About the Author
This story was written by my uncle, Dick Lupo. He was born in 1925 and was 80 this December. In WWII, he saw action in the Philippine Islands Campaign and was present in Tokyo Bay when Japan officially surrendered in September, 1945. He is a graduate of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama; otherwise, he is self-educated. His special interest is motion pictures and especially American Westerns. During his lifetime he has had the good fortune to correspond with a great number of motion picture actors and other show business personalities.
Dick held several jobs before settling into construction work. He was an usher and later a manager of a local movie theater in the 1940's. He has two daughters. His wife, Ramona, died in th 1970's and he has never remarried.
All Aboard
I finished my junior year of high school in May of 1943 and I took a job offer for June, July and August as supply-man, general flunky at the Central of Georgia Railroads Roundhouse in Columbus, Georgia. This would give me the monies I would need for my senior year. From 11:00pm to 7:00am, all I had to do was to supply each outgoing engine locomotive with a keg full of ice water, long rake, short rake, seven flares, seven torpedoes, valve oil, engine oil and anything the drive crew would need. But one thing was certain as I found out later – these babies could eat up tons of coal in a night's run! After five pounds of steam was built, the automatic stokers would kick in, funneling coal into the firebox in a corkscrew motion.
When I walked up to this number 450 series of mountain type engine with their eight foot drive wheels, I knew how John Ford felt when he made “The Iron Horse” in 1924. This behemoth was symbolic of the full power of the United States of America. It breathed fire and smoke and blew steam out its nostrils. And all from a lump of coal! As the weeks and months passed, I grew more proficient in my duties and I would get ahead in my work so I could ride with the switch engineers called "hostler".
One night we were taking the "Seminole" passenger train engine to the "Y" and turn it around railroad fashion. Once the monster 450 engine was headed for the depot, the hostler motioned for me to take over as engineer. I had learned about throttles and Johnson Bars and air brakes and jumped at a chance to drive this iron horse. When we glided through the depot with the steam bell clanging, I leaned out the window like Casey Jones and there at the depot were the Gordys from across the street from my house. My summer was made. They didn’t see me – they saw who I wanted to be!
All aboard!!!