April 1st, 1962

  Most of the spring season of the Roger Railway was nice and calm, and with passengers filling up the seats as usual, spring was always nice on the Roger Railway, with the flowers from the trees and the ground starting to bloom, and the temperature was in the middle, not too hot, and not too cold, it was perfect, Westminster has hosted the railway for the first Cherry Blossom Festival in the city, and Roger would be in charge this week for the weekend of operation, back to back, and after a successful final excursions on the Simon Hill Railway, with a big paycheck at the end, with Rock being purchased by the Hutton Steam Company as their first diesel to the museum collection, the railway is doing good for the most part.

  Lizzy came into the office with two young men and an older woman. Ben eyed the three people. This wasn’t unusual, but he had to keep calm. Ever since the incident last year, Ben has been cautious of people and what they want to do with Roger. He smiled at the new people.

  “Ben, these three are Mary, Jack, and Peter Herschend,” She told her husband, “They owned the frontier theme park, Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.”

  “I see,” Ben looked at the three people, “What brings you to our lovely little railway in the heart of Pennsylvania?”

  The two men looked at the older woman before showing him a flyer.

  “We have completed building this narrow-gauge railroad called the Frisco Silver Dollar Line,” Mary told Ben, “And we would like to invite you and your engine, Roger, to the railway for the grand opening day on the 27th of May.”

  Ben looked at the flyer, which showed a narrow gauge steam locomotive, with coaches, and a wild west theme all around it. Ever since Knotts Berry Farm has been operating its own narrow gauge railway, many other theme park trains have been built to bring back the nostalgia of train travel with steam trains, with Disneyland Railroad being the most famous one.

  “Hmm,” Ben looked, “This would be the first for Roger to operate this far out west in a while, in the American Heartland. This would be a big gamble; the farthest we have ever operated is when we’re in Iowa.”

  “We’ll accommodate you,” She told him, “You can bring his coaches as well, a little taste of true Americana compared to our make-believe one at our theme park.”

  Ben thinks hard, he looks at his wife, who has a look of ‘it’s not a bad idea, and we’ll get more passengers and volunteers’, which isn’t a bad idea, publicity is a good thing, depending on the situation, and being a theme park means a lot of passengers, which is also good.

  “I’ll have to think this through with my wife and Roger,” He told the three, “I’ll get back to you in a couple of days.”

  The three nodded, with Peter writing a telephone number on a piece of paper and leaving the office. After the three left, Ben and Lizzy left the office and jogged towards the yard, where Roger was resting after operating another Roger Heritage Special. Samuel was finally in charge of this operation with Diana as part timers.

  “Hello, Ben,” Roger smiled, “How are you doing today?”

  “I’m doing well, Roger,” He smiled, “I hope my son and his girlfriend are treating you well.”

  “Oh, c'mon Ben, you know they do,” Roger joked with his owner, “Anyway, do you have any news that an old Porter like me couldn’t wait?”

  Ben nodded.

  “Actually, there is,” Ben told Roger, “How do you like a visit to Missouri?”

  Roger was quite surprised.

  “Missouri, why?” He asks.

  Ben showed Roger the flyer, which showed the advertisement of the Frisco Silver City Dollar Line. Samuel and Diana looked at the flyer as well.

  “Oh! How lovely!” Diana commented, “Sammy and I are going to plan to visit Silver Dollar City for the summer. I didn’t know about the narrow gauge line.”

  “It’s going to be opened next month,” Samuel told Diana, “Oddly enough, on the 27th, which is usually the Labor Day Weekend, and Roger’s 82nd birthday.”

  “An odd coincidence,” Roger pointed out, “But if the railroad knows about my birthday, surely they wanted me to visit for their grand opening.”

  “And it seems like that 4-4-2 is hauling the first trip,” Ben pointed out, “It’s nice to see Belle operating again.”

  “Oh yeah,” Samuel looked at the flyer, “I was wondering if she was still there at that railroad in New York.”

  Roger was confused.

  “Who?” He asks.

  “Belle Starr was built in 1900 for the Wayne County Board of Roads Commission by Davenport,” Ben told Roger, “She was converted from a 0-4-0t saddletank to a 4-4-2 by Henry Ford, odd wheel arrangement choice, but I saw her during our trip to New York in 1956 when she operated on the Thousand Island Amusement Park, I was actually thinking of purchasing her for the Roger Railway before settling in on Robert.”

  Roger was in awe.

  “Imagine that,” He chuckled, “Having a 4-4-2 on the Roger Railway would be an interesting sight, and it seems like this engine has a history, especially with Henry Ford.”

