Just about the first things that grabbed my attention when we relocated to Castle Rock one year ago were the seemingly perpetual trains moving north and south on the tracks that run parallel to Highway 85. Empty cargo cars stretch far as the eye can see heading north and stretch again as far as the eye can see laden with coal headed south throughout each day. These trains are the backdrop of Castle Rock's daily life-scape.

Yesterday I happened to be at the right place at the right time with a camera in hand. Kismet. I spotted the oncoming familiar coal train heading south and decided to race it to the next nearest intersection to snap some pictures. The conductor smiled and waved at me as I stood in the wind near the tracks with my camera.

I also decided to research this quiet mystery. I found hundreds of thousands of web sites listed about coal, trains and Castle Rock.

I learned Castle Rock is rooted deeply in railroad history. It was founded in 1874 and within a year a new train depot brought the Denver and Rio Grande Railway to the community. The railway brought supplies for farmers and transported out local dairy products and rhyolite rock, which was mined near Plum Creek.

And I mistakenly thought the passing trains were singing, "Never mind us, Castle Rock. We're just passing through."

Serpentine coal trains winding through our community today are operated by both the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railways. When they head north empty, they are destined for the Powder River Basin of Wyoming where the world's second largest supply of coal awaits. When they glide south filled with coal they are headed for power plants all over the nation.

I learned each time we switch on lights in our homes we should probably think of coal. Most of our nation's power plants are dependent on it.

According to web sites, 80 trains per day, with 100 cars each filled with coal, leave the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and head south. That means, of course, the same number of empty train cars must travel north each day en route to retrieve loads. Each train is over one mile long.

I now realize my coal misconceptions. The word "coal" conjured up images of old steam locomotives and grimy workers shoveling the black, dusty stuff into hot furnaces. The word "coal" reminded me of an old pot-belly stove my grandparents in Mississippi had in the 1950's when I was a child. It was their only source of heat for their home. I remember the radiating warmth of the old stove, the big bucket of coal chunks sitting beside it and the smell.

But coal is not just yesterday. It is very today. Very tomorrow.

Today I see the trains differently. They are a marvel. They are part of the fabric of our community and country.

We are fortunate in Castle Rock to share our daily lives with coal trains.