Hey Group,
I was at my Girlfriend's Parent's house yesterday and, upon going through their
attic, her Dad showed me this small birdhouse on a back shelf and said I might
find it interesting. It was a somewhat ornate birdhouse that was obviously
hand crafted and he told me he got it as a housewarming gift from a friend of
his Father's (his dad was a signalman for the C&NW for over 30 years). I
thought, that's cool but so what? That's when I looked on the back and on the
browned out, newsprint was a little note type written by the gentleman who made
it (who was probably the father of the man who gave it away?). It read:
"This birdhouse is built from lumber salvaged from the new union station in
Chicago. I ran the first train into the new station when it was open for
business. I retired in 1932 after 55 years of service with the CB&Q railroad.
When I made my last trip I put this little poem on my cash report.
As I bid you farewell today
Let there be no sighs or tears
For I am neither blind, lame, or old
But I have served you many years
Well have I served you willing
Through storms and rain and snow
And now that I am leaving you
I regret that I must go
A life of care has been my lot
I have always done my best
And now the time has come for me
To receive my long earned rest."
It wasn't much but few things I've ever read have been so eloquently put and
that could so simply describe a life long career or railroading. Its hard to
imagine the things this gentleman saw in his 55 years on the Q. Imagine hiring
out on 1877 where the "East End" is a mere 13 years old, air brakes were still
a novelty, and link and pin couplers were the norm. Anyway, there was no name
on the birdhouse or the poem so if anybody has any idea who might have either
written the poem and/or who the conductor was that would be cool (shot in the
dark, I know). But, if anything, this a neat little blurb from way back in the
Q days and was rather moving.
Enjoy
Jeff D.
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