A Tribute to my Grandfather

Interesting history....l sure owe my grandfather a lot, including my first electric train.

What a wonderful memory and a loving tribute.

Tom, what a nice story. Thanks for sharing it with us!

I enjoyed reading about your grandfather, Tom. Thank you for sharing parts of his life that you cherish, with us!

Rusty

105!  Now that's a mile marker!  I'm sorry for your loss Tom, however, it seems you have many wonderful memories of your grandfather.  I enjoyed reading your story and thank you for sharing it with us. 

Very nice, and what a grand, long life!

Very nice tribute, Tom.  

That was a very pleasant read. I am glad you posted it.

FrankM

Tom,

 Nice memories that you have. Thanks for sharing a few with us. 

Tom 

Great story Tom and a nice vignette too!

TJ

I also very much enjoyed reading about your grandfather, Tom. It sounds like he was a very hard working man. I wonder if all of that physically hard work contributed to him having such a long and healthy life.

The scene on your model railroad that reminds you of your grandfather makes it very special. Arnold

I'm sorry for your loss Tom. The loss of my Grandparents was very hard to take.  They highlighted my life in ways nobody else could touch, including my parents.

  So much to be learned from them it was simply amazing.  I think those that lived the depression and the big wars ended up wiser than we will be again for a long while. (e.g. Is it always hording? Or simply being prepared ? ) 

  A nice tribute.

  Mine is the grandfather that had my first train waiting for me at birth. A paratrooper endlessly floating above the layout so he he can enjoy a layout again as well. He made 8 jumps into battle, 101st/82cnd, a ******* of Bastonge, 32nd° Mason, Shiner, honorary KofC (rare to be both KofC & Mason both. At least back then.) VFW activities, Moose, TTOS, LCCA, TCA, local train clubs, etc, etc. etc.... I never could keep up with him. A far better man than I am in that respect I must admit.

It sounds like your Gramps was hard to keep up with as well; admirable   

Thank you for sharing. Your great story took me back to my own childhood and youth in Jasper Alabama where both sets of grandparents lived along the Southern mainline from Sheffield to Birmingham. 

Thanks for sharing your loving tribute to your grandfather. I love the scene you've created in his memory. Tom

Tom,

My grandfather was 80 when he passed, as a young man, his family cut firewood for a living in rural Missouri. He had pictures of an old steam tractor pulling several wagons loaded with the days firewood. (Sadly, when he passed my uncle kept all items from his house and did not share any with family, and says he has no idea where they are now). He often told stories of leaving before dawn and coming home near dark, and how the steam tractor was like a mule, it pulled a ton of wood but was stubborn as hell. He worked heavy construction his whole life, never really retiring.

Your tribute has sparked a similar desire in me, if I can find a steam tractor in scale, it will become a vignette for my grandfather.

Thank you for sharing Tom.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I also very much enjoyed reading about your grandfather, Tom. It sounds like he was a very hard working man. I wonder if all of that physically hard work contributed to him having such a long and healthy life.

I wondered the same thing.

To all those who've contributed anecdotes of your own grandfathers, I say: Be glad you were able to spend time with them.  One of my grandfathers died before I was born, and the other when I was three years old.  I barely remember him, but I recall enough to know that I would have loved to have known him better.

Balshis,

I only knew the one grandfather, who was more a Dad to me than my own Dad. My mother's Dad never associated with us, so I never met nor knew him. It truly is a blessing when a child has grandparents to be with and learn from.

What a great topic.  Today, in our society it is rare for tributes to be made for our dads and granddads and that is what makes this topic so refreshing.  Those who have had the opportunity to truly enjoy their grandfathers are very, very fortunate.  My Grandfathers did not live as long as I would have liked, my grandfather on my Dad's side passed when I was nine and my grandfather on my mom's side died when I was twelve; nevertheless I learned a great deal about trains from both of them as well as a great deal about life.   Both men have been gone now for over 60 years but not a day goes by that I do not think of them and the things they taught me.  I must tell them that when I see them. 

My paternal grandfather died before I was born. My parents were 42 years old when I was born. My maternal grandfather died when I was about 5 years old and I hardly new him.

But my Dad was awesome: handsome, smelled of cedar, loved to play baseball, golf, tennis, Lionel trains under the Christmas tree and then trains on a beautiful layout with trestle on a 4×8 board in the basement on top of saw horses.

