I Crave Trains
Trains have been a passion of mine ever since I was a toddler so any chance I am around trains I get weak-kneed.
- Perhaps my love was inherited since my Grandpa Max worked in the switching yard during the depression.
- Maybe I am infatuated with trains since I ran away to hop a train at the age of three (3) when we lived near a railyard.
Could it be that when we have relocated, I had to be near the sound of train whistles for it to be home.
Whatever the reason, my desire to be near trains spikes as Christmas approaches and I have no idea why.
Switch Determines DestinationThis past summer, I had the honor of joining my daughter in the pits of a NASCAR truck race in East St. Louis Illinois. It was an all-day work event for her so I had to find something to do.
I am a museum buff so of course I Googled museum on my phone and found the St. Louis Museum Of Transportation.
I figured it would be a cheesy little museum but was shocked to find that the museum was probably the largest rail museum I have ever visited.
Transportation modes included:
- Engines
- Cabooses
- Plows
- Freight Cars
- Passenger Cars
- Tug Boats
- Automobiles
- Burlington Route,
- Sante Fe
- Union Pacific
- Canadian National
- Northern Pacific
- Milwaukee Road
- This visit proved to me that you cannot judge a book by its cover since I expected cheesy and found a transportation memorial.
- My time at the museum also provided insight on how different activities were developed to cast a wider net for customers.
When developing an online presence, it does not hurt to look at what works in other industries. In the tourism industry, you are trying to get people to stop and spend money. At WA, we are doing the exact same thing.
- Why should online tourists visit your website(s)?
- What is your passion?
- What do you crave during the holiday season?
Wishing you health, safety, and success. At fifty plus going on fifteen, I would still love to hop a train.
Jay Patterson
Recent Comments
32
That was a great memory, my dad would have love the tour. He was on the engines in the 2nd world war and had a lot of hairy experiences on the rails, the habit of dropping sand on the rails to slow the train down, sometimes didn't work too well..... oh well he lived to have two children so he must have done something right or different.
He never understood why he was chosen to "stay at home" that was in N.Z.
Cheers Jae
Jae, thanks for sharing about your dad. I am sure he did experience many interesting situations in the days before all the safety precautions we now have. I remember that many of my grandfather's friends from the RR were missing digits from not being safe. Jay
Yes some met some gruesome deaths like being sandwiched between shunting engines or carriages.
J
My youngest son has always been fascinated by trains. (As I write this, he is playing with the trains set up around the tree.)
When he was little, maybe 4 years old, my husband, who also loves trains, planned our summer vacation around trains. My teenagers didn't care much for the idea, but they had a ball. My husband also added a big surprise for them, too.
We went to Lancaster County, PA, where they have several train=related Museums all within a mile of one another.
We stayed at a motel made up of cabooses that had all been made into rooms with bathrooms in them. My youngest son was so thrilled that he sat up until about 3:00 am saying, "Twains, Daddy, twains!" over and over again.
We went to the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, the Eastern PA Transportation Museum, and the National Model Train and Toy Museum. It was lots of fun!
We went up to Dorney Park, an amusement park, for the older two, which also had one of the nicest little train rides around it that I have ever seen at an amusement park. At one time the train rides were one of the main draws.
It's certainly one of the best vacations we have taken as a family.
Anita
Anita, thanks for the share and I need to head to PA. It sounds like there would be plenty of places I can wander around. Jay
Yes, there are and if you are interested in the Amish, it is a major community for them as well.
Anita
It was a lot of fun for all of us. They had 3 or 4 bunks in the back and a double or queen size bed in the front. They also had a restaurant on the property that was built into a dining car. Lots of fun. The toy train museum was behind the motel. And they are about 3/4 mile from the other huge museums. Definitely worth the trip!
I try to stay away from trains. Because I could easily get sucked into with little problem. Would probably stay with HO, but O would be good as well. But, on the other hand, live steam and G would probably do me in. Thanks anyway.
In the movie world Thomas the Tank Engine stole the show. That's why there are Carz, Planez but no Trainz!
Thanks Jay, remember that great line in the film It's a Wonderful Life where Jimmy Stewart says to Uncle Billy; "The 3 greatest sounds are Plane motors, Anchor chains and Train whistles" I believe that because those sounds usually mean you're going somewhere...
Dean, true statement and I love all three (3). I did not appreciate the USS Hunley playing On The Road Again when we would deploy many years ago and our at sea operating tempo was 300 plus days per year. Jay
What Carrier or Carrier's were you part of the Battle group? Were you 300 days under the whole time?
Dean, East coast and we would move between carrier groups in the Atlantic, Med, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, etc... Jay
That's really cool. I've always had a thing for Carriers and the sheer Power they possess. Nothing against Subs but, my cousin Keith was on a Sub for 17 years until he came down Cancer from some exposure to Radiation and it finally killed him. His Parents never did find out all the reasons why but, I get the whole Navy can't disclose certain Info. I thank you again for your service....
Dean, thanks and unluckily there is a high mortality rate in certain fields. Sorry for your loss.
We took plenty of pictures of the bottom of carriers and they did not know it until they were handed them. Jay
I toured the one in Lancaster PA 10 years ago It was a memorable treat! https://rrmuseumpa.org/
Mike, I have taken a few dinner and tour trains and they are incredible. I will need to look up the one in Lancaster when in the area. Jay
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Hi, Jay. My dad and his brother hopped a freight train and went from the Des Moines area to a small border town called Higby, MO to visit their cousins. Dad said they were totally black with coal dust when they arrived at their destination! I wonder if they were in a boxcar, and if they had any hobos for company on the trip! Carol
Carol, funny about the coal dust. I would think hobos would be a possibility. Jay
I imagine so. As a kid, I loved to hear that story, but as an adult, I wish he was still around so I could ask him questions about his trip...like the boxcar and hobos! Carol
Carol, understand, I have a million questions I wish I would have asked my mom. Jay
I know what you mean. We were lucky that Mom labeled most of the family pics, etc., but there are so many things about the family I'd like to ask her. And Dad, too, for that matter. I know his mother grew up in Higby, MO, but that's about all I know about his maternal side of the family. His father was a first generation American, son of Dutch immigrants, and that's about all I know about them as well. Carol