The Time Capsule: Silver Bullet memories shared

 The request to hear from those who remembered the 80th anniversary of the May 26, 1934, run of the Zephyr was a good one. Several people either called or looked me up, sharing their views on the day the “Silver Bullet” rolled through Montgomery County at 80 miles per hour on the non-stop, record breaking run from Denver to Chicago.  

Our local newspapers carried articles about spectators lining up at city parks and pastured hillsides with a view, but apparently many got a more thrilling, head-on look as the big silver train approached.

Bob Hossle of Emerson was then four years old.  His parents, who farmed near Emerson, loaded up the children and went to an overpass at which the road two miles east of town passed over the tracks.  They were among those who stood on the roadway as the train sped directly at them, then flashed a few feet below.  

Something that impressed Bob, other than the size and speed, was the lack of smoke. The Zephyr’s diesel/electric power plant replaced the coal-fired steam engines Bob was accustomed.  He said the long stream of dense, black smoke, heavy and oily and unpleasant, lingered on a calm, damp day for a long time. The Zephyr emitted no smoke, which he found remarkable.  

Jim Wigstone of Stanton was 10 years old. His family went to an overpass west of Villisca, where they also stood on the road and got a head-on look at the approaching train. I remarked that several people had similar memories, but to that point, I’d not found anyone who had taken a picture.  Jim laughed, reminding me the year was 1934—when not many could afford a camera.    

Now, of course, cell phone cameras by the hundreds would be on hand.  Someone would likely figure out a way to take a “selfie.” 

Another call came from Albert Barr (now of Wichita), who was nine years old and living near Villisca.  He watched the train go through, but his favorite memory came about when the Zephyr made the return trip a few days later. It was stopping in depot towns along the way, inviting newspaper reporters and potential passengers on board for a look at the accommodations. A few were allowed to ride from Villisca to the next stop in Stanton, but told they’d have to find their own way back. Albert followed the editor of the Villisca Review on board. The conductor, apparently thinking the boy was the editor’s son, let him pass.  

Albert said it was a grand ride to Stanton, but a long walk home.  He was barefoot.        

Roy Marshall is a local historian and columnist for the Red Oak Express. He can be contacted at news@redoakexpress.com.