Monday, April 20, 2009
Our Fascination With Trains Is Still On Track!
While visiting relatives this past holiday weekend, I was captivated by one of my young nephews who was absolutely fascinated with a miniature train set. Our elderly uncle had brought it out for the little guy to play with, patiently helping to set it up and get it working. He shared with us that it had always been his favorite childhood possession. Together, the two spent hours placing miniature figures and foliage here and there, and watching the train travel the tracks; backward, forward, in and out of tunnels. It made me think of my favorite cousin Dennis and his elaborate model train setup in his family’s basement,. My sibs and I spent many hours down there, watching the locomotive puff along, loading and unloading its cargo, then sending it back out on its way around the track. Looking back, the fact that Dennis let us play with his amazingly cool train set was probably the reason he was our favorite cousin!
Another fond train memory I have is class field trip taken in elementary school--a scenic ride on the Arcade & Attica railroad across western New York. Entering the historically-preserved station and bouncing in the seats of the antique steam locomotive was like traveling back in time. It was inspiring and exciting to realize that we were riding along the very same rails that were spiked down by pioneers in 1881.
Trains are such an integral part of our country’s growth. Can you imagine the excitement back in 1859 when the first train to cross the mighty Mississippi River made its way across the bridge from Rock Island, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa? And ten years later, in Promontory, Utah, when the Union Pacific tracks were joined to the Central Pacific tracks--the 2,000-mile journey that once took overland pioneers 4 to 6 months was reduced to 6 days!
Hopefully, in another 150 years, family gatherings of uncles, cousins and nephews will still be appreciating and sharing the rich history and timeless adventure of trains.
posted by Betty at
9:33 AM
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