Plapman's Diamonds

Ted Meseyton, the much loved Grainews columnist, and I went for supper in his home town, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, on Thursday. After supper, we went by his garden. It takes up a whole city lot at the end of a cul-de-sac on the north end of town. Plants are just getting going — isn't that the way this year — but there wasn't a weed in the place. It's a huge job.

While at his garden, Ted said, "Do you have time to see an important site?" I did. So he led me through the trees on the north side of his garden. Immediately on the other side was a crisscross of railway tracks. "Have you ever seen the diamond shape made when two sets of tracks cross?" I don't think so, I told him.

At that very spot were four main lines — CP to Vancouver, CN to Vancouver, CP to Edmonton, and the CN northern route that eventually goes to Churchill. There are two diamonds within a hundred feet of each other. Ted says maintenance crews are there every day checking to make sure the diamonds are holding up. "They take a pounding," Ted says. "We get 40 freight trains a day through here, and most of them are two miles long."

Ted doesn't actually live in the same place as his garden — good thing — but many people do. And these trains come through at all hours of the day.

Ted's gifts

As I was leaving, Ted gave me two tomato plants plus a castor bean plant. He featured castor beans in his column a few times in the past 12 months. Thanks Ted!

The Singing Gardener also shared the lyrics to his aptly named song, "Plapman Diamonds." PLAP is short for Portage la Prairie. Ted has "Plapman" on his car license plate. Here is a sample:

t

In west end Portage, where the rails cross over,

CN and CP share jewels on prairie flatland,

Nestled securely, two rail bed diamonds,

Provide an awesome, helping hand.

Massive engines and rail cars break silence,

Wheels bang and very loud they squeal,

Plapman Diamonds, percussion music,

Interpret rhythm of the steel.

REFRAIN

Got the Plapman Diamonds unto myself,

Not a ring on my finger and none to sell,

Got the Plapman Diamonds unto myself,

History daily making, what a story they tell.