OK - all you doubters! Mookie went directly to the right seat on Saturday last.
And she had the best time that a human should have! Darn near sat on the real engineers lap to do it! Scrootched her chair really close and just sat there in awe!
Went to Spirit of the Lakes Excursions (thanks to Mudchicken) and took a ride on the afternoon dessert train. John the engineer kindly took the driver and Mookie on the engine - it was #632 - and ALCO C420 - (I know there are some Alco fans on here) and explained everything to us. What a delight! I saw where the throttle is, the train brake and the engine brake. Watched him very carefully, while the driver sat in the fireman/conductor seat and just smiled! Was asked if I wanted to blow the whistle, but declined - didn’t want to scare all the town people and animals close by. Besides, he did it so well…Really mellow!
Then went back thru the coaches to the dining car and had excellent cheesecake! Those coaches and the dining car have been beautifully redone!
It was so nice, but I will never be able to ride on a “train” again. I will keep wanting to go up and get on the engine, not be stuck back in with the rest of the population!
If you ever get the chance to go to Spirit Lake - I will give you some information. It is about an inch from the MN border - just a little east of the South Dakota Nebraska corner. The area is a lot like MN - lots of water, cooler than humid old Lincoln and lots of wildlife (fowl) on the water. Saw lots of pelicans! There is a 50’s diner in Spirit Lake and the food is excellent! Then run right behind the diner and get on the train for dessert.
It is well worth the trip to the area just for that, but we want to go back and explore some of the lakes, too. The train website is www.ianwrr.com and John will take very good care of you.
Went up and back on Sat., so was pleasantly surprised to get the mail late Sat and find a beautiful pen I had ordered from H
…Surely while the “driver” was sitting on the firemans seat…he recorded some of the above on film or digital card…Tell us it is true.
That must have been a real high for a high level fan such as you…Congratulations on doing it.
Glad you enjoyed it. Next time you should try the horn it is very therapeudic. Besides, who cares what local folks and livestock think…after all YOU ARE DA MOOK!!
Glad you had a great time.See Iowans aint all bad they let you in and out without checking your passport[:D]Anyhoo if you ever get to Freeport Illinois go ride the Silver Creek and Stephenson.If I am able to be up their running(work work work ya know)I will let you blow the whistle(much better than a horn and as LC stated very theraputic)BTW where are the pics[:(][:O][:(] Glad you had fun in "Bow and Arrow "country.
Way to go, Mookie![:)]Riding in the cab.[:)]Every railfans dream.[:)]
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OOPS![:0] I Just noticed an evil number of posts![}:)]Now I’m doomed!
Now Mookie has really arrived and has something in common, besides the super control of the English Language, with the Queen of the Great Britian; Elizabeth II. The queen qualified as what the Brits call a Driver during WW II. I knew that Mookie had great abilities I just did not know how great. With greatest regards from your ever growing fan club, Piouslion [^][^][^][^][tup][tup][tup][^][^][^][^] P.S. Hope it was as much fun to you sitting up there as it ws to us reading about it
Hate to probably burst your bubble, but the vehicles Her Majesty qualified to drive during WWII were military ambulances, and she spent the war driving them on the home front. That’s not to belittle her in any way–she was the first Royal ever to learn to drive a motor vehicle, and my Colonial peabrain tells me that I read somewhere she is still noted for driving her own car. Her immediate family during the war, under the astute leadership and example of the King and Queen Mum, stayed right there among the common folk during the Blitz and did their part. Pity that other generations don’t follow such a shining example.
I have never seen anything that would indicate that the Queen, who does have a private train among her stable of conveyances, is qualified to operate it.
This the view from the Colonies. Perhaps one of you from the Olde Country can add info.
Drephpet - No Problem here; actually I’m glad to hear what is probably better information. But one one thing that I do absolutly agree with you on , the example of King George VI and his Queen are a far sight better than anything we have seen from the petit royals (intentional small case) in my memory - piouslion
You know, the downside to all this is I have to be nice to Mudchicken now. He was the one that set it all up for me.
Ok, that’s nice enough - now back to looking for a feathered [dinner]
Driver took some quick snapshots, but they are still on the camera and there really wasn’t much to see. And you can’t begin to capture the thrill on a photograph! Just trust me, Mookie’s heart rate was really high!
Driver reminded me that not only were we surprised at the room in the cab, there was an old coffee pot sitting on a two-burner - not in use, but ready to go if need be. It really was a pretty simple cab - but then looking inside a Big Boy cab - they weren’t all that complicated, either. Something so powerful and so simple looking. Kind of humbling!
Guess I’ve got to go back out to no-man’s land on the CO-NE border and turn the water back on in the asparagus buffer zone![;)][;)][;)]
Must check with John and see if he took some digi-pix. He rarely goes anywhere without his trusty digital camera… Or did the Okoboji tribe dictate that no pictures to be taken of great mookie-cat prowling Alco happy hunting grounds in bow-and-arrow country??[swg][swg][swg]
ps- Dirty bird had more than a little help from Unihead, John & others…
But Kline this is BOW and ARROW country we are talking about! Injuns everywhere talk about rare mileage if you come back with a scalp![:O]Just kidding but hey the best cab ride is the first cab ride.(well maybe the second if they let you run[;)]) Ok how about rare mileage I rode in the cab of a blue GP unit for all of 150’ on a siding while they switched my home town industry[^] last passenger trains there were waaaaaaayyyyyyyy back when.Am glad I wasnt easily scared as a child or it wouldnt have been my first cab ride that made me the rail industry nut that I am today.