CORDELE — Standing still, silver shining like a brand new quarter right out of a roll, the SAM Shortline Excursion Train waits with a slight hum for its passengers to board. Eyeing the massive train from the depot door is a young boy, under the age of 5 who says, “I’ve never ridden the train before.”

He grabs his grandmother’s hand, and says, “Let’s go. I want to get on.”

And he is not the only one. Over 179 passengers, coming from Tallahassee, Hampton, Valdosta, Atlanta, Macon, Byron, Pinehurst, Cordele, Plains, Montezuma, Americus, Thomasville, and even the great state of Indiana, were on hand to enjoy the special FAM tour run on Monday.

In spite of the anxiety over the prospect of funding being deleted from the state for the excursion line, staff members and volunteers, bound and determined to keep the SAM Shortline Excursion line on track, were all smiles and prepared to make this trip “the most enjoyed ever” for the passengers.

Al Mills, a conductor on the train and volunteer, stood at the gate, looked at the line gathering on the sidewalk in front of him, and with a loud and enthusiastic voice, hollered, “All aboard?”

When Mills got the answer he wanted, he smiled and said, “That’s the ticket,” and released the rope gate.

A couple from Valdosta were on the train with friends, and she commented upon boarding, “I am so excited about this. I have never done this before.”

He said, “I was in the military, and that was the only way we were able to be transported was by train.”

The SAM Shortline covers only about 50 miles of track: from Cordele to Archery, where the rails run right through a peanut farm that was former President Jimmy Carter’s childhood home.

The trip on the train is round trip and a day-long affair with frequent stops, and passengers can visit interesting places along the route. There is a divine snack and souvenir car as well.

Each of the passenger coaches are refurbished and restored, fitting of the territories for which it covers.

Karen and Ron Kiraly, originally from Maine, are volunteer car hosts.

“We had good friends who told us we should come down,” Karen Kiraly said.

“We visited the Georgia Veterans State Park, and the head ranger there told us that we should try to be hosts on the train, so we thought, sure, why not?

“We volunteer from Nov. 1 to May 1,” she said, watching her husband walk through the car giving basic instructions to the passengers regarding safety.

As hosts, that is one of the main duties they have. “We want to make sure that our passengers have a good time, but at the same time, we need to make sure that they are safe. Safety is first,” said Kiraly.

Ron Kiraly and his wife do agree that one of the best parts of the being on the train is “the people we get to meet. There are some nice folks on the train.”

Kathy Odom, executive director for the SAM Shortline Excursion Train Line, said, “Riding on the train is a wonderful way to see the countryside.”

The train, according to Ron Kiraly, can only go “32 to 35 mph.”

Hew Lipscomb, another volunteer on the train, pointed out, “The train is up to Amtrak standards and we have that capacity to go faster, but we only do that speed.”

Odom, who’s been with the train line for 6.5 to 7 years, said, “It is really exciting being a part of this program. I really think this is a small investment for the gigantic return it gives.”

Carolyn Lipscomb, wife of Hew and one of the hosts on the train, agrees. “I think everyone should come and ride the train and see the countryside, and they will realize just how relaxing it is. It is a unique experience.”

The Lipscombs live in Arabi, and have been volunteers with the train since 2002, just a few short months after the SAM Shortline came into existence. “I love people ... meeting new people.”

Ernest Fussell, dignified in his all-black uniform, a uniform that a conductor, or in his case, senior conductor, would wear, sits tall and straight in the seat after tending to train business. In a stern, yet kind voice, Fussell said, “OK, now it is your turn.”

Fussell’s tale of life with trains begins before his service as a volunteer with the SAM Shortline Excursion Train line began. Fussell, 74, worked for a number of years with a railway and upon retirement, he did “some honey-do items, and they ran out, so I came to the SAM Shortline.”

He is been with the Shortline for five years, and accomplished over 2,500 hours of service, earning him a star which he proudly wears on his jacket. “Pretty much I tell them when to go, what to do, punch tickets, answer questions, make announcements and oversee the safety of the train and all on the train.”

When word reached Fussell about the potential budget cuts and funding deletion, he immediately went into action, writing letters and encouraging other volunteers and those that he is in the process of training, to step up to the plate. “This train is one of the greatest assets to the area. And it would be a shame for it to be cut.

“We have a few cars today that aren’t being used because of the economic situation,” said Fussell. “Look at the faces of everyone on the train. Some are repeat riders and some aren’t.” He pointed to the smiles, the childlike excitement on those ages 4 to 90. “All I can ask is that the senators and representatives come and ride the train and see for themselves what a benefit this is, not only to the citizens, but to the little towns that we travel through.”

Alice Hammond and her husband Joe come from Indiana in their RV to volunteer. “We usually come from January to April.”

Alice serves as an entertainer, and Joe is a mechanic.

She makes balloon sculptures and plays her accordion. “I love it so much. Something different happens every trip.

“The train ride has great benefits. There is one lady who rides the train and said it was therapy for her. She said riding the train has helped her overcome some of her problems and that it has been an answer to prayers.

“We have a young man, who is challenged, and he lives for the train. He is here every Saturday, helping out on the ride, greeting people with a smile, helping them off and on the train.”

Fussell stands at the bottom step as passengers depart the train at the Cordele Depot at the end of the day, and he says, “Do come back.”

Passengers are aware that the ride they took Monday could be the last if the funding is deleted after the budget is approved by the Governor once an agreement on the budget is reached by members of the state House and Senate.

A young couple from Macon on board, as part of a spring break vacation with their young son, wishing to not be pictured or names mentioned, couldn’t believe that “Our son’s first ride on the train might be his last.”

Hearing his father’s voice, the boy looked up, with a question in his eyes, “No more SAM?”

And that is a question for the Georgia House, Senate and Governor to answer.

The train operates on Fridays, Saturdays and select Mondays and Thursdays of each month. Call 1-877-427-2457 or visit their website at www.sameshortline.com.

The Times-Recorder will keep readers updated with the fate of the SAM Shortline both in print and online at www.americustimesrecorder.com. Read Friday’s edition for Becky Holland’s, news and education editor, personal narrative of her first (and perhaps last) ride on the train.