A Nice Saturday Afternoon in May '00

It's unusually warm for late May. Blue sky and just a few puffy clouds on the horizon. At the station, a small group awaits the arrival of the daily train from the east. On the porch an old black dog lies in the shade. The calm is broken by the piecing sound of a steam whistle as the westbound approaches the road crossing east of the depot.The train arrives and the engineer pulls past the station a few feet so that the tender can take on water. A dozen or so passengers (young, old, and children) disembark from the cars. The fireman fills the tender to overflowing and the water cascades down the side of the car. The engineer and fireman climb down and inspect the engine and then meet the conductor and check the time. The conductor brings them cold drinks from a cooler in one of the passenger cars and they climb back up on the engine. The conductor gives them the "highball" and the engineer gives two pulls on the whistle and releases the air brakes. The engine chugs off and heads west to the next station stop.
This scene could have occurred at most any railroad station in the country a century ago in May 1900. Instead it occurred just a few hours ago at the Cumbres station in Colorado. I sat on the bench in the shade and watched it happen -- it was difficult to believe it could still occur now as it did one hundred years ago. Many, many thanks to all of those who still believe that the wonders of the past can be experienced in this electronic age, and who worked so hard these past few months to make it happen once again.