(The Star Press posted the following article by John Carlson on its website on May 6.)
MUNCIE, Ind. — On the southern edge of downtown, just across the tracks from where the old railroad depot sheltered the comings and goings of excited travelers, Bob Jetmore and his two buddies serenely sat in folding chairs.
They were awaiting trains.
Not to ride them, just to see them.
“I guess we’re called train spotters or train watchers,” the retiree explained while his friends looked on with bemused smiles. “Some places they’re called train buffs, but I don’t like the word buffs.”
You could call these guys fans, though. Sometimes they sit by the hour, perhaps drinking a little coffee and waiting for a train to come clacking along. When one does, they videotape or photograph it.
This morning was slow, though, which gave Jetmore a chance to show a couple visitors the white ring-binder filled with column after column of words and figures, departure points and destinations, all of it aimed at identifying any train that went past.
Why? They like trains.
It’s an affection shared by millions. Just hunt down a train spotters’ Web site and you’ll find these enthusiasts, many noting the details of their favorite viewing places.
Still, sitting in this grassy area just south of the tracks, waiting for trains that didn’t come, was beginning to test their patience. Then, crackling from a speaker hung out an open car window, a railroad dispatcher’s transmission put them on their feet.
From far away, a train’s faint horn was heard, a note as forlorn as train horns have always sounded.
“I see light, Bobby!” one of the men called, peering down the tracks to the west, as Jetmore moved to join him.
Rounding a bend, clanging out a warning, the black and yellow engine rolled into view with its lower lights flashing.
Then it was there. The ground was humming with the train’s passage as Jetmore videotaped its progress. Suddenly struck by the boyish awe that trains just naturally inspire, a middle-aged man lifted an arm in greeting.
From high within the powerful engine, a darkened arm waved back, then disappeared from view as the train clattered its way to points east.