My favorite thing to do when I was a kid was to have a catch with him, and I was in my glory as a pitcher in the Little League, Pony League and high school baseball team.

Here we are having a catch on my layout:

I bet many of you folks, like me, would give anything to have a catch again with your father or grandfather. Arnold 

Wonderful story and Memories!! I , like Arnold ,had an older dad.My folks gave me my first Marx set when I was young in the 60's.In the 90's I got to build a layout with the blessing of my Wife.My dad enjoyed looking at it and hearing it run.Re-mined him of when he was a youngster in the 1920's and early 1930's.He ,like I,loved the steam engines,the sound,the smoke,and just watching them run.Thanks for the memories!Makes me want to set up some trains..

Rusty H

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

My paternal grandfather died before I was born. My parents were 42 years old when I was born. My maternal grandfather died when I was about 5 years old and I hardly new him.

But my Dad was awesome: handsome, smelled of cedar, loved to play baseball, golf, tennis, Lionel trains under the Christmas tree and then trains on a beautiful layout with trestle on a 4×8 board in the basement on top of saw horses.

My favorite thing to do when I was a kid was to have a catch with him, and I was in my glory as a pitcher in the Little League, Pony League and high school baseball team.

Here we are having a catch on my layout:

I bet many of you folks, like me, would give anything to have a catch again with your father or grandfather. Arnold 

Melgar, the corn stalks in the above photo are a few of the many corn stalks I bought at the Big E. 

As Melgar knows, my initial plan was to create a Field of Dreams baseball field on my layout with a corn field beyond the outfield as in the movie. Problem is that the only place I could put such a field on my layout is in the middle of a reverse loop on one of my tables. Trains would run through that reverse loop around the baseball field. IMO, that scene would not work because there are no trains anywhere near the Field of Dreams baseball field; cars yes, but not trains.

So, I decided to make the above "have as catch with dad" scene. I have many more corn stalks, so I may substantially increase the size of the above corn patch. Arnold

Nearly every day I wish my grandfather was around, he was a pleasure to talk with, relax over a cup of coffee and hear the stories of his growing up, the foibles of his youth and how he made the decision to quit school and work. He made it through the depression with 2 kids and built a good living in construction. The WWII made life better, he found work at the secret plutonium plant in Washington State, doing to construction to make the buildings, the warehouses and structures. He donated a "Days Pay" along with nearly every employee at the Hanford works to build a B-17 with that name, near the end of the war, he started into water well drilling, and did this until his death in 1991 at 80. He worked until 4 months before his death, partly to stay busy and partly to survive. He taught me the work ethic I taught to my sons, and which saw me complete college, make a career flying for Uncle Sam for 15 years, then when health issues forced a career change, build a company that I oversaw for 17 years until my retirement. His guidance, quite often from beyond, nearly always saw me making good decisions, knowing if I followed his mantra "Do it right, and what is right" it would turn out.

He was a city league pitcher, a southpaw, and was hoping to get a tryout for the St Louis Cardinals, but the week the scouts were in town, he had a bad tooth and swollen jaw and could not pitch, then the birth of my dad caused him to chase work as the depression was in full swing in 1931. He loved baseball and we too, would toss a ball in the shade of his front lawn when I was growing up. I had the best time when I was able to fund a trip for him with my brother to see his FIRST and only professional baseball game, the Seattle Mariners had Ken Griffey Jr but were not a good ball team yet. I rented a motorhome so he could travel in a recliner and have a restroom to keep stops to a minimum for the 4 hour trip to the game. We forgot to remind him to take his glasses into the game, so he just saw blurs on the field but absorbed the sounds, the announcements, ate peanuts, a hotdog and drank a beer. He told me it was a bucket list item he never thought would happen, in a small way it repaid him for the years of sacrifice he went through to provide for myself and 3 siblings.

I am kicking myself for not thinking of adding his wood wagons to my layout, his pickup and fedora hatted figure are there, but the memory of his tales of cutting wood until sore still make me smile, it was true but still reminded me of moms tales of walking to school in snow with a baked potato in each pocket as hand warmers and her lunch. Those were times where family was what kept you going. I was very lucky to have him, and very glad I took special leave to visit him when in the hospital right before his death in 1991.

Since we are contributing personal anecdotes, my maternal-grandfather is a particularly strong memory for me. Like you, Tom, I have included a memory of him on my layout.

