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Authors
Tim Blagg
Jan 1, 2000
By Tim Blagg |
Author
Bio
As with most people my interest in trains goes back to my childhood. I used to ride the train every summer going to Chicago to visit relatives. I can still remember the steam locomotive coming into the station huffing and puffing.
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Tim Blagg passed-away in June of 2009. We still miss him.
I was born in east central Illinois in 1945. Did most of my growing up there with some small stints in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. My Grandfather (paternal) and Uncle were both retired railroaders but unfortunately I lost them both before I was old enough to get to know them. My father was a brakeman on the railroad for a while but gave it up to be at home more and became a self-employed carpenter for most of his life. It is to my regret now that none of the railroad stories were ever passed on to me. They worked on the old Central and Eastern Illinois (C&EI) railroad.
Graduated high school in 1963 and decided that academia was no longer for me. Couldn't stand it. Technical schools were much more satisfying. Joined the Army late in 1963 and toured the world for 20 plus years. I received a considerable amount of technical training in the electronics field, which regrettably I have forgotten most of. Retired from the Army in 1984 due to pressing personal reasons.
Since retirement I have worked for various contractors on government contracts as an engineering technician. I have designed and built several data communications facilities, which provided me with tremendous job satisfaction. Now I engineer outside plant infrastructure for telephone and local area networks. How I ended up in outside plant I am still trying to figure out. I also do quality assurance work on ongoing outside plant construction projects both in this country and overseas.
As with most people my interest in trains goes back to my childhood. I used to ride the train every summer going to Chicago to visit relatives. I can still remember the steam locomotive coming into the station huffing and puffing. I would even stand there and wait for the blowdown.
Then the diesel started taking over. It seemed like something was missing (and there was) but I was still very impressed with the sound, smells and the power. I have always wanted to build a model train layout but it seemed like the process of life kept getting in the way. No money, no space, one failed marriage and raising 3 sons on my own for several years and then getting remarried (which was a really, really good thing!!) and so on and so on.
Now I am on the verge of starting my own railroad and I greet this with great anticipation. The process of life and home ownership still gets in the way occasionally but that's okay. It is time for me to play now!Top of Page
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