Next month is July, and on the Fourth, we will celebrate the 220th Birthday of our great nation. Hey, folks, we really have the greatest nation on earth, in spite of what the Freemen and the Skinheads and the rest of the members of the lunatic fringe say.
Yes, our country has problems, just as families have problems and we as individuals have problems. Probably 99% of all our problems are due to greed, if not that of someone else's, then possibly our own.
Between now and November, the Rightwingers will come up with every conceivable issue to divide us ordinary folks, hoping we will either vote for those who would take us back to the days of the sweat shops or confuse us so we'll stay home from the polls and make it easier for their candidates to win.
My old friend Ex-fireman Carl Grimes says, "The only issue that really counts is worker's rights."
He's correct, you know. Everyone not retired or ill, is a worker, or would be if decent jobs were available.
A mere two weeks after our country's birthday celebration, the Union Pacific Railroad and the people of Fort Worth and Tarrant County have another event to celebrate. July 19 is the day the Texas and Pacific's rails reached a point just east of today's Tower 55.
The story of Fort Worth and Tarrant County contributions to the railroad's arrival is summed up in a story beginning on Page One.
An interesting footnote to history is the fact that the building of both the Union Pacific and the Texas and Pacific were supervised by General Granville Dodge.
This year Fort Worth will hold its annual celebration of the event at the Stockyards and at the Texas and Pacific Depot on Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21. For more information, see the story on page eight.
DART Rail's electric trains started regular revenue service between Dallas and Oak Cliff this past week. Oak Cliff's first commuter service was the Dallas and Oak Cliff Railway. It was operated by steam in the latter part of the last century. It was replaced by the Dallas and Oak Cliff Electric Railway which was subsequently bought out by Northern Texas Traction Company.
NTTC operated an interurban line to Fort Worth and down to Cleburne, and local streetcar service in Fort Worth and Oak Cliff.
Dart Rail resumes commuter rail service after a 41- year hiatus in the Fort Worth - Dallas Area. After the successful opening days' demonstrations, most of us look forward to the day when service will be available to our own neighborhoods.
DART Rail's commencement brings the total to three electric railroads now operating in the Fort Worth - Dallas Area. In addition to DART Rail, there is the McKinney Avenue Trolley (MATA) which started using restored vintage trolley cars in 1991 and the Tandy Subway, which started life as the M & O Railroad.
The M & O was built by Fort Worth merchants Marvin and O.B. Leonard of department store fame. They built the line in 1962 to bring customers from a parking lot down on the Trinity River to a station in the basement of their Downtown Fort Worth store.
Marvin and O.B. and their store are long gone now, but their legacy to the citizens of Fort Worth lives on, providing free parking and transportation to downtown workers and nearly everyone who ls called for jury service in Tarrant County.
Tim Lowry is always good for a quote. He says, "You hear all this talk about jet-lag -- just think about railroad lag."
Dollie and Buddy Kading celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on May 30. Their address is 514 Brook Valley Lane, Dallas, 75232. Congratulations!
It looks like the powers-that-be in the Fort Worth - Dallas Area are using their combined clout to get a Highway 114 made into a freeway. I wonder if it ever occurred to them that if they constructed a DART Rail line down its median, there might not be a need a freeway, or at least they could build one with fewer lanes.
It appears there's a crowd that wants Irving's sales tax monies that now go to the city's participation in DART to instead go to improve Texas Stadium and Las Colinias.
Their energy would be better spent lobbying instead for a DART Rail connection to the stadium via the planned North Irving line.
The North Irving line could be extended along Highway 114. Sounds like a "fit" to me. All they need to do is work together.
Finances were tight and his son's sixth birthday was right around the corner. The boy asked, "When are we going to have my birthday party?"
John was disgusted and rained on the boy's parade by saying, "We aren't going to have enough money for a party."
His son looked puzzled and upset and responded, "You mean I'm going to be five forever?"
I recently lost my pocket knife my wife gave me for my birthday. I probably left it on one of the Hump locomotives or in the Dairy Queen at the Hump. It is a "Case" brand. If you find it, please leave me a message at 878-4528. I will certainly appreciate its return.
We are very proud to report that in the recent head-on collision at Denton, there was not a single rules violation by the crew members on either train.
The CONRAIL North American Cab fared well in the collision. I am told that damage to the cab did not extend past the inside door in the nose. Two of the old-style cabs did not fare well at all. One of them was completely smashed by the cars behind it.
Ex-senator and Presidential Candidate Bob Dole was recently quoted as saying cigarettes aren't addictive. Hum-m-m, I wonder if he owns ocean front property in Arizona.
Kevin Weaver, South End engineer, nearly lost an eye from a thrown beer bottle. This incident could have been prevented, if he had been riding in an air-condition cab with the windows could be closed.
FRA Standard Glazing doesn't provide any protection if you can't close the cab windows because of the summertime heat.
Kevin says he would have lost his eye if he hadn't been wearing safety glasses.
One of our wags says he believes design of our old style cabs was inspired by the the prison cells on Devil's Island. The main difference is the cells were bigger, had better ventilation and were designed for the occupancy of just one man.
My father was always a source of safety wisdom. He told my brother and I, "Take good care of your eyes. You only have two of them. If you lose one; you won't have a spare."
The Carter-Riverside High School All-50s Reunion is a CASUAL/FUN event and is scheduled for Saturday, August 3, 1996.
It kicks off that morning at 10:00 a.m. with a Giant Pep Rally at the high school.
If you're like the majority of ex-students, it's been quite a long while since you've been back to the old school. It should be a lot of fun just to see if it looks the same as we remember it. After the Pep Rally, everyone is free to do what they like until we get back together that night.
Several are planning to break into smaller groups and have lunch with former classmates.
The scheduled activities continue and conclude that night at Austin Ranch in Grapevine, Texas, where from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. we'll enjoy dinner, dancing, and a whole lot of catching up.
Cost is $35.00 per person and includes a complete 10 year name and address directory and 16 page follow-up newsletter, crammed with pictures taken at both the Pep Rally and dinner.
If you can't attend and want a copy of the directory and newsletter mailed to you, the cost for both is $10.00.
If you are a CHS ex-student and would like an invitation sent to you, send an e-mail request to:
Cy is a locomotive engineer in Fort Worth Texas.