In Fort Worth, Texas, we boarded the Heartland Flyer that was to take us to Oklahoma City to the TEMPO meeting, where we hoped to hear good news about Hope getting the Amtrak stop. I must remind you about TEMPO.

TEMPO is a group of rail system advocates who are not paid. This particular support group favors the Texas Eagle. I said favors the Texas Eagle, but they support improvement for rail systems in general.

ADVOCATE. What does that mean to you? Texas style it means ‘they will fight  like he__ for you.’ If you treat them right and tell them the truth, they will give you the shirts off their backs. Not exactly Websters; but, hopefully, it makes my point.

I will always remember the feeling of riding the Heartland Flyer; it had an appeal that only a country girl could appreciate to the fullest extent. It had a classy, laid back atmosphere that could carry the farmers and the lawyers and there were no superiors, at least not in my experience.
Everyone who rode her moved up in stature.

The best part about riding the Heartland Flyer was I was able to mix with those who had their hearts in ‘the Flyer’ and ‘the Eagle’, and several who had their hearts in both, and trains in general.
I talked to Bernard McCarthy, who worked for Amtrak 28 years. He was an LSA, lead service attendant, and do not by any means, let the title fool you. He was the Heartland Flyer to many people. I met Natalie, she awards TEMPO pins; and, many others worth mentioning.

We will go back to  Bernard or “Mac” later, and where is mama Amtrak? She will come into play also.
Let’s meet Griff. Griff, his full name is J. G. Hubbard, is a fifth- generation railroad man who was “born and reared” in his own words in Texarkana, Texas, which is where I was born.

He is the product line agent and revenue manager for the Texas Eagle. He, along with Dr. Bill Pollard and Jesse Padilla, revenue manage both the Heartland Flyer and the Texas Eagle.

“I am an original Texas Pacific Railroad employee. I am the fifth generation of my family to draw a railroad paycheck. When I worked out of Texarkana in the days before Amtrak, I can remember when their were four round-the-clock switch engines in Hope. There was that much activity in the Hope rail yard, “ Hubbard said.

When asked about his thoughts on a Hope stop, he was enthusiastic.
“I am just one of the little people, I do not want to imply that I have input on the decision, but because of Paul Henley, I will just be shocked if this is not a fruitful announcement on this trip,” Hubbard said.

 “The time is long overdue. Having come to Amtrak, from the railroad industry, Hope was such an important stop on the route of the Texas Eagle, prior to Amtrak days, in the Missouri Pacific’s Texas Eagle. Hope was a big drawing point for all of southern Arkansas, and it will be again, if the announcement is made. If we do get the stop, Hope is going to be an immediate success story.

“I will tell you how I know that. My first job at Amtrak was a station agent at Texarkana Union Station from 1974 to 1983, so I have a real good feel about the Amtrak era being in Texarkana and not stopping in Hope, and realize how many people we were underserving,” he said. “Your drawing card will be Nashville, Hope, Gurdon, Stamps, El Dorado. Hope is going to be a big deal.”

He went on to say why a Hope stop would be special to him.
“Coming from five generations of railroad people, it means a lot to me that Hope has the only depot that my very first ever railroad ancestors would have worked at, the old Cairo Fulton Depot, that is the only Cairo/Fulton Depot left any where between St. Louis and San Antonio,” Hubbard explained.

“The Cairo/Fulton Depot in Hope was built before there was a bridge over Red River. The train had to get on a ferry and be ferried across the Red River.”
We still haven’t made it to the Heartland Flyer 10-year anniversary and TEMPO meeting. Stay aboard for Oklahoma City.