“That makes me think of another funny story. An old mountain man up here had heard that the train had come through. You know how mountain people always would stop and pick you up if they had a wagon full of cabbages or potatoes and you were trudging along the road. I think he thought he’d get a ride on the train. He wanted to go to Marion. He went down to the first tunnel here and stood there until the train came thundering around the mountain and went right on into the tunnel. Later somebody asked him about it, and he said, “Well, he weren’t neighborly at all. He see’d me a-standing there. He just said a lout ‘T-o-o-t’ and run right straight in his hole.”
—Louisa Duls – “Mountain Voices”
Love the story about the train. For the last several years Paul’s been dedicating the month of November to train songs on the Blind Pig and The Acorn YouTube channel. You can hear the songs here.
Some of them are real tear jerkers like this one and some of them, like this one, move along so fast you have to tap your foot.
Last night’s video: First Fall Garden Tour – Finding Joy in the Little Things.
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Thank you, Tipper, for sharing Louisa Dul’s fine train story. I especially enjoyed the gentle reminder carried within the story that the lenses of our cultural expectations may not be worn by everyone we meet. The old mountain man interpreted the train’s failure to stop for him as a lack of neighborliness. The train engineer probably thought he was being neighborly when he greeted the old man with a “lout ‘T-o-o-t’” before he “run right straight in his hole.”
I like trains. It seems to me that they are such hopeful things. Trains carry from here to there and back again goods to use and people to love, sorrows to share, dreams to inspire, and joys to lift the heart. Yes, indeed. I like trains.
I just know there are a bunch of your fans that feel they have a lot in common with you! I definitely know that me & my family have a lot in common with you! My goodness the first thing I see is a train, and we live very near a train track.that is still being used . When I was a little girl, I remember there was a passenger train! You may remember me telling you my husband & I live in my childhood home that daddy built in 1946. Forgive me if I remind you a million more times. Haha
When my daughters were little, they loved to spend every weekend with Mawmaw. They called the local train, Mawmaws train! 🙂
Oh and the city we live in is Marion! But not the same Marion as the one listed above.
Hug Granny for me. We love y’all
I love trains . I will go out of my way to sit and watch one go by. I live in Pittsburgh PA, we had many when I was younger, now not so many. On a quiet night I can occasionally hear one in the distance, the sound of the horn really carries.
Here’s a story regarding my 2nd great grandfather Evan T. Davis, as told by Velma Davis Wolfenbarger, daughter of Allan Davis. My Davis clan is out of Big Pine, Madison County North Carolina. “Grandpaw Evan Davis told his sons Jason, Allan, and the others that if they hurried and got the corn cut and hauled in, they could go way on top of the mountain to see a train. Usually they could only hear it. They went up on top and saw the train way down below. One of the boys said, “There it is pap.” When it appeared to be going into a hole (tunnel) he went on to say “Let’s go dig it out, I bet it has a little one.”
Tipper, I haven’t seen a post from Ed Ammons lately or maybe I’ve missed them! Just curious.
I’ve listened to all of Paul’s train songs and enjoyed them all.
Blessing to all.
About trains, if you see, or have seen, the movie “Fireproof” (I think I’m remembering correctly.) there is a crash at a train crossing. At first, when trying to film it, they had no train. But someone nearby who could see what they were doing aambled over, got acquainted and asked, “Would you like to have a train ?” He had the capability to furnish one – and did. There are several such-like stories of “coincidences” (which, it has been said, is God working anonymously) behind the scenes of that Kendrick Brothers movie. Not a train flagged down but one sent special.
I am concerned or just plain nosey about a member that has not posted any comments lately. It is Ed Amon. Does anyone know if he is alright? Seems like I remember him mentioning having some test done. If this is private information that he does want given out, I understand. I hope I got his last name correct.
My reason for saying concerned and not nosey is because of my neighbor saying to me when we ask each about someone and her telling me “we are not being nosey just concerned.” I tell her sometimes nosey and concerned are a lot alike.
I enjoyed this story and the comments, but especially the photo of that lonely track. That’s a story in itself.
When I was a young girl, I once told my mama that I remembered a train going by our house and a man tossing me candy. I wasn’t sure if it was a memory or a dream. There was a train that came through our neighborhood occasionally back then. It stopped running through as I got older, but the tracks are still there. My mama told me my memory was partially true and partially a little mixed up… that when I was about 3 years old, we had lived in a little town beside a sweet couple…and the man worked for the railroad. He always wore a striped hat to work like the ones you may see for sale at a train station shop. Mama said many times he would come home from work and get out of his car toting a tiny paper sack of penny candy for me. He would hand it to me on his way in his house for supper. I guess I must have been told he worked for the railroad or heard them talking about it because I always remembered his striped hat. Thanks for making me think about that. I just love to go to Cass Railroad state park here in WV, and ride the old coal engine train up the mountain. They stop at the top for a picnic lunch and then bring you back down. There’s a shop where you can buy souvenirs, candy and even railroad hats!
