A while back Tony Coester (sorry about the spelling) wrote in his trains of thought column about being reunited with an old child hood mate. A Monon BL2. Well it’s not quite as glamourus, but it still works. I barely remember it, mainly 3 things. Riding the train to the museum, BACKWARDS!! The blacksmith joking around and trying to give me a small horse shoe he just smithed (which unless my parents got rid of I still have), and siting in the coupla of a caboose on the way back (train running the right way this time), a smile from ear to ear that would just not go away. Well I finally found it. The place is still alive, it’s still kicking, and best yet, from June to October it still runs the steam train ride. And all this time its been sitting there not 2 hours away. I plan to go back there this summer, and yes I’m sitting in that dang coupala again. Unless of course the kid wearing the firemens get up and getting a shovel full of coal is something you can do and not just a promo shot. Oooooh I hope it isn’t. The place is called the Camp 5 Museum, in Lanoa WI. They also have a video of the train on youtube somewheres.
And by the by, I also grew up by Fond du Lac and at the entrance to the main park (with the light house) was a gigantor train. I heard once what it was but can’t remember. Can anyone place this train? I wasn’t as into trains back then so I never happened to get any pics of it.