Railway Joe

[Lynn]

Hello

I want to share a story from where I live of a man that was a drifter that we do not know his real name or really anything about him. So he was called "Railway Joe".

I lived on property that was down the road from the still standing Railway Station on what was the Railway Works Yard. There is where Joe lived, homeless but a happy man. Til one day all that changed. The days of the Railway ended and he had nothing to hold onto. He passed on the site where I lived.

Houses were built there on what was barren land for so so many years, that were heritage in design. We were the second to move in, and with that came Joe. The first to move in loved model trains, had a house full of them. So that wa the bridge I feel that brought Joe in.

He would take anything "gold" and that would drive us nuts as its not cheep to have gold jewelry or watches ext. Yet when asked it would always come back the next AM. As more moved in more activity would happen. My Son would talk about it openly as he could "see" Joe.

One that lived across the way lost his gold retirement watch off the kitchen counter, and was asking if we saw anyone go into the house. I told him about Joe and said ask for it back. He laughed it off with me and then it happened. A horse went down the sidewalk (but there was no horse) and he saw it....the look on his face was one of sheer amazement, not fear, goes did you "see that" as the horse vanished. I was like yes not go find your watch its on the kitchen counter. Sure enough it was. He never talked to me about that day again, just kept to general chit chat LOL.

There was a story done on the Railway and a reporter that did a Show on Ghost Towns and Trails came around filming. My Son told him about "Railway Joe" being there but got dismissed by the "child's story". The news item aired and then about a week later that reporter came to the door. Asked to see my Son as it seems in the City archives was a small notation about a drifter that was found dead on site that was a John Doe. That is Railway Joe.

My Son was polite but firm in saying you did not want to hear the story when I tried to tell you it so now I will not share it as Railways Joe said "go away".

It was years later that I attended a Mediumship workshop in the Railway Building and a few say Railway Joe sitting in a chair in the hallway. Its odd how little lasts in that station as a business. There was a Daycare for a time, and the children I was told had "stories".

Lynn