THE TRAINS RAN BOTH WAYS

By John Santosuosso

      "I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

                                         Acts 7:32

     " Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more."

                                         Rev. 21:1

      Much of my time during that part of my "formative years" that lasted from the third to the sixth grade was spent at the Robert Zane Elementary School in Collingswood, New Jersey. Named for an early settler in the area, there was nothing special about the building. It was beginning to show its age, and tended to be a bit gloomy inside. However, our teachers were very dedicated, compassionate, and highly competent, more so than we appreciated at the time.

      For me personally Zane School held one other virtue in addition to its staff. It was located very close to the railroad station of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. I had become a "railroad nut" ever since, while I was still at a very young age, my grandfather on several occasions had taken me by train to New York City. A retired machinist from the Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive shops in Altoona, he would travel the country using the passes his "golden years" now offered. Sometimes my grandmother would go along, but she was somewhat "turned off" when by rail and ferry they went to Havana, and walked into a restaurant only to discover a live pig wandering about the place.

      I never made it to Havana, but with my two closest friends, "Ace" and "Rube," we would sometimes go to Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to do some train watching and riding from 30th Street to North Philadelphia. We rode some of the best trains in the country, even if it was only for five miles in one direction. No matter, the ride was usually free, and if a conductor did come by he only charged you a quarter.

      Of course such excursions had to be limited. That is what made Zane School special. By taking a slightly longer walk home, I was able to make a meaningful if brief stop at the station. It was on the main line of the PRSL, which ran from Camden to Atlantic City. However, only a few morning and evening local trains stopped here, plus a mid-afternoon one running between Camden and Hammonton. If I was lucky, I could spot that one at the station at the very end of the school day. My station visits were supplemented with actual rides when possible. Haddonfield was within short biking distance, and from there you could catch a train to Philadelphia, Camden, Atlantic City, or even Cape May.

      The trains did run both ways. I loved the return rides almost as much as those that had taken me to my original destination. It was an enjoyable journey, a chance to reflect on the wonders I had seen and the places I had experienced, such as Atlantic City's famous Steel Pier with its diving horses, probably more fun for me than the horses, there was Mr. Peanut stirring his kettle at the Planter's Peanut Store on the boardwalk. In addition, those after school station visits left me with dreams of future trips. These were experiences I still savor from time to time.

      In later years as I would recall those days, they struck me as in some ways similar to our life journey. We have the ability to look back as well as forward, and that can be a gift, although sometimes with a high price. How many times did we feel that God was directing our path? How many times did we feel we were alone? Barbara Brown Taylor writes about "Learning to Walk in the Dark." The mountain top experiences can be fulfilling, but sometimes the valleys are filled with lessons, some painful, but all of them ones we need to learn. Life flows in both directions. Looking back we can see where we have been and learn from it. Looking forward we can sometimes see where we need to go. Always we can be assured we do not ride or walk alone. The universe is a strange and awesome place, filled with things we cannot understand. But we can understand Jesus because He experienced what we have experienced. He came to forgive sins, but more importantly to make us whole, what God intended us to be. He came that we might, "Live fully, love wastefully, be all that we can be." For that gift we can be truly thankful. Happy Thanksgiving.