  Ben nodded.

  “We don’t have much in terms of big events, other than holiday events and special events, like the Cherry Blossom Festival,” Ben told Roger, “It’s been a while since we traveled to the Midwest; ever since we traveled to the Byron Railroad, it’s a good change of pace.”

  Roger thinks for a minute, while it’s true that it’s been a while, and with the only big event being the Cherry Blossom Festival and the special holiday events, it was rather calm for the railway, even when the old Porter did operate on the Simon Hill Railway for the last time. Operating on a brand new railroad in the Midwest didn’t seem like a bad idea.

  “It’ll be a great adventure,” Roger smiled, “I’m up for the idea of visiting a new railway, it’ll be a fun experience, I’ve never been to a theme park railway before.”

  Samuel agreed with Roger,

  “I’m up with the idea,” He told his father, “It’ll give the folks in Missouri a taste of Pennsylvania narrow gauge steam.”

  “You think Missouri has some historic 2-foot gauge railways?” Diana asks her boyfriend.

  “Oddly enough, only 1, and it’s a shortline,” Samuel told Diana, “And they still used steam.”

  Roger looked at Ben.

  “When do you think we’re going to leave?” He asks.

  “After I talk with Mary, I think probably 5 days before the grand opening,” Ben told her, “I told her that I’ll think about it, and it seems we got a final verdict, a week or two before the event, we’ll give Roger some good maintenance before leaving, it’s going to be something, going to a different state way farther than New York once again.”

  Roger felt calm. Visiting other states wasn’t that odd for him, but he remembered visiting the Byron Railroad in Iowa, a completely new experience, with his coaches getting new passengers, and a newfound interest in the railway. Roger could only think about how the locals of Missouri would react to him.

  May 22nd, 1962

  Roger did quite well in April, and the Westminster Cherry Blossom Festival Special did very well, which had many photo runbys for the paying passengers, and some of the local Japanese American community making snacks for the passengers. Ben told Mary that they would take the invitation, which both sides of the railroad were quite excited about, and it was a good spring season. Nonetheless, most of the preparation was getting Roger ready for his trip to the Gateway to the West. His coaches were also cleaned and checked over since they would be operating on the railroad as well. With the announcement, many railfans and locals were waiting for tickets to be sold, but this time wouldn’t be on the Roger Railway.

  Roger left on the 21st, this time quite early in the morning, and with a day long drive from Pennsylvania to Missouri, this would be another long adventure far from home, but knowing this experience from his first trip out west to Iowa, it was something, but it’ll be a great journey, Samuel and Diana took a cheaters way, which they took a plane, while Ben and Lizzy endured the long traveled on road, but it seems like the trip is worth it, since Roger was in awed when they passed St. Louis, another moment that was caught only by a few railfans, was the first close up of a narrow gauge steam locomotive to a standard gauge steam locomotive.

  CB&Q 4960 was operating a railfan excursion close to where the Frisco Silver Dollar Line operated, and was resting before a ferry move to Illinois. It was just the right moment of a right time where Roger and 4960 were posed side by side, albeit with the old Porter on the truck, but after a quick photo session, the truck made the final miles to Branson, Missouri. The Frisco Railroad, which heard about the trip, spoke to Ben and Lizzy after Roger arrived safely at the railroad, for free of charge, that they would give the old Porter and his coaches a simple general maintenance at their Springfield Shops, which Ben and Lizzy allowed, with Ben looking over.

  When Roger and his coaches arrived at the railroad way early in the morning, around 3, he could see the frontier town and many buildings that could depict the wild west. It was an interesting sight, but what the old Porter was most curious about was the railway, the Frisco Silver Dollar Line. On first glance, it looked normal, like a narrow gauge railway of the olden days; the tracks, sleepers, and ties looked great, and everything had a charm of the old narrow gauge country. Roger was quite impressed, after lifting him on a crane, and lowering the old saddletank onto the rails, Ben, Lizzy, Samuel, and Diana pushed the old Porter into the shop, where he saw another steam locomotive.

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  “Hello there,” She smiled, she had an accent that Roger never heard before, “I’m Belle Starr, or just Belle, and you must be Roger.”

  “Yes, I am,” Roger smiled, “I’m excited to be invited to the grand opening of your new railway, my coaches are also excited as well.”

  “I’ve heard about your railway,” Belle said to Roger, “It was when I was still owned by Henry Ford. He told me he had visited the most wonderful little line in Pennsylvania, and I was quite confused about what the hell he was talking about. I never really got an answer until I was moved to my third home in New York.”

