The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-21
Vagabond
from
Indiana

ERNIE PYLE
NEWS. Va, Feb. 2l.-

L ' The trouble with Ellis Ed
munds is that he doesn't get the
same locomotive every night. II he
had his own locomotive all the time.
he could do much better than he
does. But he does pretty well at
that.
Mr.. Edmunds is known all over
this part of Virginia for his ability
to play tunes with a locomotive
whistle.
He puffs along between Newport
News and Richmond, playing
Aud Lang Syne" at one crossing
and Lead Kindly Light" at the
next, and practicing in between
crossings on The Old Spinning
Wheel" He almost drives people
crazy.
IF I had my own engine all the
time, I could get the whistle just
right, and could keep in practice"
Mr.. Edmunds says.
But we work out Of pool, and
may have a different engine every
night. Once in while the whistle
will be just right, but sometimes
you get whistle the devil himself
couldn't play tune on"
MIR. EDMUNDS has been q rail-
WI roader all his life. He was
born at Wytheville, in southwestern
Virginia, and started firing on the
railroad when he was II. That was
33 years ago. He's been an en-
gineer for rs years.
He works for the G. g. o. In the
summer be throttles the potato"
train between here and Richmond.
Every night whole train load of
nothing but potatoes.
He was smashed up in a wreck
in 1912 His engine was standing
still, and he was out oiling it when
another one came along, jumped
the track, and smacked into him. Z
Mr.. Edmunds has been playing
tunes with the whistle ever since
he can remember. 1t isn't as easy
as it sounds, either. Takes lot of
practice to do it right, and most en-
gineers can't do it at all. Or maybe
they don't want to.
He's so good that for the last
three years the city fathers of New
port News have had him get an en-
CINE out in the yards and play tunes
on New Years Eve, at midnight.
You could hear it mile, and the
whole city listened.
MIR. EDMUNDS, unfortunately,
Yl has the habit of practicing
his art at night, and when he's go
ing through town. A lot of people
can't appreciate it.
He's always getting stern type
written memos from the company,
saying they've had some more COM
plants, and if he doesn't cut it out
they're going to fire him. So he lays
off till the fuss blows over, and then
starts playing again. Once in
while he gets fan letter.
Once, several years ago. he was
steaming through a Virginia village
on a Sunday night, playing I'm the
Sweet Bye and Bye" He heard later
that the preacher in the church
stopped the choir, and they all lis
tened till the engine was out Of
hearing.
Mr.. Edmunds has natural ear
for music. Plays the piano, and
doesn't know one note from another.
Also plays the French harp like
nobody's business, and says he's not
bad on the Hawaiian guitar.
He's crazy about poetry. too. Has
a trunk full of poems clipped out of
newspapers and magazines. Some of
them about railroading, some of
them heavy stuff. He can't write
poetry, though.
TIE doesn't look like either a
i J. musician or poetry lover. He's
big and pretty heavy, and has big
hands and is bald and wears
glasses. The day was there he was
fixing the motor on his mothers
washing machine.
He is married and has two grown
boys, one OF them in college study
ing chemical engineering. He keeps
a home in Richmond, but at the
moment he's living on this end Of
the line with his aging mother.
Firemen don't mind Engineer Ed
munds playing with the whistle. he
says. In fact, most of them like it.
They'll say: Come on now, you
haven't played for long time.
Let's have a tune"
His standbys are 1.-THE Old Oaken
Bucket" Sweet Bye and Bye"
Aud Lang Syne" and Missouri
Waltz" I forgot to ask him if he
plays THE Wreck of the Old g."
He can't do much with jazz music.
The most recent piece he has
touched is THE Old Spinning
Wheel" He played that for me on
the harmonica, too. He can really
make it hop on the harmonica.