|
 It
is hard to believe it has been 20 yrs since
I first knocked on the door at JD. In Jan of
1987, I was a student at the University of
Maryland and lived in a house only a few
blocks from the College Park CSX grade
crossing. I had been a railfan my entire
life except it wasn’t too cool in
college, so I wasn’t very active the first
few years of school. I remember deciding to
walk down to the crossing one Saturday and
take some pictures. After waiting for an
hour or so, I decided to start walking the
tracks south toward Washington DC. I walked
about a mile and a half before I sighted JD
tower just past the Riverdale crossing.
I remember it was a cold day and was hoping
that the operator would let me come in and
warm up for a few minutes. I was not all
together unfamiliar with railroad employees.
As a high school railfan, I had befriended
engineers, brakemen, and tower operators who
had given me cab rides, and put up with my
enthusiastic questions. I met some great
folks and the cab rides I will never forget
(especially riding with Brunswick based
helper crews on the Old Main Line SD and the
Metropolitan branch). This was in the late
70’s and early 80’s when things on the
railroad we different.
 I
remember climbing the steps of JD that day
and knocking on the door. The curtains were
closed and I wasn’t sure if anyone was even
there. After a minute or so, the door opened
a few inches and there stood 1st
trick operator George Lacock. “Can I help
you?” George didn’t seem too interested in
company and I managed to mumble a question
about when the next train might be
coming…hoping he would have mercy on me.
“Listen, you want to come back after 3PM.
That’s when Allen is here” was all he said
as he closed the door.
I didn’t have the patience to wait that day
and ended up walking the tracks all the way
back to College Park (about 3 miles)…without
seeing a train. Not the best result for my
first foray back into railfanning but,
little did I know this was the beginning of
one of my favorite eras for watching trains.
A
few days later, I borrowed a car and drove
down to JD after class. It was considerably
warmer that day and I remember seeing the
tower door open and a multi colored kite
flying from the door frame. As I climbed the
stairs I remember hearing what sounded like
someone singing opera music. This was
clearly not Pavarotti, and in fact, was
quite bad (sorry Allen). As I made it
to the top of the steps I remember seeing
Allen sitting at his desk singing. I thought
he had not heard me climb the steps but he
motioned me into the tower as he suddenly
stopped to answer the Jacksonville
dispatcher.
This is how I met 2nd trick
operator Allen Brougham. Allen was one of
those railroad employees who was a railfan.
Over the next two years I would stop by the
tower twice a week or so and visit with
Allen and photograph the happenings at JD.
We developed a close friendship as we
discussed trains, current events, or
whatever was going on in our lives at the
moment. Allen had a great sense of humor and
was one of those people you enjoyed being
around. Allen enjoyed the friendship of many
area railfans and I came to
meet some great people during that time. It
was not uncommon to arrive at the tower to
find three or four others relaxing and kicking
around the topic of the day. It is important
to understand that JD was a fairly busy
tower in those days and Allen was a
dedicated professional. We were all very
careful to not to interrupt him in the
performance of his duties. Allen was one of
those operators that conducted roll-by
inspections regardless of the weather and it
was clear he was well known and respected by
the people he worked with.
 Allen
was an
accomplished writer and published a monthly
newsletter titled “The Bullsheet”. The
newsletter covered local topics related to
railroading, railroad history, and railroad
employees. All of the articles you will find
in this site were written by Allen and
reprinted by permission from “The Bull
Sheet”.
Allen has posted many back issues on his
website
http://www.bullsheet.com and you can
read them there. Allen did this in his free
time and at his own expense. I guess this
was his way of giving something back to the
railroad, employees and friends he loved.
 I
graduated from The University of Maryland in
the summer of 1989 and moved out of College
Park.
While I tried to get down to JD if I was
back in the area, I eventually lost touch
with Allen. The years flew by and, though
busy with family and career, I would often
think back to that time and wonder what ever
happened to Allen and the tower. In the
summer of 2006 I pulled out my slide
collection and started to go through some of
the 500 or so images I have of JD. This
inspired me to see if I could get in touch
with Allen.
I tried to locate him through the internet
without luck. After doing a search on "JD" at
Railpictures.net, I discovered that my
friend Wade Massie, (pictured left applying
static electricity to what is left of
Allen's hair) had posted some pictures
of JD and he put me in touch with Allen.
Though the tower was closed in
1992, Allen hasn't changed a bit...even in
retirement.
So, Allen this
site is dedicated to you and the memory of
JD Tower. Thank you for the great memories
and for your dedication to your profession
and your friends.
Don Smith 2007
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History