Chapter 3

“I’m going to go to the closest open car as soon as we get underway,” Jon said, as they sat opposite each other in the pair of facing bench seats. “There’s no way to get decent pictures in here, and that’s the main purpose of my jaunt. In fact, the owner contracted me to get some shots for their new brochure, but I’ll be doing some freelance stuff as well.”

“Great. That’s my plan, too, for taking some pictures, I mean. Of course, I’m not a real photographer, a very amateur one at best, but I do want some souvenirs. When I lived here years ago, I always wanted to ride the train and see firsthand the amazing engineering of this old track. I never had the chance, though. It was just a local freight then, and they didn’t allow passengers. I almost had one of the engineers talked into letting me ride in the cab, rules or no, but there was no way to get back home before the next train came in, which was at least two days. My folks would’ve had apoplexy!”