Historical Short Stories

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"The din of the valley assailed one's ears.  Beyond the roundhouse loomed the huge, massive bulk of the big shop where steam locomotives were submitted to major operations and were stirred back to life.  The Sayre yards were choked with railroad cars, the sounds of great hammering and banging, all of which would reach one's ears along with the hissing of tortured flames in the blacksmith furnaces.  A rhythmic clangor indicated that the drop-hammer was in motion creating parts for another "Sayre Built" locomotive.  Switchers wheezed and snorted as they shuttled car into car with much bustling racket.  Their air pumps, exhaust, and whistles squeaked, bellowed, and piped unceasingly.  Now and then, above all of this fantastic noise, was the piercing preemptatory ringing of bells.  The powerhouse stacks reared their authoritative heads shooting large clouds of smoke that would dominate the sky above.

The iron trail received some of its finest iron steeds from Sayre shops.  Ranked high upon the list were locomotives that pulled the crack passenger trains-the "Asa Packer", the "Maple Leaf", "Star", the Sayre streamlined "John Wilkes", and the equally stunning and beautiful "Black Diamond".  

Sayre was a railroad town in the finest tradition.  Craftsmen and laborers alike from many different cultures and countries, all speaking the language of railroading, worked together in their daily efforts.  The magnitude of their hard work was their equalizer that removed conflicts and replaced them with an extraordinary sense of pride in their work. " 

Author's Notes:  

• Sayre, Pennsylvania, is a railroad town named after Robert Sayre who was man of rare moral character and ability.
• Sayre, Pennsylvania, the borough, was born out of necessity due to the tremendous coal traffic foreseen and developed under Robert Sayre's supervision.
• Sayre, Pennsylvania, the borough, was to develop and prosper in all areas akin to Robert Sayre's life, even leading to the development of a hospital, training school for nurses, metal casting facilities, and a transportation center.
• Robert Sayre was a man who developed this railroad town and left a legacy to be proud of.