A piece of history rolls through town

I’ve grown up very close to trains, from the age of 7 through today. Joey and I even built our wedding around a historic train theme. Mom’s house is across the road from the B&N line, and just behind our current house is one of 2 freight tracks with the other being a couple blocks further south. For the first six months we lived here, the trains would blow their horns before approaching the intersection just a few dozen yards away. It was loud and startling if you’re not used to it.

Soon after we moved in, though, a ban on horns was implemented for the blocks around our house, and we were left with just the lumbering clack-clack-clack of cars as they rolled down the line behind the house.

Friday afternoon, though, was interrupted by a series of long strange-sounding whistles. At first I rolled my eyes and thought a conductor was ignoring the no-whistle rules. Then I noticed that that horn sounded different somehow. It was on the tracks a few blocks down, so I couldn’t see what was going on and just shrugged it off.

Joey and I went downtown to see a movie that afternoon (about an hour after I heard these whistles and then I spotted it on the elevated portion of the tracks: That was a passenger train. Not unusual, because there’s an Amtrak station a mile from here, but what made it strangs was these were orange cars… not the usual “airliner sleek” silver ones you see on an Amtrak train.

I noticed one car had the name “Portland Rose” written on it, so decided to look that up after I got home. I’m so glad I did. Turns out this was a Union Pacific train coming through town to commemorate UP’s 150th anniversary! The famous 844 engine was leading the way!

They don’t make ’em like the 844 anymore. Literally.

I had no idea that UP was created by Abraham Lincoln. UP isn’t a line with a whole of of history in Houston, so while I’m not sure why it was in town, I’m glad it came through. Hopefully tomorrow we can go take in some of the history while it’s still in town.

Meanwhile, you can read up on the event by clicking here 🙂