Episode 1: Reunions of Former Employees, L.T. Walker

Decades after the Rock Island Railroad was shut down by a bankruptcy judge in 1980, former employees in Arkansas continue getting together for annual reunions. Unlike many railroads, they say the Rock Island was a family operation. They share stories, get caught up on what's happening with one another, and pay tribute to employees who have died since their previous gathering. On this episode, we'll hear from participants of a 2017 reunion, and hear highlights from a 1988 interview I recorded with former conductor Leonard Tillman Walker, who helped start these reunions after the railroad was no more.