fbpx

Railroad Stories: Child of a Railroad Family

By Capper's Staff
Published on October 10, 2011

I grew up in a big family with no car in the 1920s. Dad worked for the railroad, so I was part of the railroad family. Therefore, when we went anywhere, we went by train. We would travel about 17 miles to Lincoln, Neb. The train would leave our town at 4 p.m. and return at midnight.

One time, my dad took my sister and me with him to Minden, Neb., because he knew how much we loved to ride the train. During the trip, my sister and I went to the restroom, and while we were in there, the train stopped at a depot and the door locked.

We were just starting to panic when the door unlocked, and there stood Dad. I guess he thought we should have been back sooner, so lucky for us, he asked the conductor to unlock the door so we could get out. When we got to our destination, we had a nice visit with our aunt and then headed for home.

Anna Birt
Hickman, Neb.


Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.