Engineer recalls 40 years on the rails
Jack Sellars worked for the AT&SF Railway for more than 40 years. For a lot of that time – 1945 until the railway ripped up the spur’s tracks in 1972 – Sellars operated engines on the Santa Fe’s Magdalena Branch, a 26-mile stretch between Magdalena and Socorro that was popularly known as the Maggie. In June 1953, Sellars took the last steam engine on that run. From then until the Maggie was terminated, he pushed diesel engines along the line.
On Saturday, Sellars will be the guest of honor at a National Train Day celebration from noon to 4 p.m. at the Magdalena Public Library, 108 North Main St. The building housing the library is a restored AT&SF Railway depot. The Boxcar Museum at the library is a tribute to Magdalena’s past, much of which is linked to the railroad.
Amtrak started National Train Day in 2008 to promote rail travel and pay tribute to the history of trains in the United States. Amtrak stopped sponsoring the event after last year. But because the railroad played such an important role in Magdalena’s history, the library and the village’s Golden Spur Saloon teamed up to celebrate the day.
Read more at:
http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/67915-engineer-recalls-40-years-on-the-rails/
