When I was two years old, my parents moved into a house next to the Missouri Pacific yard in Carthage, MO. The first time that I saw a train go by, I was hooked. I attended Hawthorne Elementary school, a block away, and I watched trains from the playground. I don’t recommend it, now, but, when I was old enough to roam the neighborhood, I visited the railroad yard a lot. I stayed my distance when things were active, but I could be found just about anywhere when it was quiet. Eventually, I got to know some of the men working on the traveling switch engine and got some “authorized” time on the engine and caboose.

I have fond childhood memories of seeing the flashing train order signal at the depot. It was four or five blocks away, but when there were no cars on the old siding, I could easily see the signal for trains coming from Webb City. It seemed to beckon me to the railroad as it flashed in the darkness. I listened to the local leaving town headed for Joplin as the engineer blew the old single note horn on his lead GP7 for crossing after crossing. I watched them switch cars and enjoyed the loud bang when the cars coupled. For many, many years, the engine assigned to the Carthage TSE was left idling day and night, seven days a week. I can still hear the chant of an EMD 567 prime mover idling the hours away waiting for the crew to come back to work. As I walked in the yard, I inspected the locomotives up close and checked out all of the cars sitting there waiting for their next movement. I lived and breathed railroading and couldn’t wait for the day. So, when high school graduation and my 18th birthday came along, I headed to the MP trainmaster’s office to start my career.

Alas, the world can be a fickle place and it took me two years to get that railroad job. In the process, I learned that you can’t expect the railroad to call you. I finally decided to pester them until they told me I was hired or to never come back. It didn’t go down quite as planned, but I was hired as a trainman at Coffeyville, KS in August 1978. After working there for six months, I was able to transfer to Carthage. I spent many happy years there and even survived the merger with UP. But, nothing lasts forever and I accepted an invitation I couldn’t pass up to move to Kansas City.

Fast forward to 2013. I retired in August, completing a 35 year career. I moved to the farm in rural Dade County Missouri. But, that was not the end of my railroad experiences. Like they say, you can take the boy out of the railroad, but you can’t take the railroad out of the boy. In March 2015, with the blessings of my wife, I ended my search and purchased a Missouri Pacific caboose. MP 13569, an International Car Co. Extended Vision caboose, was tired of residing in Atchison, KS and it began its somewhat slow journey to my farm. It’s pretty cool to have a caboose out behind the shop.

As I look back on my career, I am most fond of my days on the Missouri Pacific. I have no animosity towards the Union Pacific. I was proud to work there and the paycheck never bounced. But, my ties to the MP run very deep. Added to that is the style of railroading that ruled the day back then. I truly miss the days when the SD40-2 reigned supreme as motive power, every train had a caboose and there were people instead of machines to do many of the daily chores.

Originally posted by Charlie Duckworth, 11 July, 2014