Although they had not RVed since they raised their daughters on camping trips in a Volkswagen bus they jumped at the invitation of friends to spend February touring snowbird spots in the West. Phillip closed the store and Martha took a month's vacation from her five-day-a-week job at the Salem Family Clinic near their home at Glencoe, Arkansas.

Calling themselves the "Arizona Six," three couples packed their belongings into a 27-foot camper and set off to see the Grand Canyon. "We became very close," Martha says in an understatement. "Right after that trip, we closed the antique store and I quit my job to earn our living on the road." Prior to their Arizona adventure, Phillip and Martha had shopped for antiques in Hardy, close to their rural Arkansas home. During a lull in the action, Phillip walked on the street and someone in a group of musicians handed him a guitar. He was hooked.

The Andrews became regulars among the handful of pickers who "jammed" on the sidewalks around town. They even invested in a sound system and a keyboard with background rhythms and instruments. "We started drawing crowds," Phillip recalls. "One man ended up taking us to Nashville to record his songs in our first album."

While traveling with the "Arizona Six," Norvin and Jean Green, owner of the trailer, pulled into Coast to Coast Resorts. Along their route through Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, the musical Andrews pulled shows out of the repertoire they had honed in an Arkansas mountain town.

"Workamper News was there with job possibilities to help us make a change," Martha interjects. "We found a job listing at the Grand Teton Covered Wagon Cook-Out near Moran, Wyoming." The Andrews sent their brand new tapes to the private ranch with bed and breakfast accommodations, trail rides, and a Western cook-out. Martha was hired as a cook/entertainer and Phillip as a teamster/entertainer. The couple bought a 25-foot super light travel trailer and hooked up their 1966 Ford Galaxy convertible with the "lid" down. "In Yellowstone, people looked at us instead of the scenery," Martha remembers. At the Covered Wagon Cook-Out, the Andrews did ranch work as well as their jobs at the Western supper and show. "We worked 12 hour days," Martha says. "The job included a spot to park plus all our meals. So despite the small salary, we did not have expenses. And the sale of tapes and tips from our entertainment doubled our income."

Phillip and Martha traveled with the trailer and convertible on to Las Vegas where they performed for about six weeks. Enroute to Louisiana for a family reunion and another performance date at the Bentley Hotel in Alexandria, they stopped off at Williams, Arizona, to inquire on the availability of entertainment jobs on the Grand Canyon Railroad.

"After listening to our tape, the managers offered us jobs as balladeers on their train," Martha says. "But we got back home to Arkansas and remembered the White River Scenic Railroad and wondered if they hired entertainers. "The timing was perfect. The week we called, new owners hired engineers, on-board supervisors, conductors, attendants, and ticket agents," she continues. "Although we weren't promised entertainment roles, they agreed to train us for other jobs. I looked at Phillip and said, 'We can do that.'"

Phillip became a qualified conductor. Martha jokes that she wears "conductor" on her hat because she conducts Phillip. Her official title is on-board supervisor, The two are qualified to work anywhere on a train, but in breaks between their duties, Martha grabs a ukulele and Phillip strums a guitar, and they liven up the scenic ride as "The Singing Conductors.'' During 1997, Phillip and Martha followed a Wednesday through Sunday schedule. "We're on the train every time it runs," Martha explains, describing routes on alternating days between Sylamore Creek near Mountain View and Norfork and between Norfork and Flippin. Occasionally, they make special runs on Mondays and Tuesdays for groups, weddings, or anniversary parties.

Their typical hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but generally they work until their duties on the train end. Some days, the train is delayed while waiting on a freight line to pass on the tracks that parallel Arkansas' White River. Every few weeks, the crew washes the outside of the shiny silver and red locomotive. Martha and her assistants are responsible for selling concessions and cleaning inside. Normally each run carries one attendant and a concessions person, in addition to the on-board supervisor. During their season, the Andrews live in their rig parked next to an old schoolhouse, a property belonging to one of the railroad's owners. Electric and sewer are provided, but they take on fresh water. On days off, they return to their traditional house.

Originally from North Louisiana, Martha and Phillip met in Martha's senior year at Louisiana Tech when Phillip came in from military duty in Germany. The day after their blind date, he told his mother he was going to marry Martha. He proposed that week and 32 years later, their family includes two daughters, their spouses, and six grandchildren.

After their wedding, Phillip returned to college and graduated with a wildlife degree, which he technically has never used. Instead, he's worked as an electrician, a carpenter, a fireman, an EMT, a deputy sheriff, and a store owner. Martha's profession in medical technology, combined with Philhip's jack-of-all-trades talent, puts the couple in line for Workamping jobs at almost any location. But the Andrews hope to include entertaining in their roles. "I've almost burned myself out in the medical field," Martha says. However, she points out that she has no retirement benefits beyond Social Security. "And I'm not old enough to claim that," she says, noting that Workamping provides their total income.

Since taking a job on the White River Scenic Railroad, Phillip has earned a conductor's license, a student engineer's license, and plans to acquire his engineer's license in 1998. "We like to travel," Martha says. "Once Phillip attains his engineer's license, we should be able to work on other passenger trains around the country. Whatever the future holds, we will follow.

"We've discovered that if an individual can do something that people like, they can make an income on the road," she sums up. "But right now, we are committed to calling 'All aboard!' on the White River Scenic Railroad."