MEMORIES IN THE MAIL
–
A Lehigh Valley RS-3
Arrived in the mail…
N scale and weathered,
It brought back a memory trail.
–

Of my college days
And of a certain friend…
Stubborn branchline trains
That were run until the end.
–
David Fairbanks was
The church organist I knew….
Introduced by the Youth Pastor
We found the other liked trains, too!
–

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
Was Dvid’s forte’…
Plus the Lehigh Valley
Ran through Cortland (NY), by the way.
–
David, old as my Dad, or more
Was into D,L & W steam…
Which he photographed fron youth’
For me a pleasant dream.
–

He took pictures of “those diesels”
But a foamer he’d always be…
Which was perhaps an acquired taste
For such as young as me!

–
Still he shared his bounty
With a young diesel man like me…
Copies of his pictures
And of others he’d give gladly
–
He had an “O-27” layout
In his basement down the stairs…
After admiring and running it
We came up to sample fresh eclairs.
–

He was a tidy man who never married,
Taught piano on the side for change…
If he had a lesson scheduled
My visiting time rearranged.
–
Last time I was up his way
David Fairbanks was gone…
But thanks to a local society
His history will live on.
–

He’ll be playing the organ for his Lord
For perpetuity…
And I suspect when I get there
He’ll remember me.

–Jonathan Caswell