(rshsdepot) Philadelphia, MS

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From the Neshoba Democrat.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
 
Neshoba County man recalls heyday of Philadelphia railroad depot

LUTHER JOHNSON • Neshoba Democrat • March 2,  2008
 
PHILADELPHIA — The newly renovated historic train depot holds vivid memories  
for G.W. Herrington, who documented numerous shipments of wood and mercantile 
 items there for nearly 20 years during its heyday.

“This was a real busy  station at the time,” said Herrington, a Neshoba 
County native. “On a normal day  25 to 35 car loads, mostly wood products came 
through. At the time there were  three pulpwood yards, which was big business 
here in Philadelphia.”

He  also recalled the numerous rail cars filled with dog food, flour, and 
other  items that were shipped here for Cole Brothers store.

He is pleased to  see the depot being renovated and used as a welcome center, 
remembering several  items including the original floor and ticket window.

“It’s good that  they’ve salvaged it and are making something out of it,” 
said Herrington, one of  the last agents to work at the depot, which dates back 
to 1904, before it  closed.

Now retired, the railroad buff has maintained an interest in  trains. He can 
still recognize the model and use of nearly every one he sees  today.

While passenger trains stopped routinely at the Philadelphia  depot, it was 
also the docking station for many freight cars.

When he  retired in 1989, Herrington was only two months shy of working 42 
years for the  railroad, during which time he saw many changes.

He first started work  for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad in Jackson in 
1947, as a clerk in the  superintendent’s office.

Not long after he started, the general  superintendent offered him a position 
as his personal secretary, a job which  involved a lot of travel.

“It was quite an honor,” said Herrington, who  operated from a private car 
pulled behind passenger trains transversing the  GM&O rails.

The traveling office had three bedrooms, a dining room,  bath, and a large 
observation area, which was used as a work area, he  said.

Herrington, the superintendent, and a cook lived in the cars, which  he 
described as a “real plush office.”

“St. Louis was our main hub, and  we would have guests come aboard for dinner,
” said Herrington. “It was a real  interesting experience.”

Ten passenger trains — which were given priority  over freight trains — a 
day ran between St. Louis and Chicago, five each way,  said Herrington, with the 
number one train being the Abraham Lincoln, which  maxed out at a speed of 79 
mph.

About three years into the job,  Herrington got married, and his wife lived 
in an apartment in  Meridian.

Herrington said they would spend a couple of days in Meridian  before leaving 
out on the rails for weeks at a time.

“Coming through  Meridian every two or three weeks, and staying a day or two, 
just wasn’t the  life for a married man,” said Herrington, who then asked 
for a transfer and was  sent to Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Thirteen years later he returned home and  accepted an agent’s job at the 
Philadelphia depot where for almost 20 years he  received and billed out 
shipments.

With changes in communication, the  business handled at the Philadelphia 
office was later shifted to the Louisville  office.

Herrington said the renovation of the depot kept a great deal  intact, 
pointing out the original wood floor and the ticket counter for train  passengers.

The 60-year-old counter is being used for a receptionist’s  area at the depot 
while the scale, which was used to measure freight during the  depot’s 
working days, is also on display.

The depot houses the offices of  the Community Development Partnership.

Herrington hasn’t seen the last of  his former traveling office either. His 
son located the rail car in Illinois  over the Internet.

Herrington said they had not set a date to visit to  the museum, but 
indicated that it would not be before too long.

“My two  sons want to go, so we’re going to have to find a time they can get 
off as  well,” said Herrington.



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