  “Huh, I never knew Henry Ford visited my railway,” Roger told Belle, “Even with over 10 years of preservation, I’m still surprised how famous I am, and the railway as a whole.”

  “You really are a living legend,” Belle smiled, “You also really changed on mainline standard gauge steam excursions.”

  Roger was surprised.

  “Really, I have?” He asks, he never really thought of that; he knew his railway history, and the Preservation Society has influenced many railroads around the USA, but he never really thought about it.

  Roger knew that the Preservation Society's influence had made the Southern Railway Narrow Gauge Branch host a steam excursion program, with the Simon Hill Railway adding that too, but not the big railroads.

  “Yep,” Belle replied, “My crew told me that most of the mainline excursion operations were influenced by your Preservation Society, and the closest one, the Burlington Route, the president was quite impressed by your survival, so they launched a Steam Program as a way to treat the railfans.”

  Roger took in the information, but was in awe.

  “Wow, I felt honored,” He smiled at the 4-4-2, “I never really thought the big railroads would be influenced by a little railway in Pennsylvania.”

  “You’re our American hero,” Belle giggled, “Anyway, how long are you staying?”

  “Probably for this weekend,” He told the 4-4-2, “Then it’s off to Springfield, Missouri, where I would get some general maintenance by the Frisco Railroad shops, and off to home.”

  “Wow, being invited to get some maintenance from the big railroads is quite rare, you don’t see that often,” Belle said with a surprised tone.

  “My first overhaul was at the Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The shop staff were volunteers of the Preservation Society, and asked the Pennsy if they would allow me to have an overhaul at the shop, and they said yes,” Roger smiled, remembering the memory, “I last visited in 1955 to celebrate the shop’s 100th Anniversary weekend, it was fun.”

  “You had a lot of fun adventures,” Bell grinned, “It seems like you could never stay at your railway.”

  Roger chuckled.

  “It’s nice to travel a lot,” He admitted to Belle, “But sometimes I miss being at home, which I’m glad that most of these visits are quite short, because I know that the passengers would miss me, and I miss them.”

  “This weekend will be fun, even when I’m the star of the show, I feel like you’re going to steal the show,” Belle giggled.

  Roger chuckled, then Ben and Lizzy came into the shop with Mary, Jack, and Peter.

  “It seems like you two are getting along well,” Ben smiled, “Your coaches are in the carriage shed, Roger, which brings me to only one event before the grand opening.”

  Roger was curious.

  “What is it?” He asks.

  Ben grinned.

  “How do you feel about being a Frisco steam locomotive for a day?” He asks.

  Roger was quite surprised.

  “Why?” He asks.

  “The Kansas City Chapter of the NRHS heard about you arriving in Missouri, so they spoke to me after we arrived at the railroad by telephone,” He told Roger, “And they wanted to do a quick night photo session dressing you up as a Frisco steam locomotive, and they’re willing to donate the ticket proceeds to the Preservation Society.”

  Roger looked at Ben.

  “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Roger smiled at Ben, “A quick photo session, it’ll be a fun event before the grand opening.”

  “Thankfully, I have some of the Frisco employees who donated some of the old decals and logos, which we’ll apply on Wednesday,” He told Roger, “The photo session will be on Friday night; it’s going to be a fun night, 10 bucks a ticket.”

  “Roger will just be staying here for this weekend?” Belle asks.

  “Yep, just for the grand opening,” Ben nodded, “And a visit to the Frisco shops, then it’s off to Pennsylvania, home, busy summer schedule, which will be a great season.”

  “And I know that the Frisco lettering and logo will look cute on you!” Lizzy told Roger happily.

  The five left the shop. Roger looked at Ben and Lizzy leaving the shop.

  “It’s nice to have such supportive people in your life,” Belle told Roger, “I’m sure Mary and her siblings love me as well, but knowing this is an amusement park, money has to be made.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of revenue,” Roger looked at Belle, “It keeps us and our rolling stock operating, and lets us do fun events like visiting another railway like today.”

  “I guess you’re right,” She giggled, “Maybe I’m getting old, I’m 62, I still have some life left in me.”

  “Getting old sucks,” Roger agreed with the 4-4-2, “But lets make the best of it when we can. I’m 82, but I feel like a young engine thanks to the Preservation Society.”

