Son of a Son of a Railroad Man

As the son of a son of a railroad man, I’ve always had a fascination with trains.

I had a little HO Gauge train set as a kid. Had a big figure eight track with switches and a train depot. My current house sits about 150 yards from a railroad track. The trains come and go so frequently, we don’t even notice the gentle hum and the blast of the whistle anymore. It’s become part of our definition of ‘home’, that we don’t even notice until we stay somewhere else.

My grandfathers were involved with the Kansas City Railroad industry. My paternal grandfather John Walsh worked for many decades as an inspector in the train hump yards for Burlington. My maternal grandfather Luke O’Brien ran a construction company that built, among other things, railroads and stations. My mother tells me he was personally responsible for the building of the “Argentine Turnaround”. Something I was unaware of until today, but I’m told it’s a significant piece of Kansas City Railroad history.

So why should you care about trains? Because our Irish Heritage is intertwined with the Railroad industry. It’s a safe bet that if you’re Irish and you grew up in Kansas City, one of your ancestors worked in, on or around the trains. And our friends at KC Southern have pulled together an amazing exhibit of Kansas City’s Irish American Railroad History. You don’t even have to go to a stuffy museum to see it - we’ve got all of it available for you at this years Fest. So between your favorite bands and that second meat pie, check out the Heritage tent, and look for some of your own railroad history.

And if you see me and ask nicely, I’ll explain what goes on in a train hump yard.

Posted by BW