LINDEN -- Every museum can use someone who lived the history.
That's the philosophy that brought Scott Mattingly to the Linden Depot Museum, where on Saturday he demonstrated tools of the railroad worker's trade to the couple dozen curious visitors who braved a heat index that stayed in three-digit territory.
Mattingly, 60, of Wingate, retired in June after 42 years of working for Norfolk Southern and its predecessor company, Norfolk and Western Railway. He followed some friends in applying for a job right after high school, and "started three days later," he said.
As a section foreman, he was responsible for the maintenance of long stretches of track. As the years went by, the reality of that work changed.
"Basically, now it isn't as much manual labor as it used to be," he said. "Most of the tools are hydraulic. They don't want you doing anything to hurt yourself. It used to be it didn't make any difference."
The old-school tools he demonstrated looked serious, and had serious names like bolt chisel, tamping bar and rail tongs. It takes a lot of hardware to manipulate sections of track that weigh 100-plus pounds for every three feet, he said. Similar tools are still used as backups in case the modern equipment fails.
The museum staff was pleasantly surprised when Mattingly turned up shortly after his retirement.
"I guess he just dropped in here," said Gary Vierk, the museum board's president. "He donated some tools to us, so we decided maybe this (demonstration) would be a good idea."
Mattingly has helped in other ways too, Vierk said.
"There are so many different items here that we know nothing about. Scott has helped us understand what we have.
"I hope he'll spend a little more time here," he said.
Though Mattingly appreciates the railroad history enshrined in museums like the Linden Depot, he says trains are still very useful today. In fact, he'd like to see them used more, for the long freight hauls that are often undertaken by trucks.
"One engine or two engines can pull 100 cars," he said. "It takes two and a half semis to fill one grain car. They can just pull so much more than a semi can."
The Linden Depot Museum will host its next event - a Circus Day featuring circus train exhibits, face painting, and clowning by Pat Kelly - from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 28. For more information on that program or the museum itself, call 427-3630.
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