Jackson Man’s Model Train Replica Keeps Railroading History Alive
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JACKSON, Tenn.- Here in West Tennessee, the railroad helped make our community what it is today. Ribbons of steel wind their way across West Tennessee, lines of history that go back hundreds of years. A Jackson man has preserved his family’s history of working on the railroad through a living replica of his life on the line. “I think railroading gets in your blood, particularly if your family is involved in it,” said railroad enthusiast George Googe. For him, the railroad is more than local history. Your might say it Is family history. “My dad started working for the railroad in 1929. He and mom married, mom actually worked for the railroad for a little while to help him out,” said Googe. And like his dad before him, the railroad became a part of his life, too. “I worked for the railroad beginning in 1974 as a brakeman, then also an an operator and clerk, doing office work up and down the line in Okalona, Mississippi and Iselin Yard here in Jackson.” Googe’s work now is in the court system as public defender, but the railroad is not far from his reach. At the end of a long day at work, he changes hats and climbs the stairs and steps through a door, back in time to his oasis on the line. “I’ve been playing with model trains since I was young. I like my job, but it’s also good to get away to something that can help you relax and take you back to a different time,” said Googe. The railroad set, not only takes him back to the time he spent on the line, but also nearly fills the entire upstairs room of his home. “The room is 23 x 47 feet, the layout is a little smaller than that because you can walk around it,” he said. You will find scenes from Jackson’s railroad past, including a model of Union Station and the old Iselin train repair yard. From there, through scenes of towns through southern West Tennessee into north Mississippi, ending at the town of Okalona. “So I believe that’s 124 miles and of course I had to leave out several towns and so forth. It’s just a general representation. I like going back to the past in a good way. It’s also a great way to get there,” said Googe.
