Window to the World
Watching T.V., I saw a commercial for the circus. This brought back memorials of work. From 1992 to 2009, I worked for General Plumbing, in the warehouse. Around 1995 or 1996, I moved over and did all the companies prefabrication of there values that they installed in the houses. These move, moved me into a big tin roof warehouse. One of the ways to get air into the building was this big huge window, which looked over the lot. Through that window I could see a lot until we moved in 2000, to the new building.
General Plumbing was located at the time at the corner of 8th Street and Center. Right next to center was the train tracks that ran from Phoenix to the rest of the country. So I would be working and I could watch the trains go by. Most of the time it was just a single diesel train moving around empty box cars. But we would get trains that would be carrying cars from back east. One day we saw a whole Army Armored Division being moved. Massive Abrams tanks and every type of military vehicle you could think off. We also, saw the Amtrak train rush by, sometimes carrying a private car with it.
But one of the best times of the year, was late June, and early July, because that is when the circus train would go by. Depending on the touring group, the early June troop would come from the Tucson, and the the early July would come from Phoenix. You would see all the vehicles that they would need to move them from the train to where they were preforming. Some of the animal cars had open sides, so we would see lions, tiger, and elephants go by. And then all the cars for the performers. This is one of the only times were we would stop work and just watch a train go by.
Then there was that one day that I thought I would never see. You see the local guys on the train all the time, and when you make eye contact with them, there was always thrown a friendly wave. I was going to school late in the afternoon at the time, so I was taken lunches. That day I decided to go to McDonald's. As I was getting back to eat my lunch the gates were down for a train coming through. As I drove up to park in my normal spot, I saw a guy trying to remove a box of sheet rock mud from the area of the tracks. The whistle blew for a long time and the train came along and hit the man. He never made a move to move out of the way. I got out of my truck and went over to check on him, and he was died. That is all I am going to say about that. I gave my statement to police and the transit cops. I was shocked just an hour later to hear my co-worker on the radio taking about what had happened. He did not even see what happened. I felt bad for the guys on the train, for they did everything to get it to stop.
Then there was the time I was standing there working, and I looked up and I could see this guy carrying a lot of copper down the road. The night before someone had cut the fence and stole stuff of the trucks. At the time we had now idea what was really taken. One of the supervisors was still there and I called 911 and told them about the break in and the guy going down the road. With the help of the guys next door we caught up to him about two blocks away, and got the cops there. We got the copper back and he went to jail.
But my window on the world was closed around 2000, 2001. The company had build a new shop. It was close to the old Mesa Train Station, but was not close to the tracks. We did watch a car full wood catch fire one day, but we just did not see the trains go by. But I had a great time watching these trains move past me transporting goods and services to who knows where.
General Plumbing was located at the time at the corner of 8th Street and Center. Right next to center was the train tracks that ran from Phoenix to the rest of the country. So I would be working and I could watch the trains go by. Most of the time it was just a single diesel train moving around empty box cars. But we would get trains that would be carrying cars from back east. One day we saw a whole Army Armored Division being moved. Massive Abrams tanks and every type of military vehicle you could think off. We also, saw the Amtrak train rush by, sometimes carrying a private car with it.
But one of the best times of the year, was late June, and early July, because that is when the circus train would go by. Depending on the touring group, the early June troop would come from the Tucson, and the the early July would come from Phoenix. You would see all the vehicles that they would need to move them from the train to where they were preforming. Some of the animal cars had open sides, so we would see lions, tiger, and elephants go by. And then all the cars for the performers. This is one of the only times were we would stop work and just watch a train go by.
Then there was that one day that I thought I would never see. You see the local guys on the train all the time, and when you make eye contact with them, there was always thrown a friendly wave. I was going to school late in the afternoon at the time, so I was taken lunches. That day I decided to go to McDonald's. As I was getting back to eat my lunch the gates were down for a train coming through. As I drove up to park in my normal spot, I saw a guy trying to remove a box of sheet rock mud from the area of the tracks. The whistle blew for a long time and the train came along and hit the man. He never made a move to move out of the way. I got out of my truck and went over to check on him, and he was died. That is all I am going to say about that. I gave my statement to police and the transit cops. I was shocked just an hour later to hear my co-worker on the radio taking about what had happened. He did not even see what happened. I felt bad for the guys on the train, for they did everything to get it to stop.
Then there was the time I was standing there working, and I looked up and I could see this guy carrying a lot of copper down the road. The night before someone had cut the fence and stole stuff of the trucks. At the time we had now idea what was really taken. One of the supervisors was still there and I called 911 and told them about the break in and the guy going down the road. With the help of the guys next door we caught up to him about two blocks away, and got the cops there. We got the copper back and he went to jail.
But my window on the world was closed around 2000, 2001. The company had build a new shop. It was close to the old Mesa Train Station, but was not close to the tracks. We did watch a car full wood catch fire one day, but we just did not see the trains go by. But I had a great time watching these trains move past me transporting goods and services to who knows where.
Comments
Post a Comment