I am not sure I am recalling this event with complete accuracy, after all it occurred more than fifty years ago. 

There had been a school event in the evening when we were juniors or seniors I'm not sure which. 

Rodney Moske was taking us on a drive after this event. The car was full, probably six of us, three in the front, myself and two others in the back seat.

Rodney apparently had a plan to scare us. You will see it worked. 

We were just Northwest of Parkers Prairie at a place were the Soo Line railroad crossed the road at an angle, farther away on our left and closer on our right. Everyone was talking and laughing in the car. 

Rodney noticed that a train was approaching the road we were on, still quite a distance to our left. To scare us he shut off the lights and eased the car close to the train tracks. With all the chatter in the vehicle we we unaware of his plan. He judged the distance to the track looking out the drivers side window. The car was still running as the train approached at a very high speed. 

It all happened so quickly. The train blew it's whistle and it's light was flashing. Since the tracks were at an angle it looked as though the train was coming right at us. The car shook from the train being this close. The noise from the train and our screams filled the car as Rodney held tightly to the steering wheel, his foot firmly on the brake. He said later that he thought he was about to push the brake pedal through the floor. 

I am sure that night there were only inches between us and making headlines in the Independent, the local paper. Rodney said he thought about putting the car in reverse and backing up but was concerned that he might get in the wrong gear or roll forward to certain disaster. 

The train finally passed and we weren't sure if we should thank Rodney or hit him!

Darwin