  May 27th, 1962

  The next couple of days were calm, nothing really much happened, mostly maintenance was done before the big event, Roger was lettered to the Frisco lettering, and a Frisco logo was added to the side of his cab, he looks like a Frisco steam locomotive, the night photo session happened on Friday night at 9:00, and 10 people participated, with Roger in steam, moving around the small yard, with some whistle action, it was also the old Porter’s first movement on the railroad, albeit, at the small yard.

  The night photo session was a success; the money made from the ticket sales was split between the NRHS Chapter and the Preservation Society. Roger kept the steam on Saturday to make sure everything was alright, and gave the volunteers who came all the way from Pennsylvania to work on their favorite steam locomotive, and some who are local, the decals were taken off, and now Roger was given a nice polish before the grand event. Belle was also given some maintenance by the Frisco Silver Dollar Line crew.

  Roger woke up with the sound of steam and people, and the warm heat from his firebox. He woke up to see Bell already leave the shop. It was morning, and it was the grand opening. The old Porter could see the crew from the railroad, and the volunteers of the Preservation Society, as it was late May, it was hot, and summer was coming soon. Roger slowly left the shop, and the Missouri sun hit him with brightness; he could see his coaches were in the yard, getting some sun in them as well.

  “Good morning, Roger,” Mary smiled.

  “Morning, sweetie,” Taylor greeted the old Porter.

  “Good morning, Roger,” Charlotte greeted him.

  “It’s an exciting morning, Roger,” Anabel smiled happily.

  “Morning, you four,” Roger greeted his coaches, “And it is an exciting day, first run on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line.”

  “We’re going to get lots of passengers!” Taylor cried happily.

  “It’s like a theme park?” Anabel asks.

  “The whole railroad is in a theme park,” Mary told her sister.

  “That means no railfans can’t get up close to the tracks,” Charlotte grinned happily, “I swear the Simon Hill Railway excursions we did in late February and early March were crazy, like groups of people close to the tracks.”

  “There’s still probably going to be many railfans,” Roger pointed out, “I have a hunch we’re going to get many of them today, but being in a theme park has an advantage, which means barriers can protect us.”

  Ben and Lizzy came into the yard.

  “Are you ready, Roger?” Ben asks.

  “I am,” He smiled, but asked, “Where’s Samuel and Diana?”

  “They’re enjoying Silver Dollar City,” Lizzy told Roger, “But they’ll be here for when we have our turn.”

  Roger smiled.

  “Must be exciting,” Roger said. He could hear the cheers, “It seems like Belle has already started her train.”

  In the distance, he could hear Belle and her train; the stack talk was quite loud, and Roger could hear the passengers as well.

  “The railway is not that long,” Ben told Roger, “I think the line is 1.6 miles.”

  “That’s quite short,” Roger said while listening to the train passing the yard again, “But listening to the sounds of the train, there might be some parts of the line that are quite steep.”

  “We’ve been told that some parts are 2 percent gradient,” Ben told Roger, “So I’ll keep some hot sand just in case.”

  Then Samuel and Diana came into the yard after enjoying their little date.

  “I saw the train,” Samuel told his parents and Roger, “The train is quite packed, and they’re doing a train robbery play along the trackside; it’s also part of the experience.”

  “Are we going to experience this?” Roger asks Ben.

  “Probably not, mostly because most passengers want to ride on a historic engine and coaches, and probably we’re famous,” Ben told Roger, “Doing this would probably be embarrassing.”

  “But it’ll be funny,” Diana giggled.

  Roger moved up to the other track, backed into the coaches, and coupled up to Taylor. He was ready to operate on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line.

  Belle returned to the shed. She was exhausted, and Roger could see her tired face, but that made him excited for his run. So far, the excitement has died off a bit, which means this run won’t be that crazy. Ben told Roger that the maximum number of coaches on this line is 4, which makes this experience perfect for the old saddletank. The old Porter slowly went through the tracks and moved to the depot, the station, and he could see many passengers, some already rode with Belle, but some wanted to ride with Roger.

  Frank Baldwin was the few conductors for the train from the Preservation Society, a friend of John Taylor, and one of the few Black Americans who were early volunteers of the Roger Railway Preservation Society, he was conductor for the railway back at home, and one of the few folks who help Ben with general maintenance of the old Porter and knows how to operate him, though, some of the passengers weren’t please, some gave Frank a dirty look, after the passengers got into the coaches, and they got in packed, every seat was filled to the edge.

  “It looked like we got a full train,” Mary told Roger happily, “Everyone is excited for this excursion.”

  “I think the tickets got sold out,” Roger said, looking at the station depot, “People really wanted to ride this special, and to think, the grand opening was a big event.”

