Strassburg: August 12, 2006

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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As you can see in my avatar, we have two tiny boys in our familly. At that age, they don’t know from trains, not even Thomas and Percy. Having recently moved from New un-fairfield CT(home of the water gestapo) to PA, my lovely and wonderful wife wanted to go to the Choo-Choo barn. The heart of Amish country! Yuppers, Rt 30 going towards Strassburg might as well be Rt 46 in NJ. I digress. Isaacs Deli is pretty good unless your one of those, “If it ain’t in Zagats I’m not going” people. The hobby shop, well, it was a bit better stocked with structures and rolling stock and they did carry brands which I usually only see in MRs advertising(ok, I’m posting this in Trains forum instead of MR, why?) but I wasn’t feeling up to par and frankly not in the mood for looking at stuff that I’m not ready for. Went upstairs, bought both a Thomas and a Percy stuffed toys for the boys. As a retail professional, I give the overall impression a strong favorable but not a go a hundred miles out of your way for the experience.

We move on to the good stuff. Having left late we arrived at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum just before 4. They close at 5. Just enough time for a mildly fast walk around and look at all the heavy iron monsters! Didn’t get my seven bucks worth due to our shortness of time. Even missed, since I didn’t know it was going on, a model show featuring circus and carnival trains. Pretty nifty stuff, but again, we were too late to see most of the displays. Oh well. We left at five, crossed the road and looked at the Strassburg Railroad. HEY! TWO DOLLARS AND SIXTY CENTS FOR A LARGE SOFT DRINK!?!?! Geez. I call it the captive audience syndrum. I sat around showing off the boys while my wife failed to use her AMEX in the gift shop since they don’t accept it there. For my birthday this year, I’m getting the non-Karl Malden excuse.

Next stop, since it was l

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Wait until the boys are older … Strassburg will be alot of fun.

Many, many weekends we made the trip from NJ and spent a night or two there. Many nights in a caboose. When your boys are older, they will be crawling and climbing all over those trains.

And you’re right … I can look back and see how, as the years passed, the area became more crowded, expensive, touristy. I remember how we often stayed at a tiny motel out in the countryside … real nice older couple owned the place … had a few farm animals that our boys could mess around with… get eggs from the chicken coop … help milk a cow. The we pull into the motel one weekend, and there is Mr and Mrs Patel … they bought the place. I have nothing at all against Indian immigrants ---- they are really nice,hard working people ---- but my point is … the area is becoming much more commercial and losing much of its character.

Enjoy those little boys … they grow up so fast … trust me, I know.

Greg’s father

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Northlandz and Steamtown are on the list.

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I like the RR Museum of PA. The fact I’m a very big PRR and Reading fan, certainly helps. It has one of the most accessable and best restored collections, I’ve seen. Steamtown is nice. The shop tour is outstanding, and the static Reading T1 and UP Big Boy (I think it’s a Big Boy) are great, but alot of Steamtown’s collection is unrestored junk.

Two of my grandfathers are on the wall at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania:
Frank Brodar - Conductor, PRR - 1942 to 1992
James Coulter - Engineer, Union RR - 52 Years

And my Father’s plaque should go up in January:
David Brodar - Engineer, Conrail - 1975 to 2000

Don’t forget to pick up a layout open house schedual from your LHS (I recommend Lin’s Junction in Lansdale) in October. The green sheet lists the club open houses, and the white booklet the private layouts.

Nick