I grew up a few blocks from the
Illinois Central roundhouse in Waterloo, Iowa during the 1940s and 50s. Steam
trains were an everyday part of my youth. We played under the trestle, on the
trestle over the Verden Creek and tried to hitch rides on the slow moving
freights. Somehow we always managed to outrun the train officials when they
spotted us.
About 1947 I began an annual
summer trip to Dodge Center, MN on the Chicago Great Western each June when
school recessed. It was not a problem for a nine year old to travel
unaccompanied in those days. The 140 miles took about eight hours to complete
since we stopped at every station to pick up or unload milk (hence the term
milk train). My summers were spent on the farm with my Uncle Walter’s family in
Dodge Co, MN.
My first cross country ride was
on my way to Japan in 1958 courtesy of the USAF to Davis AFB in California.
While in Japan I traveled by train extensively around Tokyo and even a few
trips to the Mt Fuji area for some weekend sightseeing. Trains took me to
downtown Chicago while stationed at O’Hare AFB as well.
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| Bullet Train to Hakone Park in Japan |
There have been excursion trains
at DisneyWorld, Stone Mountain, GA, Mt Washington Cog RR in New Hampshire, Alaska,
Branson’s Silver Dollar City and Verde
Canyon in Arizona. The Durango-Silverton line in Colorado will soon be added to
the list.
Excursion train at Stone Mt, Georgia
AMTRAK has taken us to Seattle or
Everett, WA from St Paul at least five times and to New Orleans twice. I
believe that qualifies us as seasoned train travelers. Most of our trips have
been uneventful, but the most recent excursion left us sitting in Chicago’s
Union Station an extra four hours due to engine problems. In July of 2010 the
rails were expanding due to the high temperatures so we were slowed down in
Montana and N Dakota.
Let's not forget the family adventure with the grandkids to the Wisconsin Dells on AMTRAK either. That was fun weekend for all, especially, Tyler.
The Johnson RR in Ham Lake has
provided our grandkids an introduction to steam engines and many hours of fun
for the entire family on the trains so painstakingly built by Don’s father. It
is truly sad that the tradition will not continue for a few more generations.
Our favorite train is the Alaska
Classic from Anchorage to Seward. Three plus hours of wilderness beauty with
plush accommodations and cooperative engineers make for an unforgettable
experience. They stop for wildlife (even backing up when required) and provide frequent
descriptive commentary.
The best steam experience has to
be the Mt Washington Cog RR which takes you to the summit of the windiest place
in North America. On a clear day its an exciting (slow) ride and far safer than
taking the steep, winding auto road.
We enjoyed our ride on the Verde
Canyon RR in Arizona, but it comes in a distant third to the two rides
mentioned above. Most children would probably like the Stone Mt, Silver Dollar
City or Disney trains best with their added entertainment (train robberies,
etc.).
Anticipation is growing fast with us for the Durango-Silverton ride
beside the Animas River in the San Juan Mountains.
There have been train museums like the ones in Duluth and Two Harbors during our Minnesota trips in the summers.
Duluth has a nice train exhibit and a short ride north of town which is a favorite of many.
Scandanavian trains were readily available and an efficient way to see some of Denmark and Norway in 2005.
A trip up to the Yukon is a must when you visit Alaska and stop at Skagway. The views are spectacular and you still have a half day to see Skagway before you leave.
This train gave us a scenic tour of New Hampshire at Conway. Its not as exciting as a mountain ride, but worth the effort to get another perspective of fall in New England.
Union Station in Chicago is a busy place and not your most desirable spot for a four hour lay-over on the way to/from New Orleans. The train on the right is a local commuter service.
This is Union Station on a blustery, cold day in January from the outside. It was not a great day to tour the city so I retreated to the waiting room and indulged in a card game.
Excursion train at Stone Mt, GeorgiaAMTRAK has taken us to Seattle or Everett, WA from St Paul at least five times and to New Orleans twice. I believe that qualifies us as seasoned train travelers. Most of our trips have been uneventful, but the most recent excursion left us sitting in Chicago’s Union Station an extra four hours due to engine problems. In July of 2010 the rails were expanding due to the high temperatures so we were slowed down in Montana and N Dakota.
The Johnson RR in Ham Lake has provided our grandkids an introduction to steam engines and many hours of fun for the entire family on the trains so painstakingly built by Don’s father. It is truly sad that the tradition will not continue for a few more generations.
Our favorite train is the Alaska Classic from Anchorage to Seward. Three plus hours of wilderness beauty with plush accommodations and cooperative engineers make for an unforgettable experience. They stop for wildlife (even backing up when required) and provide frequent descriptive commentary.
The best steam experience has to be the Mt Washington Cog RR which takes you to the summit of the windiest place in North America. On a clear day its an exciting (slow) ride and far safer than taking the steep, winding auto road.
We enjoyed our ride on the Verde Canyon RR in Arizona, but it comes in a distant third to the two rides mentioned above. Most children would probably like the Stone Mt, Silver Dollar City or Disney trains best with their added entertainment (train robberies, etc.).
Anticipation is growing fast with us for the Durango-Silverton ride beside the Animas River in the San Juan Mountains.
There have been train museums like the ones in Duluth and Two Harbors during our Minnesota trips in the summers.
Scandanavian trains were readily available and an efficient way to see some of Denmark and Norway in 2005.
A trip up to the Yukon is a must when you visit Alaska and stop at Skagway. The views are spectacular and you still have a half day to see Skagway before you leave.
This train gave us a scenic tour of New Hampshire at Conway. Its not as exciting as a mountain ride, but worth the effort to get another perspective of fall in New England.Union Station in Chicago is a busy place and not your most desirable spot for a four hour lay-over on the way to/from New Orleans. The train on the right is a local commuter service.
This is Union Station on a blustery, cold day in January from the outside. It was not a great day to tour the city so I retreated to the waiting room and indulged in a card game.
