SOOT IN THE FLUES

The following picture and story was sent to us by WALT THAYER,
Wenatchee, Washington 98801 as he sent us a copy of (The Railroad
Evangelist Paper). This story was in this paper and was from John
D. Livingston, Sec. Trea., Columbia River Chapter R.E.A., 8502 N.E.
Kogan Road, Vancouver, Washington 08665 as he wrote to Brother
Herman Rose, Editor of above mentioned paper. His address is Route
4, Box 36 D, Spencer, Indiana 47460:

Dear Brother Rose:

The picture is of the B.N. Passenger Station in Vancouver,
Washington, painted by a brakeman on the S.P. RR. As you can see on
the picture, the station is located near the Columbia River. The
building was erected in 1912 and is now considered for restoring as
a landmark by the city of Vancouver, with the help of a Federal
grant. The lower level housed the B.N. Ry. communication center and
the ticket office, foyer and baggage room which is leased to
AMTRAK. The upper level is occupied by the mechanical department
offices, the road foreman’s office and the office of the car
clerk.

I began working as night ticket agent in Vancouver in 1965 for
S.P.&S. and got the day ticket agent’s position about 1969.
This position I held at the time of the merger. When AMTRAK leased
the station in 1973, I was appointed Lead Ticket Agent. This is the
position that I am still holding. My railroad life started in 1955,
three years after I arrived in America with my wife, Marjorie and
our two children, Roger, 5 and Eva, 3 years old. Needless to say,
the first years in this U.S. America were tough in more ways than
one. Not knowing the language, it was hard to get any work. But
with the help of Cod and helpful friends I was able to get a job
with a road construction company later as a baker at Nabisco.

As my interest was to get an interesting rewarding position on
the Railroad, I studied telegraphy and at the same time tried to
learn the American language.

In the summer of 1955 I took a telegraphers job on the
S.P.&S. Ry. and working the extra board, I was to 30 from one
station to the other in the states of Washington and Oregon before
I landed my first position as a relief operator in Maupin on the
Deschutes River in Oregon. From then on I had to bid in different
jobs until I got my first ticket job here in Vancouver.

It has been exciting and rewarding and we have had many
opportunities to serve our blessed Lord and Saviour both with music
as well as the Word. Also we have had the joy to help build
churches in some of the places that we have been.

I was saved at the age of six and am praising God for his help
and keeping power for now over fifty years. It has not always been
a life of victory but praise be to God, when I failed him He loved
me enough to lift me up and give me new strength. At the age of
sixteen He baptized me with his Holy Spirit and without that power
I probably would not have made it as a Christian.

We are holding our R.E.A. Chapter on the first Saturday of every
month. It has so far been a luncheon meeting but we are thinking of
alternating and have one at lunch time and the next month meeting
as a dinner meeting. This to give everyone an opportunity to
attend.

Brother Rose, if you want to print all or part of this letter,
please feel free to use all or whatever part you see fit. It is my
hope that it can be to some blessing to someone. It is our prayer
that as God has blessed us, we can share with others and be a help
and blessing. God is Love and full of mercy and not willing that
anyone should perish. We shall soon see our blessed Lord in an open
sky. May He find us occupied in his work and find us faithful in
the task that He has given us. Each one of us is an individual. No
one else just like us. God has made us that way so he can use us in
a special way, in a service for which He has made us and called us.
No person can do our work for us. It is therefore our prayer that
we shall be faithful and willing to serve in whatever capacity we
are called to serve.

Anyone wanting to know more about this above mentioned paper,
write to Herman Rose at his address (listed above). Paper is $4.00
per year, $10.50 for three years.

JIMMY G. JONES, 620 Locust, Carrolton, Illinois 62016 sends this
letter: ‘I am a new subscriber to I.M.A. and I think that it is
great. I was not lucky enough to be born in the age of steam or
even around it. Three years ago our family went to a steam show at
Pinckneyville, Illinois, and I found that I had been missing very
much out of life. Since then we have gone to every show within
range and some out of range.

We go to every show possible. I can’t begin to tell how much
I have learned by seeing and talking to these old timers, which is
why I am writing. I still have much to learn. I am 33 years old,
but feel I have missed so much and I would like to know more about
these great engines.

I know it would be old stuff to most of the readers, but would
it be possible to have a small portion of I.M.A. for people like
me? Explain the workings of these old engines and separators. After
talking to a lot of these fine men that own, run and have built and
repaired all these machines, I am sure they would be glad to supply
the information and maybe even a drawing now and then. (Jimmy, if
the men send us articles such as you’re talking about, we’d
be happy to print themStart writing again, we’re waiting for
your material fellows!)

I hope some day to be able to afford an engine and to be a part
of these shows and not just an onlooker. I have two boys and a girl
and if I had an engine, they would be right there with mean to me
that is what life is all about these wonderful old machines, the
family together, old friends and new ones to be made hope they
never end and may we never live without the Lord. (And I’ll say
Amen to that Jimmy and I surely hope you get your engine and can
continue to make many visits to the shows also, maybe some of these
old timers will drop you a line.)

