My son is a coach in South Texas. He usually doesn’t have Thanksgiving, because his team is pretty good and they’re usually in the playoffs. Well, this year they weren’t so good and didn’t make the playoffs, so he and his family came to spend Thanksgiving with us at my mother in law’s house, which happpens to be about a quarter mile south of the sunset route. My Grandson is three and loves trains. So every time he’d hear the horn he’d come get me and we’d get a glimpse of the train through the trees.
I had them pack a change of clothes and his pajamas in case he wanted to spend the night with us Thursday night and go see a train with me on Friday.
He slept late and I finally got him to wake up about 9:30. I took him to Flatonia so we could watch trains from the “little house” (the photo pavilion). We were there about five minutes and heard a horn coming from the east. He just lit up. The train came by about five minutes later. I sat him on the handrail and held him so he could see better. He started waving at the locomotives and kept waving until the whole train had passed. It was cold, and since he’s so little, I didn’t know how patient he would be until another train came by. But he got to see his train. It was " big" and “fast.” He had a blast and I had a blast. It was one of the greatest experiences in my life.
Be careful about setting him on the rail when you’re watching trains! [;)]
Welcome to the club! I’ve been fortunate to have daughters that age who lit up (at least one has outgrown it), and have also been able to light up faces of others from age 3 through about 73. Enthusiasm can be contagious! Still waiting to get my granddaughters trackside, though. The older one will be turning three next month–think it’s time?
One of the joys of working a tourist railroad is the enthusiasm the riders bring, especially the kids. I have no idea how many family vacation albums I’m in…
On the other side of the coin - we had a youngster one day who was simply NOT getting on the train. If he could have reached both sides of the door at once, he would have done everything in his power to keep from boarding. I’d say he was about 4.
Believe it or not, Larry, that four-year-old could have been me. At that age I was terrified of trains close-up (liked them in pictures, or maybe a half-mile away).
Had good reason, though–I was looking down on a steam locomotive from a distance of less than 100 feet when one of the pops went off.
Took me until I was about 7 or 8 to get over the fright.
My dad often told me the story of when I was about that age the local IC was switching and my dad took me over and they invited me up in the cab. I cried and never got back in again.
Carl…I figured the Dundas sign is in a pretty good place, I dont need the clutter.
I suspect this kid was simply terrified at the sheer size of the equipment, plus the sound of locomotive running and the HEP generator. Once inside the cars, I’m sure he felt he was in a safer place.
Even more fun than our usual runs are the Polar Express trips - not only are they going for a train ride, but they get to see Santa, and Mom and Dad (and Gramps and Gram) are excited, too.
My son always enjoyed looking at and running the trains on my N scale layout when he was little. When he was about six we were going to take the Metra commuter train to Chicago for the day and boy, was he excited! We stood on the platform and he was delighted when he saw the light in the distance. He was all smiles until the train started coming into the station. As it got bigger & bigger the twinkle in his eye began to turn into terror and this giant metal monster rushed towards him! He knew the real trains were much bigger than our model trains, but he didn’t realize just how much bigger!
Anyway, once it stopped he got on with no trouble and enjoyed the ride. He’s grown now and doesn’t seem to have too many mental scars or hang-ups from the experience
Just yesterday I had a little kid riding on my trolley car. . .I don’t think he was more then a year old, a real little kid, wearing a set of blue footie pajamas. When we stopped at the end of the line, he comes sorta toddling up the aisle, gets to the last seat in the front of the car, stops, and just kinda looks up at me, and I’m watching his eyes start to grow really wide, and he’s just standing there smiling. I let him ring the bell a few times and he was happy as can be. [:)]
When i was younger. I was on a trip to colorado and we took a trip on the Georgetown loop railroad and as we came back down the mountain we made a stop at the old mines where you could get on and off the train. The engineer blasted the trees with steam and he came over the load speaker saying just steam cleaning the trees. One other time I got to move an amtrak train from the pre loading where the older people are able to board. I got to move it up to where the regular people get on at it was a lot of fun cause. I got ring the bell and blow the horn a bunch of times. But since I have grown up i have not been able to anything like that since.
My sisters son is turning 2 later this month and he’s nuts about trains, I take him up to the Metra station in Clarendon Hills a few blocks from my house and we watch the Passenger & Freight trains go by same as I did with my dad when I was little [^]
Cant wait to take him to IRM next year when its nice, hope they have some steam running by then! [%-)]