I didn’t grow out of my fascination with trains. To this day, I still get excited when I see one and I also love to hear its lonesome whistle. But the one who actually witnessed the raw power of a train was my mom.
Back in the early eighties, she worked at a business in Powell that sat across the road from the railroad tracks. One day, she stepped out of the building and heard the loud revving of an engine. She looked toward where the train tracks crossed Emory Road and saw a delivery that was truck stuck on them. Yes, stuck. She realized it’s landing gear had lodged into in the train tracks. This is not the same equipment that an airplane has. Landing gears on trucks are used to help support the trailer when it is being removed. By the way, my mom’s aptitude test in high school suggested she should be a car mechanic.
Anyway, the man driving the truck was repeatedly driving forwards and then backwards in a desperate attempt to free it. My mom couldn’t look away. As she watched his struggle, she thought to herself, “Good thing there isn’t a training coming.” I will give you one guess what she heard next. Yep, she heard the train whistle. As it neared the truck, the driver was still trying to dislodge it from the track. At this point, my mom said she felt as if she was watching a TV show or movie. When the train was within feet of the truck, the driver finally gave up and leapt out of the cab and ran from the tracks. A few seconds later, the train plowed in the delivery truck. It didn’t even attempt to slow down.
“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of their troubles.” Psalm 34:17 (KJV)
Some people may look at this incident and say God didn’t deliver the man because the train rammed into his truck, destroying it and the cargo. I look at it with the perspective that God delivered what was important: the human being that was made in His image: Gensis 1:27. The truck and the cargo can be replaced, but the human soul can’t be replaced. Keep that in mind as you come across other souls.
As the train plowed into the delivery truck, it decimated the trailer, which spewed insulation everywhere. It was from one end of Powell to the other. She said it was like watching pink snow fall from the sky. I daresay you wouldn’t want to make snow angels in that “snow.”
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you