There was a time when the small-town station was a community focal point. Pretty much everything came by train, from the people, to the mail, to the packages, to the goods destined to be sold at the general store. While those days ended with the advent of the family car, the motor truck and the superhighway, the few towns that still have an active train station offers a glimpse at a bygone era.
Offered in evidence is the town of Greenwood, Mississippi.
Greenwood is a town of modest size situated in the Mississippi Delta region. The tracks of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley date from the dawn of the 20th Century, and have passed down through the control of the Illinois Central to today’s Canadian National. Passenger trains ceased stopping here well before the dawn of Amtrak, but returned in the 1990’s when the I.C. downgraded the old passenger route of Casey Jones notoriety.
On an early March evening in 2010, passengers have congregated outside the waiting room, waiting for the impending arrival of the northbound City Of New Orleans. One of the conductors taking over the train has talked with his waiting passengers, who have gathered trackside with luggage in hand. After a few moments, a distant horn is heard and shortly the northbound City pulls into town with a glare of headlights and blaring horn.
It’s train time at Greenwood.
Mary McPherson – Photograph and text Copyright 2022
