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Johnny Balser\u2019s grandfather moved to McComb in the 1880s and took a job with the railroad. In this episode, he discusses his family\u2019s long history with the Illinois Central maintenance shop there and why there was never any doubt he would follow in his grandfather\u2019s footsteps.

When Balser graduated high school, his father insisted he follow the family tradition and work for Illinois Central railroad. He explains how that experience, as a machinist apprentice, kept him out of a foxhole during WWII.

After the war, Balser returned to McComb and his job at the railroad maintenance shop. He reflects on how quickly the new diesel locomotives replaced the steam engines and how older workers resented the change.

Balser eventually decided to leave the railroad and become a photographer.\xa0 He remembers Illinois Central became a steady customer after he opened his studio.

PHOTO: McComb Railroad Museum