Chapter One
Newton and Roger carefully placed two pennies on the tracks. They scampered away and down over the bank to watch the train rumble through. They could feel the ground vibrate as the engines approached.
They dropped to their knees. The roar of the diesel engines pulling thousands of tons of steel grew deafening. The boys lay flat on the gravel railroad bed.
“We’ve gotta stay down. Don’t move any closer,” Roger shouted. “If you get too close, that train will suck you up in it!”
They saw the Kansas City Southern southbound train coming. Those big diesel engines pulled a mile of cars all the way from Kansas City to New Orleans.
“Gosh” was the only word that came out of Newton’s mouth. And it was so soft-spoken that Roger couldn’t hear it over the rumble of the massive engines. The train roared, rocking back and forth with shrill, heavy squeaks, throwing dust and oil into the air.
Newton and Roger both clung deeper into the bank and covered their ears with their hands. As the grain cars passed, the boys were pelted with pieces of crushed corn. A string of tanker cars reeked of a nasty petroleum odor.
“Oh, whew!” Newton hollered, his voice shaking in unison with the ground.
“Let’s get out of here!”