During the Depression, kids used to throw rocks at trains climbing the grade at Fort Pitt. The fireman would heave chunks of coal back. Eventually, the kids skipped the rock-throwing and just went trackside with sacks. Beside what the firemen would toss off (any unusually big hunks were a problem anyway,) the cars were often overfilled and coal spilled off. I am reliably informed that toward Christmas, small toys and candy ended up along the way as well.
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