 Please state your first name age and current city of residence. My name is Fred I'm 80 years old and I live in Berthold, Colorado How long have you lived in your current residence? since last August of 2022 and where did you live before that in Longmont and How long have you lived in Colorado about 40 years? Where were you born and where else have you lived? I was born in Rochester, New York, and I've lived in numerous places in California and in Illinois Can you tell me about a hobby or interest you have had over the years? Most of my life. I've been a model rewording fan Can you tell us more about what that is? I've built a number of model train layouts over the years and I'm currently building one in my basement in Berthold and How many different layouts have you created? I think it's six and Are they large or small? they would be categorized by model reworders as a medium size and Are they a particular are the trains in particular size? Yes I my model in n scale, which is one 160th of reality What do you enjoy most about creating layouts? Actually, I like all of the disciplines a little bit. I'm not terribly good at them, but I like the carpentry I like building model buildings and track scenery mountains such like that is There a particular place that you like your layouts to portray Right here in the state. I usually have something like the Rocky Mountains In the layout Where did this interest come from? My dad Was a real train enthusiast he worked on Railroads not for the railroad. He worked for the railway mail service, but He loved trains his whole life and it Passed on to me From its beginnings during the Civil War until its slow decline after World War two the core of America's postal system was the railway mail service Previously mail had been carried in locked pouches aboard trains and then sorted at their destination Under the new system mail was sorted en route while the train moved between two points The idea proved successful and a large portion of the nation's mail was sorted while being carried on the rail lines As highway mail transportation became more prevalent the railway mail service was gradually discontinued with all service officially terminated in 1977 and It's our understanding that you'd like to read from your father's autobiography. Yes After taking a test for a civil service appointment I was appointed to the railway mail service of the US post office in August 1941 in the same month my draft board called me Terry that's his wife knew one of the members of The draft board and the members suggested that if we married and had the kids I would not be drafted that winter We decided to marry on January 10th 1942 but Pearl Harbor pushed the date up to December 27th 1941. I was officially drafted for the war in 1943 at that time the US Marine Corps was in need of mail clerks a US Marine Corps sergeant followed me through the whole Induction right and guaranteed me that I would be a mail clerk in the Corps I served without injury in Oganawa Japan until my release from this from the service soon after the war ended in 1948 I became a regular clerk in the railway mail service and I was given a run from Detroit to Buffalo I worked five days a week and received the next nine days off The train left at 9 p.m. And we arrived in Buffalo at about 2 a.m. We left Buffalo at 3 30 a.m. And arrived in Detroit at 8 30 a.m. We did this Sunday to Friday. I did this until 1950 When an opening occurred on the local from Rochester, New York, which was called the old road Thank you How did he share his involvement with trains with you? The first remembrance I have is that the home we lived in in Rochester Rochester, excuse me had An enclosed front porch and in that room He built a model railroad layout for me complete with towns The old train layout and I became a fan right from them Did you guys ever go anywhere? To watch the trains? Yeah, there's one particular memory. I have there was a Highway overpass over the main line of the New York Central outside of Rochester and at that time the New York Central had a four-track main line this would have been in the late 1940s and we'd go there and park the car and Just watch the trains go by which was very frequent What do you hope others will learn from your story? Well, I'd like to to see the interest in rail rearing Continued in this country. It's been a big part of our our history and Outside of the the recent negative news It's it's an important part of our economy Although probably a shrinking part of our of the importance in our economy in the future But I'd still like to see where it's remembered understood And admired Anything else you would like to share the The hobby is a lot of fun. It uses a lot of different skills and I've been I've enjoyed it for No, probably for 70 75 years Great, well, thank you for your time today. Thank you