MRS. RAY ARMACOST, 2229 Koehler Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45414
writes us: ‘My husband died May 29, 1977, and it certainly has
been a very lonely year and still is Ray and I certainly enjoyed
the thresher meets very much and he went to so many and the far the
rest one we attended was the one in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Four years
in a row, even had my brother and wife to join us one year. Then
last year our plans were to go together again, but that was not in
God’s plan.

May I state to you we have all our subscriptions of magazines
filed in plastic bags separated by year. We also took a lot of
movie films as Roy always stated some day we could show them to our
grand nephews and nieces. We didn’t have any children but do
have 24 nephews and nieces and 14 grand-nephews and nieces.

I personally want to wish you all the success in your future
meets. Thank you kindly for everything. (Thank you for writing us
Mrs. Armacost and may God bless you.)

Another letter from WALT THAYER, Wenatchee, Washington 98801
with some information on the unclassified photos in Nov.-Dec. 1978
issue: #1. sawing lumber with a Case? #2. Looks very much like a
Steam Skidder or Log Hauler mounted on rubber tires. Very unusual
and all except wheels resemble steam locomotive. #3. Looks like a
very old Case. #4. Somebody’s grandchild at the throttle of a
scale model Avery. #5. Looks like a Reeves under mounted or
Peerless with hard rubber tires. #6. Tractor on right looks like an
old Aultman Taylor as does the other one. #7. Side view of under
mounted (?) Avery about 25-50 or more. #8. Old horse power
threshing rig note center with horse whip. If these were steam
railway engines I could score about 100.

MRS. WAYNE W. WACHAL, 905 Forest Home Drive, Francis Creek,
Wisconsin 54214 writes I.M.A.: ‘Could you please help me? We
have two Eagle tractors which were made in Appleton. A 1930 B and a
1935 Eagle. We would like to know the color of the lettering on the
tractor and also the color of the tractor.’ (I’ll bet
someone has the answer for you so keep watching the mail.)

Enclosed see picture of the Silsby Steam Fire Engine that was
built in Buffalo, New York by the Gies Company in the 1890s. It was
sent to us by William Grove Steam Engine Association, Box 332, New
Cumberland, Pennsylvania 17070. (Interesting, don’t you
agree?)

You know we had asked you folks to send us recipes with the
hopes of compiling a Recipe Book we did get some response, but not
nearly enough. A few people sent many recipes, but we would like
only 1, 2, or 3 recipes from many people. Anyway, since we as yet
have not received nearly enough, I think I’ll insert them in
the magazines from time to time. This one came from Mrs. Anna
Brandt, R. D. 1, Bainbridge, Pennsylvania 17502 and is called
Eastern Shore Banquet Pineapple Casserole: 1 can crushed pineapple,
4 slices toast bread cut in fine squares, 2 eggs (well beaten), 2
tablespoon flour, cup sugar, 4 tablespoons butter. Mix all together
and dot with butter. Bake 45 minutes at 350. (Sounds good, but I
haven’t tried it).

DAVID PREUHS, Route 1, Box 139, LeCenter, Minnesota 56057 writes
us: ‘I’m enclosing a picture of my Nichols & Shepard
Vibrator hand feed separator, which I purchased the first part of
July at the Archie Stevens Estate Auction at Millville, Minnesota.
It was built approximately 1875 and the size is 32 x 44. The serial
number is 7909 and I believe originally it had wood wheels which
must have been replaced at a later date with steel. I corresponded
with the surviving relatives trying to find out where it originated
from and if they knew for sure how old it was. They knew nothing
about it and could not help me. So, I am writing with the hopes of
someone reading about it in your column. Maybe they’ll
recognize it and possibly let me know a little more about this
machine that has been so well taken care of for 100 years or
more.

Following is a lovely prayer which would do well for each of us
and so timely at the beginning of the year I wish I would have
written it. I did not it comes from ‘Uncle Ben’s
Quotebook’ by Benjamin R. DeJong, simply called MY PRAYER:

Teach me, Lord, to keep sweet and gentle in all the events of
life, in disappointments, in thoughtlessness of others, in the
insincerity of those I trusted, in the unfaithfulness of those to
whom I relied.

Help me to put myself aside, to think of the happiness of
others, to hide my little pains and heartaches, so that I may be
the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes to me. Help me to
use it that it may mellow me, not harden or embitter me; that it
may make me broad in my forgiveness; kindly, sympathetic, and
helpful.

And here is a timely story for the month of February, called
Reality Abraham Lincoln was walking one day along a street in
Springfield with his two young sons, both of whom were crying,
‘Why, Mr. Lincoln, exclaimed a passerby, ‘what is the
matter with the children?’

‘The same thing that’s wrong with the rest of the
world,’ replied Lincoln. ‘I’ve got three walnuts and
each boy wants two.’ taken from Wellsprings of Wisdom Ralph L.
Woods.

Bye for now and do have a good year remember God loves you and
so do I.