  Before the train was ready to leave, a worker came onto the station and handed something to Ben, which he showed his wife, to which she ran outside of the cab and walked towards Roger.

  “It seems like the Kansas City Chapter of the NRHS wanted to show pride of Missouri and its railroads, a gold Eastern Bluebird,” She climbed onto Roger and fixed the golden bird in front of his funnel, some passengers on the station were in awe seeing a woman climbing on a steam locomotive, “Simple attachment, but now you’re a golden bird ready to fly.”

  Roger chuckled.

  “I’m ready to fly,” He smiled.

  Lizzy got back into the cab with Samuel, and Diana joined them as the train was ready to leave. Roger blew his whistle and slowly left the station, with crowds of passengers cheering as the train left the station. It was surely an exciting day.

  Roger looked around the theme park. It was the theme of the old wild west, the buildings were built similarly to the old western buildings that Ben showed to the old saddletank through books. To the old Porter is was something interesting; he never been to the wild western United States, so this was a strange new experience, but the buildings along the tracks looked well done,, the track has a nice smooth feeling, like it was built for this railroad, very satisfying to Roger’s eyes, despite being 1.6 miles long, the old Porter felt like the excursion was going at a slower pace, he did speed up a bit, which seem to excite the passengers on board.

  “How was the park?” Roger asks Samuel and Diana.

  “It was amazing,” Samuel told Roger happily, “The cave tour was nice, and the food was good. I never tried a gooey butter cake before.”

  “It was a perfect date,” Diana grinned, “And this is the icing on the cake.”

  The train passed a trestle, with crowds of railfans and regular park attendees cheering on. Roger whistled loudly, and the railfans waved and cheered. With barriers, the saddletank wouldn’t have to worry about railfans getting too close. It was a fun sight. The old Porter could feel the gradients, but not much compared to the Simon Hill Railway or the Southern’s Narrow Gauge Branch, or maybe he’s already used to tough gradients. The stack he was producing was loud; it was an interesting excursion, since he was going at a much faster speed. He was back at the station. It was a big loop.

  Mr. Hutton got out of the cab and serviced the old Porter, with 1.6 miles. This wasn’t a long ride, so the first run was completed. Roger was a little bit tired, but not very much, and he did like his experience of operating his first revenue passenger train on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line. The passengers got out of the coaches, happy and satisfied. It was a monumental experience for Roger.

  “That was a great experience,” Roger smiled at Ben, “I didn’t expect the line to be colorful.”

  “Theme parks are a colorful bunch,” Ben smiled, “But the trains that run through them are a link through the past. You did really well as usual, Roger.”

  “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Lizzy smiled as well.

  Passengers for the next journey came inside the coaches, with happy and excited faces, and the seats filled up again.

  “It seems like we got another run,” Roger chuckled, “It’s going to be a busy day.”

  Ben chuckled as well.

  “You’re right,” He smiled, “But the good thing is that there’s never enough excitement at a theme park.”

  Roger giggled.

  “I just learned that today,” He told Ben.

  Roger operated a few more trips after his first run. Passengers came in and out of his coaches; everyone wanted to ride on the coaches from the visitor. The old Porter operated many back-to-back excursions until the sun was setting. He was exhausted after that, but in a good way. Many people purchased the tickets, and the railway experienced the first wave of passengers; it was a good day for Roger. Belle didn’t operate the whole day, but she’ll operate more on Monday, starting the season.

  Roger returned to the engine shop, tired but happy today. Belle was getting general maintenance work before her run on Monday. The old Porter would have his fire out before leaving, then it’s off to the Frisco Railroad’s Springfield Shops for general maintenance before going home.

  “Mary was quite impressed with your endurance,” Belle told Roger, “She has never seen an old engine operate this much.”

  “I operated a lot through the years before preservation,” He told Belly happily, “It comes naturally.”

  “Tomorrow you’re off to home,” She said to Roger.

  “Yep,” He smiled, “I know the visit is short, but I have a great time here, thank you and your owner for giving me a chance to experience this, and my crew and volunteers have fun as well, you have a great railway.”

  Belle smiled.

  “Maybe I could visit your railway,” Belle joked to the old Porter.

  “You should!” Roger smiled, “It’s a little longer, but it has nice scenery, and you’ll love my friends. I’ll tell them what a fine railway you have.”

  Belle beamed happily.

  “I’m happy that you enjoyed your time here,” Belle smiled, “I hope you come back again to visit.”

  Roger smiled.

  “Maybe,” Roger looked at the open engine shed door, “Because going down on the Frisco Line was a great experience.”