I always think about the trains that carried our troops to their overseas embarkments. Trains have served us well all over the world. I met a man on a horseback trip that was a locomotive salesman, not many of those around. Interesting conversation.
Loved this story.The train just went tooooot and pass him. (funny) Talking about train songs remember the song O black train. ( which was the devil) . Say hi to Granny. we love her and prayers for her a d all your family.
God bless Granny and Katie they seem to be facing challenges ♥️✝️
I have always loved trains. Where we live we can hear the faint sound of the horn about once a day. It always sounds so sad to me. Prayers for all. Take care and God bless ❣️
That’s a cute story!
Nope, not neighborly at all! Now, that’s funny.
I love trains…when I was a kid in Ivy Log we could hear the train whistle as it went through Culberson..my mother’s first washing machine came from Chicago via Spiegle mail order catalog to the train station in Murphy. Sylvan Owenby picked it up with his new 1947 Ford ton-and-a-half.
I have ridden trains all over Japan, Scotland, Wales and England. Biggest thrill was riding behind the steam engine ole 1702 round trip from Bryson City to Nantahala..Ride that train! Johnny Cash said to!!!
Cute story about the mountain man trying to get to Marion, as told by Louisa Duls.
Trains always remind me of my Italian grandfather, affectionately we called Nanu. He worked for the Reading Railroad (yes, the one on the Monopoly board) for many years after coming to America from Belmonte Mezzagno, Palermo in Sicily. Due to his career, he received lifetime free passes for himself and his family.
What a huge treat it was for us when he would take us to ride the train from the station in Reading, PA to Philadelphia. It’s only a 50-minute drive by car, but way more fun if we were with Nanu on these glorious train rides. I remember thinking the trees were so pretty as we whisked by them.
Once in Philly, we would always go to the Italian Market on South Street to buy treats like cannoli or anise biscotti and nice and refreshing flavored ice. I always got cherry. Nanu always bought extra treats nicely boxed up and tied with string to take home to Nana. We hated it when it was time to leave but looked forward to getting on that train again for the ride home.
Thanks for spurring this memory in me by the mountain man train story, Tipper! I can almost taste the cannoli now!
Be well,
Theresa
Drove from Mannheim, Germany, to Palermo and Sferracavallo with an army buddy from Newark to visit his family. Both parents had come from Sferracavallo, so there were scads of relatives he was to meet for the first time. We had a memorable trip in my 1950 Chevvy. Those were the days…
Love the story. I heard from an Aunt that my dad, when he wanted to go to the big city, some 50 miles from home, he would hop a train. He was 12 years old.
I like the train songs and have listen to them in the past. My comment has more to do with the man trying to flag the train down. I remember when it was common to pick up “hitchhikers” or stop and try to help someone on the side of the road with car trouble. These people would appreciate you helping them. You can no longer do this, in today’s world, there would be a good chance you would be robbed, killed and have your car stolen. What is even sadder to me, is it being especially dangerous to stop and try to help a women. It “kills” me to pass by and not stop and help a women with a tire trouble on the side of the road. The only comfort is most everyone now has a cell phone. A woman can be sitting a man up to be robbed or maybe killed or ruin an innocent good man by telling lies about him trying to assault her. I almost said lady but wrote woman, a woman that would do this is no lady. A few “bad apples” can spoil it for everyone. Our world has changed in my lifetime, but a whole of heap of the changes have not been for the better.
When I was young , an older black couple lived in our community, Frank and Mary, they had no car and Frank had a crippled leg , many times Aunt Mary would being walking to the closest country store to to buy a few groceries and try to tote them home. If any of the local people saw her, they would ALWAYs stop and give her a ride or someone at the store would take her and her groceries back to her home. Frank and Mary were loved by all. I did this several times when I was a teenager and had started legally driving.
Loved your garden tour yesterday. Your appreciation of even the smallest of flowers is to be admired. I DO NOT know how you remember every name…I know, Katie or Corie is standing behind the camera with the name written on a card…LOL…just kidding. By seeing the, what I guess is a drone, side of the mountain and how close your house is to it, I can now see the need to put raised beds up there. I am sure you two are already planning where to put what next spring. I am planning to put acorn squash seeds in later today and see if we still have enough time before the cold sets in and kills ’em. On a personal side, I hope it is ok to send cards to Granny via your address. Get ready, fall is a comin’…God Bless