When I was a very young boy, he was the motorman of a trolley that ran throughout McKeesport, PA. He would let me climb aboard "his" trolley any time I wanted, and I never had to deposit the requisite coin to be a passenger. He did that. As I selected my seat, I could hear the coin clink to the bottom of the contraption that collected the fares. Why the memory of him is so strong was not the free rides, but his making me feel welcome anytime I showed up.

I have noticed, as an adult, that such has always been exactly my approach to children - making them feel welcome and valued, any time they show up (!)

Grandfathers matter.

He is why I included a trolley on my layout, right from the start.

FrankM

Wonderful story and tribute, Tom.

Peter

One of my regrets is that my grandfather only lived a couple of years after l got out of formal schooling.  This was after my family began a number of cross country camping trips.  As a dairy farmer he had to be on the farm overlooking the Southern milking cows twice a day, so he never took a day off or vacation. He had a neighboring retired teacher who had worked around the country and talked of crops in Oregon's Willamette Valley, and wanted to see it .  I could have made that happen as we did three drives to the West coast.  But he didn't live long after he sold his dairy herd and retired, so l could not "pay back".  His Marx layout gift on a Christmas morning sent me down this life long road.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

My paternal grandfather died before I was born. My parents were 42 years old when I was born. My maternal grandfather died when I was about 5 years old and I hardly new him.

But my Dad was awesome: handsome, smelled of cedar, loved to play baseball, golf, tennis, Lionel trains under the Christmas tree and then trains on a beautiful layout with trestle on a 4×8 board in the basement on top of saw horses.

My favorite thing to do when I was a kid was to have a catch with him, and I was in my glory as a pitcher in the Little League, Pony League and high school baseball team.

Here we are having a catch on my layout:

I bet many of you folks, like me, would give anything to have a catch again with your father or grandfather. Arnold 

Melgar, the corn stalks in the above photo are a few of the many corn stalks I bought at the Big E. 

As Melgar knows, my initial plan was to create a Field of Dreams baseball field on my layout with a corn field beyond the outfield as in the movie. Problem is that the only place I could put such a field on my layout is in the middle of a reverse loop on one of my tables. Trains would run through that reverse loop around the baseball field. IMO, that scene would not work because there are no trains anywhere near the Field of Dreams baseball field; cars yes, but not trains.

So, I decided to make the above "have as catch with dad" scene. I have many more corn stalks, so I may substantially increase the size of the above corn patch. Arnold

 

Very nice Arnold. Looks great.

MELGAR

Great story Tom and living to be 105 is wonderful! Both my Dad and Grandad would often tell about how in the dead of winter they'd take a team of horses and a wagon or sled to a pond and cut ice blocks with the same tree saws. Load and haul ice to the ice house and bunk them in sawdust so they'd have ice year round.

Just wanted to add,I'm setting up my trains again.This post really got me to thinking about all of the fun trains bring to us.Our dads,grandfathers,just the memories...

Thanks again for the post and reply's..

Rusty H

I got the antique steam tractor today, I am still hunting for wagons similar to what I remember in the pics, the ones available in Oon3 are too long, the ones I want look nearly square, IIRC, Grandpa said it was 4 cords per trailer with 3 trailers. I have a corner which will neatly blend in with this vignette, as my theme is late 50's to 1990 period.

I will make a small forest with a clearing, cluttered with logs cut, and have found arttista figures which are close to make the family.

Grandpa's funeral was this past Saturday, May 25.  The Pastor mentioned in his sermon that Grandpa had seen more technological advances in his lifetime than any other time in history.  He started farming with horses.  Steam was the power source for railroads and thrashing machines.  He saw us put a man on the moon.  He witnessed the evolution of the automobile from a powered wagon to self driving cars being developed today. (He said self driving cars are no big deal.  They had them when was young...The horse knew where to go!) He was exposed to computers and cell phones.  Every time he was introduced to something new he would shake his head in disbelief.  He was a very intelligent and wise man.  He lived a simple life.  Faith and work were his mantra.  I hope I can be half the grandfather to my grandchildren that he was to me.

Tom

Wonderful story Tom and great tribute. Whenever I get to doing my layout I will be getting some dairy cows as well as Black Angus because that is what my grandfather had on his farm. He did also have pigs as well. If I were to include my paternal grandfather, well I will need chickens for that since that was what he did.

