been available and would normally have been belt driven by a steam engine. So it was definitely a working unit, they don't built them like they used to...actually they don't build them at all.

There were a few times that were took the tractor to the local fair by driving it along the shoulder of the road. I always remember the big hill along the way. As we would approach the hill he would syphon more water into the boiler and I would stoke the fire hotter to get the steam pressure to maximum...we needed it. The trouble was always that we would build up too much of a head of steam, (no "head of steam" cliche here, this was the real thing), and as we peaked and started to head down, coasting and not using steam, the pressure relief would blow. That was always a startling thing even though it was expected.

We still have the engine but it does not get fired up any more. Too much red tape to try to bring these relics to fairs anymore, safety concerns with old boilers and all, fuel costs to float them around.

Those were the days.

Jeff.