Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Green Valley Line

'The story of a back country railroad in the early years of the 20th century.'

Those are the opening lines to the old radio show, Green Valley Line.  It is the story of a small railroad called the Green Valley Line.  The story mostly takes place in the little town of Morristown in the Green Valley.  I'm not quite sure where the Green Valley is supposed to be, but I've always imagined it in Colorado or somewhere around there.  The Green Valley Line has very good grades through the mountains, while a neighboring and much bigger railroad, the CK&W, has very poor grades.
   The CK&W is owned by multi-millionaire J.J. Reed.  The Green Valley Line (or GVL as we call it) is owned by several more prominent people in the Green Valley including, John Graham, who is also the President of the road and Henry 'Pop' Harkness, Superintendent of the road.
  Owing to the GVL's shorter and better line through the mountains, J.J. Reed wants to buy the GVL, however all of the Green Valley folk are against it....except for John Graham.  He thinks that it is a good idea.  In his plan to acquire the GVL, J.J. Reed buys up all the GVL's mortgages.  And then threatens to foreclose on them if the money isn't paid by a certain time.  He also sends his son, Bill Reed, out to act as Assistant Superintendent to Pop Harkness, but.........that is where J.J. Reed makes his mistake.
  Bill Reed, traveling out to the Green Valley in the disguise of a wandering tramp (he wants to 'drift in on his own and kind of size things up') meets up with Spider, a wandering trainman known as a 'boomer' and from Spider hears the truth about what his father is doing to the GVL.  Bill won't stand for that sort of thing and throws in with Pop Harkness and the Green Valley folk.  At first the Green Valley people are wary of Bill because he is J.J. Reed's son, but when they find out that he is on the side of the Green Valley, they are behind him solid.  That is all but Caroline Graham, daughter of John Graham, who is convinced that Bill, is a crook.  Bill and Carrie do not hit it off at all.  Carrie is convinced that Bill told Pop that he was on the side of the Green Valley just to get on the inside and that makes irritates Bill. But, can they get along?  Listen to it yourself to find out.  And if you have any questions, go ahead and email me.

Here is the link to it on Internet Archive: Green Valley Line 

It is one of my favorite radio shows and I hope that you all enjoy it as well.

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