We Screamed and Screamed!

11/24/02 Copyright RUMBLE ON CLYDESDALE STREET

Chapter 11 “We screamed and screamed waving all of the time.”

The railway tracks and Still Creek never failed to fire up little kids imaginations. We would put our ears on the tracks waiting to hear the hum and buzzing from the rails. It was a zinging sound, magnifying, as the train got closer. It tickled the ears sending vibrations into the nose.

When the faintest sound was heard we went wild with excitement. All of us stood screaming as the big train came into sight. There was the sun bright light coming silently down the tracks. It grew larger with every moment. The fast approaching ball of light was as if the sun was rushing down the tracks soon to engulf our waving souls. Soon it was upon us.

The ground shook. The rails were buckling with the weight. The smelly-creosoted wood ties digging deep into the gravel bed were awesome to watch. The vibration was so pronounced we bounced were we stood. The sounds were so loud we could not hear ourselves. We screamed and screamed waving all of the time.

We would raise our arms and pretend to pull the whistle cord. The Engineer responded in kind blowing the whistle in short bursts. We knew it wasn’t directly in response to our wishes. There was the Boundary Road crossing coming and the smiling Engineer had to blow the whistle anyway. The kids did not care why. Believing in our efforts made our day.

The mournful sound of the big engine’s signal was mesmerizing. The train was howling, clacking, and the swooshing of the passing cars intoxicated our senses. There could be nothing so exhilarating. As the train would sweep by we tried to stand as close to the rails as possible. Dare double dare. Our pants remained dry most of the time. Then silence.

As the train disappeared on the horizon we stood there in our thoughts. Our little bodies still vibrated from the sudden rush of sound and movement. Were did that wonderful huge awesome train go? Throughout the day kids kept reliving the moment as many times as we could. Toot. Toot.

The horizon, with the vanishing rails kept our deepest desires alive even at bedtime. Kids said they lay awake for hours fantasizing jumping onto the train and letting it take them off into the distant not knowing where that was. I was one. Lying awake imagining the journey was so exhilarating. How exactly to jump onto the train never came up.

The haunting trains could be heard from all our houses into the late night. Clicking down the track they would go. Click-Clack. Click-Clack. When asleep, it was not hard to awaken to the wailing whistles and pretend we were the Engineer’s guiding the way to that unknown destination “Some-Where-Ville”.

Our parents were most annoyed when all the kitchen chairs were lined up like rail cars. Tied together with butcher’s string they created the occasional scene when parents attempted to put them back where they belonged.

Everyone wanted a little wooden train for their birthday but the chairs could carry the cat, the cut logs for the kitchen stove, and other goods of transport. Putting everything back where it belonged was usually left to the parent’s, as we all would disperse to hunt for worms in the garden.

Much later Jimmy and I would discover where the rails went as we both exercised our curiosity about Still Creek, it’s fish, tadpoles, frogs, snakes, and muskrats. The tracks and the Creek ran in the same direction east and west. We would choose east towards Burnaby Lake. Brave as we were it would take a little more time.

Meanwhile the train was a golden part of every kid’s desires. Everyone had a different story on what riding the rails personally offered. All the stories we told came down to the same thing. The tracks led to the unknown and it was paramount kids discovered the unknown. Driving curiosity fueled our passion for both discovery and learning. It also got some of us in lots of trouble.

One thing for sure, our collection of flattened pennies was piling up.

Copyright
RGT