I’d be about 12, on our first visit to the EBT in 1964. Was climbing around those hoppers on the siding immediately south of the coaling chute, and IIR there’s a little creek that runs under the tracks. I climbed between the cars and was about to jump down when I spied this BIG dark snake. Had its jaws wide open, and my first thought was Cottonmouth. Yikes! He had obviously heard me long before I saw him, but he scurried off into the creek while I hightailed it the other way. It was probably a northern water snake as I found out later, and non-venomous. I’ve never been scared of snakes but with lottsa rattlesnakes etc around I wasn’t taking any chances.
Cheers,
Ralph