As fine a consist as any “Empire Builder” or “Minute Man”, if you only have eyes to see it!
The Ball Park! We’re two and a half miles from the screenhouse now. Pretty well to the farther end of Mr. Atwood’s cranberry empire.
They’re having a ball game up here today; South Carver Sunday School playing the West Wareham Firemen—seems to be an appropriate analogy there, don’t you think? Sunday Schools usually do oppose people who’re heading for the Fire! Two hundred people watching that game; came up on a special train right after dinner. Those people 'way over at the edge of the woods, they’re Plymouth Kiwanians having their annual clambake. They’re great for clam bakes down here; say it makes ’em tough.
Oh: you wanted to see one of the motor cars. Here’re two of them. This Model T touring car I like best; Sandy River built her in their Phillips shop. Master Mechanic Lee Stinchfield designed them all. He ought to be with Electro-Motive; he’d design diesel locomotives better’n they have now! They’re the neatest little rail cars I’ve ever seen. Mr. Atwood has two of these T Models; this touring, and a canopy body truck. They have a wholly different rear-end arrangement: kind of a “take-off” idea; put a little lever in forward gear and they’ll scoot away in high. Put it in back position and you fly backwards in high! This touring car was Superintendent Vose’s private car; he thought nothing of dropping down from Redington in twenty minutes; sixteen crooked, hilly miles. In winter he’s often pushed snow ahead of her radiator. They saved the Sandy River lots of money when otherwise a steam train would have gone out with fire-fighters or a repair crew. They save Mr. Atwood a lot. Quicker and cheaper than a pickup for cranberry men to run around in.
This other one here, the G4, is quite a wagon: something like the big gas-electrics on wide gauge roads. She seats fifteen people and used to haul a four-wheel trailer for mail and express. In summertime the Sandy River ran two of these rail-buses in place of steam passenger trains. Mr. Atwood occasionally uses this one to carry some visitors over the road but it’s mostly a sort of de luxe work car for his own crews.
Well, there goes No. 7’s bell: must be we’re leaving again. Want to ride the engine down to Sunset Vista? Mr. Atwood won’t like this if he sees us as it’s strictly against the rules; insurance company, or something. All settled? Keep off that steam pipe or you’ll be settled in Doc Nye’s office down to Wareham.
(Hosmer Photo)
Cold nor snow can stop the midget Edaville trains from scooting like a field-mouse among the bogs.
Here we go. You can see lots of bog from here. Nearly half the whole plantation’s in sight. There’s the big reservoir, Number Two, three hundred acres. Holds millions of gallons. Water is all pumped in from the river over back of the Ball Park. Fish come in through the pump, too, believe it or not!