4 April 2009
The Whistle Still Calls His Name
Railroading has always been in Eugene Rande's blood -
even 30 years after he retired from the job that generations
of men in his family had held. But his love of the steel
road continues and Rande recently completed a miniature
scale replica of the Surprise Creek Bridge. The model of
the Canadian Pacific Railway crossing is on display at
Berwick on the Park.
Kamloops British Columbia - It took about 9,000
wood pieces, 547 days, and innumerable bottles of Elmer's white glue to build the exact, to-scale, replica of the
Surprise Creek Bridge.
The precision seen in the model of the Canadian Pacific Railway bridge is astounding: each small wooden truss
hand-carved, miniature wire strapping set perfectly in place, and the hand-made tiny train picture perfect.
But for Eugene - who is "just Gene" to everyone - Rande, every splinter, minute, and glue-covered hand was
worth it.
Despite being retired for nearly 30 years, Rande is a railroader.
It's in his blood.
His dad and granddad were also railroaders. Between the trio and a handful of other family members, they've spent more than 250 hours
working on the rails.
At 10 years old, Rande began his longtime career with CP as a telegraph messenger, making 10 cents an hour.
"Can you believe that?" he asks, sitting at a small wood kitchen table in his apartment in Berwick on the Park.
"I was only making $3 a month."
Rande was later promoted to yardmaster and was transfered from his home in Field, B.C., to Kamloops, where he worked until retiring in
1979.
His home, where he's been for the last eight months, is a tribute to railroad days of the past, with a large painting of a CP train
forging through mountain scenery in the living room, a grand sepia-toned print of another train above his bed, and two
engine models - of which Rande hand-crafted every piece, right down to the tiniest bolt and screw.
There's even a glass-fronted box with three golden pocket watches on a dresser beside his bed. The names inscribed
underneath are those of him, his father, and grandfather.
The watches are all set at four o'clock.
"That's when we quit work," Rande laughs, scanning the myriad paraphernalia with sparkling grey-blue eyes.
"Yeah, I do like trains."
But there's one photo on the living-room wall that holds his gaze.
It's a beautiful young woman with an enchanting smile.
"That's my wife, Anne. She's gone now," he says, taking his glasses off, wiping away the tears.
"She just went to sleep one night and never woke up."
He chuckles softly, saying he would be so engrossed with the bridge, Anne would come down to his workshop at 3 a.m. to check on him
and tell him to go to bed.
Shortly after her death, Rande moved into the senior's home - bringing his partially built bridge with him.
The sizable project - standing 62 inches long and 27 inches tall - is the second time he's built the bridge, with the other one on
display at the Revelstoke museum.
This one will stay in the main lobby of Berwick, displayed in a glass case built by his grandson, Matthew.
So, for Rande, it's truly been a train of love.
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