04/02/2017
Giant Green Caterpillar
For those of you who were born after 1972 you will know nothing of the ‘Giant Green Caterpillar` that raced east to west on the railroad tracks…..trains.
That Whistle Blow In A Hurry
I lived through the era of the mass transit. At 5:55 am, you hear her shrill whistle as she thunders out of the bushes. In a minute or so she grinds to a halt at the station. She is not pleased to stop. As the passengers embark and disembark, she belches black smoke and hisses loudly. The operator, all messy in soot, has his hands on the throttle. As soon as the conductor waves the green flag, she goes off ‘choo-choo.’
Crucial Run
This is 6 o`clock train – the busiest. She must reach her terminal by 7 am so that passengers can board the 7.15 ferry. No time to idle. On this ‘Iron Horse’ are city workers, business people and students – all eager to be in the city by 8 am. Losing this ‘first train’ will put you off your programme for the day.
The East West Run
The trains traverse tracks beginning from Parika to Vreed-en-hoop on the West Coast Demerarra, and Georgetown to Rosignol on the East Coast corridor. On the way they are stations and platforms. Some trains do Express runs – no stoppings.
I was lucky to live 1\4 mile from the biggest station. This stop caters for water to the stream engines and sidings. It is always busy and I spent most of my free time watching the boilers and locomotives stop and go.
Sometimes I would hang onto the end carriage and take a short ride. The station masters always warned me of this dangerous practices but I always ignored their warning until one day I slipped and busted up my knees.
Dangerous Hide and Seek
Not too far away is a giant culvert. I loved to hide between the massive steel girders and ‘feel trains’ go by just four feet away. Those iron wheels deafen you and the wind blasts sting you. It was scary but it was fun.
Sometimes I place nails and when the trains run over them, they become so thin you can use them as knives. Also metal corks which makes for good spinners.
My first experience of a train ride came when I was 10. It was the week before Christmas. My parent decided to take me to the city for their Christmas shopping. All night I prepared for the trip. At 4:30am I got up and dressed. At 5:15, we walked to the station. We were just in time to see the giant train pull in with a roar.
There was a rush to get on board. This is a crowded train normally. It is worse now –Christmas time. Few people use the roadways. Trains were the work horses moving Guyana. My parents got no seat but a kind passenger gave me his by a window. All eyes were on the outside. As the train took off I was astonished to see the trees and houses racing past. So quickly those telegraph posts appeared and disappeared. People were babbling all around.
Ticket Hassel
Then came the conductor. My parent showed their ticket. He clipped them He then turned to me. I had none. My father tried to explain that I was under 12. I needed no ticket. The officer didn’t buy that. An argument took place. The passengers tried to convince the collector that I needed no ticket. He stood his ground. But at the next stop my dad had to get me a ticket. Boy oh boy!
Dark And Noisy Terminus
Well, the train pulled into the final stop. This was Vreed-en-hoop. It was so noisy and dark. This was the terminus and workshop for trains. You see broken carriages, stalled locomotives, stray wheels and workmen everywhere. Hammering, sawing, welding. A cacophony of sounds. My parent hustled me to the ferry boat.
On Her Deck
That was the first time (1954) I stood on the deck of the Queriman. The most elegant ship at the time. The ferry queen. It was crowded. Barely room to stand. I kept staring at the massive ships at ancher. These were foreign cargo vessels.
Plane Going Down
Then I turned my eyes right I saw a plane plunge into the river. I held my father’s pants and blurted, “Papa, papa, a plane gone down in the water. All dem people drown. He laughed and said, “Watch and wait!” I felt so sad that the plane had gone to the bottom. But a few second later it surfaced.
“Papa, it come back!”
My father explained that it was a water plane that could land on water and on land. I felt better.
The Real Stuff
Ten years later I would be in one of those amphibious aircraft landing in the Kurupung River. I was on an official visit. the plane plunged deep and the coco brown water ran past my window. I was alone in the passenger cabin. It was dark. I was scared. But that’s the experiences in water landing.
Poping Trains
Many times I ‘poped’ the trains, travelling without a ticket. I was just naughty. It was fun dodging the conductor from carriage to carriage. The conductor’s own son loved to do this, only to end up under the wheels of the train.
Tragedy
Yes, tragedies do occur… mostly on the tracks. Animals got killed and trains derailed. One of my friends, minding his cows, slept across the train line. He was crushed to death.
Derailment
And I did witness a derailment not far from our residence. The locomotive ended in a ditch. The carriages scattered like match boxes. All mangled. Blood everywhere many casualties. It was horrifying but experienced salvage crews cleared the tracks quick so that trains could keep on schedule.
People depended on reliable transport. And trains were the vital link to the ferries that plied the waterways. The first class with cabins and cushioned seats led to many a romantic escapade and later marriages.
Good for All
The trains were cheap, on time and dependable. The system was clean and smooth. Trains and ferries were almost always on schedule. In later years I served on the deck of the Modern ferry-the MV Malali. One of my friends got married and the wedding reception was kept aboard the train.
And I began my romance on the train in the first class cabin. That first kiss led to marriage-thanks to Transport and Harbours Department
Blunder
Overall trains were safe. A boon to the country folks. It was a blunder born out of political insanity to scrap this mass transit. While countries improved on their railroads we scrapped ours…STUPID.
