18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, March 9, 1914: Nothing to write.


Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
When writing posts I often think about all the changes that have happened over the past 100 years—but sometimes I’m surprised to discover that this blog also makes me more aware of little changes that occur from one year to the next.
For example, several days ago I went through my pictures to find one illustrate the recent post about Ruth taking the train. And, I was surprised to discover that the pictures of the tracks that I took in 2010 differed from the ones that I took in 2012. In 2012 there was a piece of equipment by the tracks that hadn’t been there two years before.
The Susquehanna, Bloomsburg, and Berwick railroad of Grandma’s day is long gone—but the tracks are still used by trains taking coal to the PPL Montour Power Plant near Washingtonville.
Any idea why what is the purpose of the new equipment?


Isn’t that weird? I have no idea what the equipment would be for but I think it’s interesting that your writing about your grandmother’s time has made you more attuned to modern changes.
It looks like something that has to do with their signal system..
Our surroundings do change sometime, and I’ve often wished I had a picture of something that is no longer, or has changed in some way.
It looks like some signal for the train traffic. There is a cover on it. It looks very heavy duty.
The neighbourhood I’ve lived in for the last 22 years has constantly changed. I wish I’d been taking pictures all along!
Diana xo
No idea what the little change is. However, if those tracks were there 100 years ago they are allowing me to time travel . And that’s what makes your blog so wonderful.
Fun to watch the changes — and the not-so-much changes. Wonder what was the function of the missing item…
It does look like some kind of signal box.
Do you think it may have something to do with the gas boom? {wrong choice of words, but I am not sure how to describe it!!} I have noticed more train traffic possibly carrying equipment and what not to the drillers.