You know, when I was in my teens, my grandfather had me work on his farm. It wasn't nothing too serious, just baling hay, feeding the pigs, feeding the cows and turning the tractor on and off. I do remember an early instance where he had me try and lift a 100.lbs bag of feed(cornmeal actually). Well, being still rather young and somewhat strong I did manage to get it on my shoulder. I sort of looked like a wheelbarrow with a funky wheel wobbling as I teetered to maintain control and the bag on my shoulder. After I plopped it down in exhaustion, my grandfather said these words, "when I was your age(I believe I was 13), I could carry 2 100.lbs bags of feed, one on each shoulder." I did get a thought of doubt at first, but watching him work over that summer that went away.

Some years later in my last teen year(I believe), we were taking one of the pigs to market. Well, the pig had other ideas nearly at the top of the ramp. The pig backed down into my grandfather who was struggling to keep his footing as well as get out of the way. The pig knocked him down as my uncle(his son) and I leapt over the railing to see if he was alive and okay. He swore up a storm when we got to him but other than a bruise on his leg he was okay. He had said that the hooves had just missed his head on both sides. That pig got up on the truck with no problems after that as grandpop used the old bucket trick(covering the head and leading the blindly). He was a tough old man, had to be.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.

Tom, great story. Thanks!

Dave NYC Hudson, Totally absorbing little narrative, there. I could see every bit of it as I read. Have you considered writing a novel? I'm serious. When I was done reading, I wanted more and was sorry you had stopped.

FrankM

Tom, I really like your tribute to your grandfather.  I also love vignettes that tell stories, thanks for sharing yours with us.  We need more people in this world like your grandfather.

Art

My paternal grandfather helped me (he probably did most of the work) build my first model, a bi-wing wooden airplane when I was quite young in the early forties. I believe we utilized ammunition box lumber from the Army Ordinance Depot at Letterkenny. We painted it gray and black. I still remember it vividly. My maternal grandfather had different jobs that I kinda "helped with" as a young lad, again in the 1940s. We gathered water cress from local springs; he managed a tomato processing plant ("canning factory") right next to the Reading RR line; I white-washed picket fences and so on. He and my grandmother Koser were faithfully religious; she introduced me to the flannelgraph which I in turn used a bit later in life while I was teaching young men in Sunday School. While writing my memoirs during the past few years, it's been amazing how much detail has popped up in my active memory.

My daddy was extremely busy with a small farm (I worked several farms in the summer following the thrashing machine, haymaking, etc.) and a small fleet of trucks hauling grain, feed, and coal. Early on while riding with my daddy as we passed the Enola Yard, I wanted to bring home a caboose. It never quite happened (my dad had a sense of humor). Later, as a teenager, I drove one of his trucks to the anthracite mines, and again, always past the Enola Yards- quite busy in the '50s. I mis-loaded one load of coal one time at the colliery so that too much weight was on the rear of the bed, so, in the rain, I held on for dear life as the front end of the truck tried to become airborne. Didn't make that mistake again! I went with Daddy in the evening (1940s) to a nearby town to pick up the evening mail from the Reading(?) mail train; I remember the huge ol' black steam engine huffing in the darkness. Daddy did buy me my first train, a Lionel 1666 steamer freight when I was ten years old. He continued to buy trains later for the grandchildren, at least a couple of them were American Flyers. And so it goes....

Wally

Awesome story, well written. I got into the hobby because my grandfather on my Dad's side got him started. They lived in Manhattan and would go to the stores and of course Madison Hardware. When my brother and I got into the bobby at in the late 1950's ny dad and grandfather would take us to Madison Hardware and get a car or 2, sometimes they would allow us to buy an engine. I remember those days like it was yesterday and still have almost all the pieces they let us buy.

I can't think of a nicer way to remember my grandpa's after reading your tribute.

Sorry for your loss.

Kevin

Moonson posted:

Dave NYC Hudson, Totally absorbing little narrative, there. I could see every bit of it as I read. Have you considered writing a novel? I'm serious. When I was done reading, I wanted more and was sorry you had stopped.

FrankM

Well, I have written some stories, mostly short, not published and they are mostly fantasy or slight horror. I haven't worked for some time on one of my really long stories which I keep telling people I have it all written in my head, just need to put the pen to the paper to get it out.

As far as family stories, there are tons of them and I think I would have to ask some of my siblings for some assistance on a few of them. Those concerning my grandfather, my father and my one uncle, those I could probably do on my own with maybe just a little help on some details.