FOOTBRIDGE TO THE 21ST CENTURY

A footbridge, built in 1913, made of iron beams with a concrete walk, connected South Central with South Toledo and spanned what seemed to be a mile wide terminal of railroad tracks. The focal point of this terminal was the 'New York Central Railroad' Carshops facility.

The Carshops facility harbored a turntable used to shift or change east-west direction of steam and diesel locomotive engines for pulling mile long trains of coaches, flat cars and boxcars that carried troops and armaments to seaports on the east coast, for shipment across the Atlantic Ocean, for prosecution of the war in North Africa and Italy, and for preparation of the D-Day invasion of France; and to seaports on the west coast, for prosecution of the island hopping war blazing in the Pacific Ocean.

The hustle and bustle of railroad yard activity from 1941 through 1942 was a far cry from previous hum-drum 'yard' activity of 'Railroad Dicks' checking empty box cars with 'billy clubs', looking for 'hobos' who were the un-employed of the 'Great Depression' looking for work.

Three sets of steps provided a means to walk down into the 'yard'. Each set of steps provided a landing for viewing activity in the 'yard'.

If Charles Dickens was resurrected to provide us today with a reflective description of a view of that 'yard' from the 'footbridge' landings, it's certain he would begin by repeating his description of times in Paris and London in 1775:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

Dickens is gone, but his reflective description of the times in Paris and in London in 1775 remains - as an accurate description of the best and worst of times during these closing years of the 20th Century, in all cities all over the world.

Toledo remains, or the remains of Toledo, like remains of the Coliseum in Rome, still exist. The 'footbridge' is gone. The New York Central Railroad and its carshops facility and turntable are gone. The terminal of tracks is gone. All that remains is memory of the three sets of steps, each with its own landing; each landing providing a different view of activity in the 'yard' from three different points of observation.

A reflective description of the 'yard', in metaphor, is offered: one view - 'Of Time'; a second view - 'Of Dogs'; a third view - 'Of National Elections in the year 2000'.

Of Time