On a Frontier Days excursion back in July 2017, the UP 844 approaches a stop at the depot in downtown Greeley, CO. A line of several of us were set up for a picture well before the train arrived, and at the last moment, this father and son walked down in front of us. I was frustrated at first and almost asked for them to move. Then I remembered, this is kind of what it's all about, isn't it? This isn't a historic charter to try to recreate the past. This is about dedicated people (like Ed Dickens at the throttle) bringing the past into the present so steam locomotion can not only stir the memories of an older generation, but also capture the imaginations of the next.
