Ghosts of the Northern (Part 1) (South Dakota by Drone)

If you should wander paths unknown,
through verdant woods and fields sown,
‘round fen and bog, through storm and fog,
you may hear a cry far off and alone.

The tone is clear like the chime of a bell,
And though the sound has long since fell
it hangs in the air and it drifts everywhere.
And then comes a sight quite worthy to tell.

A billowing cloud and a thunderous roar
‘ore the hill, ‘round the bend, the clamor does soar.
Then flashing it comes, with a rolling like drums,
and it passes away, like a wave on the shore.

You, oh my friend, have just seen a ghost!
Once did they roam here from mountain to coast.
Now gone are they, gone with yesterday.
Only in memory does the lonesome call boast.

You, oh my friend, have just seen a ghost…

The Northern Type steam locomotive was a triumph of American steam railroading. First introduced in 1926, these beasts roamed the coastlines and mountain passes of the nation’s busiest routes until as late as 1963.

They were fast, strong, reliable, versatile, and were very popular with passengers. The locomotives were characterized by their eight 80-inch diameter driving wheels and four supporting wheels on each end of the massive boiler.

They were called by many names: “Greenbrier”, “Dixie”, “Niagara”, and “Potomac,” just to name a few, but their most common name was “Northern”, and so they are commonly known today.

Many were preserved after retirement and one even remains active on the locomotive roster of a Class I railroad to this day. These engines are like ghosts of the rails. Specters, haunting the line, crying out after a bygone era, the like of which had never been seen before, nor ever will be seen again.

Music By Peter Iverson
Unpublished work copyright (c) 2022 by Peter Ian Iverson

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