Remembering Steam and Martha

As I sat in the numerous hospital waiting rooms while Martha was battling time, I recalled all of the cool stories that Martha had shared with me about her love of trains and the numerous trips she had taken aboard them. Whenever I returned from a trip chasing steel Martha would ask if she could see my photos.

In particular, she shared the stories of the steam engines that she remembered from her childhood which were prelevant during the 1930s to the 1950s, so as we waited and wondered about the prospects of her recovery I worked on the following images of the former ATSF No. 3751 to feel a little closer to her:

The Santa Fe 3751 leads the southbound San Diego Steam Special II into a curve in Encinitas, CA on May 1, 2010 .

The Photographer - On May 8, 2010, National Train Day, the 3751 poses at Los Angeles Union Station and drew quite a crowd of photographers.

The San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society’s former Santa Fe 3751, up to pressure and raring to go, is the star attraction in the early morning hours of National Train Day as she waits for departure to San Bernardino, California.

Update on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 9:36PM by Joe Perry

I got clearance (and the idea) of posting a photo of Martha “railfanning” with her two of her grandkids at the Amtrak station in Fullerton while they waited for the Desert Wind to take them on one of her many trips to Las Vegas, Nevada on August 19, 1994, from Deb. (REMEMBER THE DESERT WIND?)

Martha and her and two grandkids railfan while waiting for the Desert Wind at Fullerton, California on August 19, 1994.

Comments

[rose ramirez]

did you go with aunt martha on any train rides in recent years? we also have stories of my grandmother riding the train to go to dances...

[Christine]

I to remember my Mom's stories of when she was a young girl. It was like taking a trip back in time with her. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.

[kathy]

I remember Mom was going to Minnesota to spend Christmas with Tina and Michael, Debbie and I were on the train giving Mom instructions as to transferring in Oregon. I stepped out the train and yelled " ALL ABOARD!" Mom sat down right away and told Debbie you need to get off because the train is taking off. Debbie, LOL, said, "Don't worry Mom. That's just Kathy!" Mom said, "Why did she do that?" and then just laughed. We had great times. I love my Mom and she knew it.