Trains, who likes them?

[57whitehouse]

My 3yr old (almost 4)boy loves trains, pationately. Every time we drive home to Kansas to see my folks, I make several trips to the little train depot to watch trains go by. This thanksgiving we did the same. When we got to the tracks there was a train sitting on the tracks. It had 5 engines in front and some of them were running.

We parked the car alongside of the train, about 20ft away, and watched for a while. Then an engineer came out of the leading engine and walked around it. As he was getting back in, I yelled at him, asking if they were waiting for another train to pass befor they got going. He said they were locked down for the day and was waiting for thier taxi.

I told him I have a little boy in the back seat who loved trains. He told me to bring him up and he could go inside the engine. I took him up, and the two men running the engine(both named Mike) sat us in the engineer seat. He told my little boy to pull this lever. When he did, the train wistle blew nice and loud. Then he told my boy to pull another lever and the bell started to ding, ding, ding.

What a nice thing for those two Mikes to do. My boy and I had a wonderful memory that I will treasure always. I'm not sure if I didn't enjoyed it more than he did.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

I have always liked them.
Always wondered how fast they would really go if you just gave them full throttle on a straight track.

 

[57whitehouse]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

The Amtrak trains will easily go 70mph, loaded with cars and people. I took Amtrak from Ks. to Ca. when I was in highschool.

 

[JB]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Ahhhhh.. trains.

When I was a wee tad I traveled each summer to NJ to spend it with my Dad, then back to NC. Both ways on the Seaboard Palmland, in a Pullman sleeper.

What a great adventure each trip was!! The great steam locomotive shooshing and whistling with steam shooting out the side and making sounds soooo BIG without being so loud. The Pullman Porter always came and got me and led me to my compartment and hovered over me like a mother hen until we got to Newark, took me to the dining car where I always got royal treatment. I guess little boys with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes the size of saucers have a special appeal.

You need to get your son on a steam train for at least a ride, Whitehouse. Maybe there is a steam engineer with a heart as big as the two Mikes who will let him aboard to blow the whistle.

I used to lie awake at night and listen to the steam locomotive whistle as it passed about a mile from our house. Sort of sound that makes one want to write a country song.

 

[Rusty Boater]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Hey Whitehouse. Some of the best memories I have with my dad are working on our little 4x8 HO Scale model train set. i still have it and look forward to sharing it with my kids.

You should do one with your son...

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

In the next month or so I'll be taking some photos of my uncle's huge building, full of HO scale trains and scenery. If anyone would be interested, let me know! I can send you the photos! They are mind boggling!

 

[oddjob]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

I love trains. I did a nice ho track layout for my kids (me really) when they were 4 and 6. lights, multible tracks, ,station, town ,bridge and tunnel. I, I mean they had a blast. I used to walk the tracks out of town when I was a kid.

I always try to travel by train but it has always cost more than flying.

 

[TAV MAN]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

I like lisning to the train going by at 3:00 am when they blow thair horn.
My wife granfather would tell us how he would hop the trains in northen WI.
to come to Milwaukee

 

[Turin]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

We always have an model train round the christmas tree and not a plastic but a realy detaild one with houses and trees and cars litle lights the whole shebang

 

[IOSLVR]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Hey 57, do remember what railroad it was? Just wondering, I work for Union Pacific.

 

[BLU LUNCH]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

My name is Ted and I'm a FRN {freakin' rail nut} and I am president of The Connecticut Socitey of Ferroeqinoligist and Model Railway Engineers one of the oldest model train clubs in New England here's a link to our club http://www.timemachinehobby.com/train_clubs_csfmre.html I also have 10x 32 foot O gauge {Lionel size} layout at home. I also have trolleys that run on the overhead wire this one I built and painted for the Hartford Ct L line that served the Fuller Brush Company http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0157_1.jpg Here's a few shots on my lay out http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0154_1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0103-1_2.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0077.jpg This picture shows a project I tackled I cut the car apart in to 7 pieces and made a New Haven diner http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/IMAG0039-1_1.jpg

 

[newbie4life]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

I have always liked them.
Always wondered how fast they would really go if you just gave them full throttle on a straight track.

Not that true 'Train Guys' care about speed. It's really more about real Americanna.

I have a smaller HO layout, that I usually 'dig out' for the kids over Christmas. I have countless Engines/Cars/Crap. I've been collecting the stuff for years.... I don't think I could ever get rid of the stuff.

 

[BLU LUNCH]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

This is what the car looked like during the construction before http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0160_1.jpg cut up http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0163_1.jpg interier constuction http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/newhavenrr/PDR_0202-1_1_1.jpg The car had 10 windows per side the prototype had 11 one side a 4 then 3 blocked out and three more the reason was that the blocked out windows was where the car grill area was. All the trains in the photos were custom painted by myself..........

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

You may want to google Texas State Railroad. It is a a couple of trains that are owned by the state. They run from Palestine to Rusk and back. It looks extrememly cool but I've never made the trip. We were taking all the kids when the bridge washed out so the trip was canceled. Its about 1 1/2 hours from you. Come down I-45 to Corsicana then take 287 to Palestine. Just a mile or two out on the edge of town.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

I have been planning a cross country train trip over the Canadian prairies for about 5 years now. One of these years I will do it.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Very nice layout Blu Lunch! cool hang-out

 

[57whitehouse]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Hey 57, do remember what railroad it was? Just wondering, I work for Union Pacific.

I think it's Union Pacific. The trains are bright yellow with a BIG American flag on the side of every one of them. There is a stars and stripes shield with wings on the front. The number on the side of the engine I went up in is 8588.

I would love to take my boy on a ride in one of these. I still have goose bumps from being up there.

The train station in Liberal Ks. used to be named Rock Island. I know there has been a lot of changes since then, so I don't really know who bought who.

 

[57whitehouse]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Hey Blu, those are some real nice trains. I would love to have a set up like that. I bought my boy a Lionel Nascar set from Dillards last year and he loves it. He had just turned 3 when I bought it and he learned how to run it perfectly in no time at all(even though the age said 8 and up).

It has fastrack O for the tracks. I want to buy enough to circle his room so he can run it anytime he wants(no room in the house to leave it out) but it is soooooo expensive and I can't find used track for sale(probably cause i'm dumb).

Any advise on where to look? E-bay never has used track that I can find.

To bad your club isn't closer to dallas, I'd join.

More pics please.

 

[57whitehouse]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

You may want to google Texas State Railroad. It is a a couple of trains that are owned by the state. They run from Palestine to Rusk and back. It looks extrememly cool but I've never made the trip. We were taking all the kids when the bridge washed out so the trip was canceled. Its about 1 1/2 hours from you. Come down I-45 to Corsicana then take 287 to Palestine. Just a mile or two out on the edge of town.

Hey Ken, thanks for the tip. I looked it up and plan on trying to go this year.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Trains, who likes them?

Just did a search on ebay for the word fastrack and got 238 hits in Toys & Hobbies.