We've always believed this; If
you can't do it better than someone else, it doesn't need to be redone. After
browsing the Internet and seeing the wonderful pages already done on the subject of trains
and railroads we soon gave up the idea of making the ultimate train page. We have
settled for making one small depot on the web for the members of our family and friends to
stop off for a visit while taking a ride on the worldwide Cyber Train Express.
Sonny and Will--This one is for you.
What makes someone love trains? Maybe
it's growing up near a train track and remembering the thrill of running to see the
afternoon train hauling its daily load of coal cars from the mines. Or maybe it's
remembering that Christmas morning so long ago when you raced to the living room to find
Santa had left a brand new Lionel train set up around the tree. Or it could be that train
trip you took with the Scouts to Washington, D.C. and nothing you saw was quite as
impressive as the train you rode to get there. Maybe it's all those things and more.
Whatever it is, the love of trains is deeply embedded in our hearts so while you're here
you might want to check out some of the depots of interest along the cyberline.
Growing up with a train close to your
backyard tends to plant the idea of trains pretty firmly in your mind. As a child,
many years ago, the sound of a train whistle sent most of the kids in the neighborhood
scurrying toward the banks of the trench where the train would pass. In my early
days, the engines were powered with steam and fueled with coal. The billows of black
smoke and cinders poured from the stacks and produced a smell and sound I'll never forget.
I'll also never forget the soot that stained my clothes, the hot sparks that
peppered my Sunday dress with burn holes or the cinders in my eyes from looking up to see
the black snow falling all around me as the train rumbled by. All of us kids loved
those trains and we waved our arms off at the engineers in hopes they'd give us one blast
of the steam whistle as they rolled along toward their destination.
Most of us were children of coal
miners and those trains traveled the tracks close to our homes loaded with the coal our
fathers helped produce. We all learned the daily schedule for the trains' trips from
the mines and eagerly awaited the next one so we could repeat our waving ritual once
again. The engineers and conductors seemed to look forward to seeing us as much as
we anticipated them. We would count each coal car as it passed to see if it would
break the record for the longest train ever.
The grand finale was the caboose.
No train was complete without one and we all dreamed of having one to live in some
day. In the summer the conductors always stood on the back platform to wave back to
the crowd of excited faces. In bitter weather we scanned the windows of the caboose
to find a friendly smile and hand that would extend to wave a final good bye before the
train grew smaller and smaller as it vanished in the distance. Those days are long
gone but my love of trains has never diminished.
My younger brother took this a few
steps farther during his childhood. He got to know most of the engineers who passed
our house daily and as he grew older got to ride the train pulling empties to the mine and
ride it back when the loaded cars were picked up. This routine continued for many
years and a deep respect grew between the engineers and my brother. After graduation
and a few years working for the city he finally has come to realize his dream. He
now works for the railroad and has his goals set to become an engineer.
Model Railroads
Some of my fondest Christmas memories
involve model trains. My first train was a wind-up version with a circular track.
I found it set up around the Christmas tree when I was just under 4 years old.
I wish I still had it today because it must be worth something as an antique now.
When I was about 6 years old I got my
first Lionel O-gauge train set. It was the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen.
It had a whistle, smoking engine, working bells and lights on the crossing guards,
electric switches, and an assortment of cars that did all kinds of things: One tossed off
tiny metal milk cans onto a metal platform, another had a huge spotlight, and a boxcar
would open its door when it pulled onto the siding. My favorite part was the lighted
caboose and I'd sit near the track and wave as it went by just as I did for the real
ones. I am fortunate to still have this train stored away with the rest of the
treasures of my life. It still works and I still feel that same childhood wonder
when we set it up and watch it puff around the track.
My husband has also loved trains all
his life and shares nearly the same childhood memories as I have. His father was a
miner and they lived near the same railroad tracks...about 5 miles up the line from my
childhood home. When our first son was born he had the perfect excuse to buy himself
a train. It was an HO-gauge and began a hobby that still flourishes in our
home. I can't begin to count the number of train sets, engines, cars, and
accessories he's owned, nor estimate the miles of track that had been laid in our basement
during our life together. Each of our three sons shared in their father's love for
model railroading and we've had it all at one time or another. We even played with
an N-gauge set-up for a time.
It was a sad day in our lives when we
prepared to move after selling our house in Ohio and got ready to begin apartment living
in Massachusetts. There was no room for the model railroad layout he'd built over
the years. Two 4x8 sheets of plywood would *not* fit into an apartment so it had to
go, along with his collection of engines, cars and accessories, all lovingly collected
over the years. "I'm done with it for good," he said when the last of his
prized collection was carried off by the lucky person who purchased it. Well, that
didn't last for long. Our youngest son was only 7 years old at the time and as he
got a little older, talk of trains began again. I knew it was inevitable so our
older son, home on Christmas leave from the Navy, slipped off to buy his father's
Christmas gift...a new HO-gauge train set. The rest is history and the sounds of
trains come from the basement regularly. We have a grandson to insure this tradition
will continue for many years to come.
Copyright© 1997
Custom
Trains - This is a spectacular site and one of my favorites. The
detailed images of the images in the Railroad Alphabet are incredible. Prices in the
catalog are very reasonable. A must see of all railroad lovers.
Conrail - Our hometown rail line. A sentimental favorite.
Amtrak's Homepage - The
train that passes where I live now.
Railroad Round
House - A site with some great
train links.
California
Model Trains - Looking for
something special for that model train layout? This could be the place. Nice online
catalog.
Railroad Museums - Planning a vacation and want to know if there's
a railroad place of interest in the area? This site could help.
Ravenglass &
Eskdale Railway - The most beautiful train journey in England. A train lover's dream vacation
would have to include a ride on this train, located in the English Lake District.
The homepage is a delight to visit.