The ride of a lifetime

Nickel Plate Express grants wish for Westfield man

By GENE POWELL

For Westfield’s Greg Hammond, a trip on the Nickel Plate Express (NPX) railroad was much more than just a ride.

Hammond, 63, who worked for a tunneling firm for much of his life, has battled leukemia since 2007 and now faces other cancer-related illness.

After a chat with Hammond’s cousin Russell Ross, NPX Director Emily Reynolds offered Hammond and family members a special trip on the railroad’s 12.6-mile route. Hammond “knew we were going on a ride,” his wife Linda said. “But that was all.”

When the family arrived at the new Forest Park Station at Hobbs Depot, they boarded a Gaylor Electric-sponsored coach car for their special experience – or so Hammond thought.

After the group was seated, conductor Jennifer Harmon boarded and approached the family. “She said, ‘we don’t have a ticket for (Greg),’” Linda recalled. When Hammond said he didn’t have one either, the conductor smiled and said, “That’s OK – you don’t need one,” and presented him with a NPX T-shirt and engineer’s cap. Linda said her husband “now wears it all the time.”

With that, engineer Tom Nichols escorted Hammond back onto the boarding platform and to the locomotive at the front of the train. The pair climbed into the cab of the 1953 GP7 Engine, and Hammond was invited to take the Engineer’s seat by the right-side window.

“I was really surprised,” Hammond said in an interview, his voice swelling with emotion. “It was definitely really good … if anyone wants to do a bucket list, this is it.”

During the ride, with Jay Harmon at the controls, Hammond sounded the train’s horn – discovering, he said, that differing patterns of long and short blasts have different meanings.

(From left) NPX Crew Members Danny Zell and Jay Harmon, and Greg Hammond. (Photo provided)

At some crossings, Hammond said, people in cars that had stopped would wave. He later joked that “a few people have asked me ‘why didn’t you stop and pick me up?’”

Hammond’s long-time dream trip came from his life’s work. “I have operated about every piece of heavy equipment there is,” he said. He wanted to complete those experiences with a ride in the cab of a locomotive. Asked how it compared to other machinery he operated, Hammond paused and said, “Well, you just sit there” – noting that no steering is required.

Linda Hammond praised Reynolds, Harmon, Nichols, and other railroad staff. “They were just great. Everyone was great.”

“When the family contacted me about making this wish come true for Greg, I knew we had to make it special,” Reynolds said. “I am so humbled we could be a part of this special wish and extremely proud of my staff for going above and beyond to make the day special for Greg and his family.”

Hammond is an Anderson native and spent most of his childhood in Greenfield. After serving in the U.S. Army, he worked “all around the country,” including some time in Peru, Ind., his wife said.

Hammond is “one of those guys who can do anything,” Linda said. “He could build a house from the ground up without plans.” She said his goals now include “inspiring others to keep fighting and not to give up.”

About the Nickel Plate Express
The Nickel Plate Express was founded in Hamilton County in 2017 with a goal of preserving the area’s rich railroad history through educational and entertaining train rides. It welcomes more than 13,000 visitors a year to themed excursions aboard historic 1950’s Santa Fe El Capitan double-deck cars, to the new Hobbs Depot station, and to tour a 150-year-old depot in Arcadia.

The NPX operates from February to December, from Noblesville through Cicero, Arcadia, and Atlanta, offering themed excursions including wine, beer, and dinner rides, as well as family-friendly holiday programs and caboose rides during select months. For more information, go to nickelplateexpress.org.