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supergrandmother

Train Attendant
Joined
Feb 10, 2009
Messages
96
Location
Tennessee
A couple of years ago I took my granddaughter who lives in Atlanta on a little train trip from Atlanta to Birmingham.....just to spend a little one-on-one grandmother-granddaughter time. It was also an introductory trip to the train before I took her and my oldest grandson overnight to DC. I didn't realize it would be a grandchild tradition until the other day when I received a phone call from her little brother. He was reminding me that I took his sister when she was five and he would be turning five in October and was ready to ride the train. It looks like Luke is expecting a train trip to Birmingham and a visit to the children's theater and interactive science museum sometime in October. I guess I'd better get on Amtrak.com and book us a trip. I also need to find out if those peanut roasters are still near the station in Birmingham.

It's a good thing to raise up some youngsters to be train fans!
 
It's great that the younger generation is interested in trains. Good job!
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Soon I hope to stop saying that "Nobody rides trains anymore"!
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Very sweet. I took both my kids for train rides when they were little, and now am looking forward to taking my twin grand-daughters on the Downeaster to Boston...
 
I guess it is not that surprising that little kids like trains, a lot of kids who like trains, either as toys, or to actually see them, end up forgetting about their "obsession" once they grow up. What I would really be interested in hearing is a story about teenagers/college going kids who became train fans, or continued their passion for trains through the 15 to 25 age bracket. I know we have Johnny here fitting the criteria, but any more stories around?
 
Texan Eagle said:
I guess it is not that surprising that little kids like trains, a lot of kids who like trains, either as toys, or to actually see them, end up forgetting about their "obsession" once they grow up. What I would really be interested in hearing is a story about teenagers/college going kids who became train fans, or continued their passion for trains through the 15 to 25 age bracket. I know we have Johnny here fitting the criteria, but any more stories around?
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Sure!

We can start with our own Anthony, owner & creator of this website. If memory serves, he was only about 16 when he took a chance and promoted me to moderator here at AU many years ago. And he put up his first static AU website 3 or 4 years earlier than that. He's been out of college now a couple of years.

Then we have Sean (Battalion51) who I'm guessing in now in his mid-20's. While he doesn't post here quite as much as he did when he was 14, 15, & 16, he still drops in from time to time.

We have Stephen (LongTrainRunning) who was probably either 15 or 16 when he started posting here, he's now in college.

Another Steven (Acela150) started out as a teenager here. Not sure if he's made it to the big 20 yet or not, but his passion for trains hasn't dimmed.

And while they show up more at OTOL Chats than here, there are two guys in Boston Ed (efin98) & Jack (Jack615), both of whom are members here that have been around now for several years. I think both were 18 when I first met them in Boston at an OTOL fest about 10 years ago.

And I suspect that I've missed at least one person and perhaps more, and for that I apologize, but thinking quickly the above all came to mind.
 
supergrandmother said:
A couple of years ago I took my granddaughter who lives in Atlanta on a little train trip from Atlanta to Birmingham.....just to spend a little one-on-one grandmother-granddaughter time. It was also an introductory trip to the train before I took her and my oldest grandson overnight to DC. I didn't realize it would be a grandchild tradition until the other day when I received a phone call from her little brother. He was reminding me that I took his sister when she was five and he would be turning five in October and was ready to ride the train. It looks like Luke is expecting a train trip to Birmingham and a visit to the children's theater and interactive science museum sometime in October. I guess I'd better get on Amtrak.com and book us a trip. I also need to find out if those peanut roasters are still near the station in Birmingham.

It's a good thing to raise up some youngsters to be train fans!
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I do not have personal knowledge of the peanut stand but if you google Birmingham peanut stand I think you will get your answer.
 
AlanB said:
Texan Eagle said:
I guess it is not that surprising that little kids like trains, a lot of kids who like trains, either as toys, or to actually see them, end up forgetting about their "obsession" once they grow up. What I would really be interested in hearing is a story about teenagers/college going kids who became train fans, or continued their passion for trains through the 15 to 25 age bracket. I know we have Johnny here fitting the criteria, but any more stories around?
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And I suspect that I've missed at least one person and perhaps more
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Me
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Me too!

Although I started loving trains as a child, I got into the flying craze (including a stint working for an airline for a year in my 20's), I have always rather ridden trains than fly. Even though I accumulated over 750,000 airline miles (living on the west coast and having family on the east coast does that
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), luckily about 350,000 were on Continental - and I transferred them to AGR. Then when they merged with United, I transferred over 50,000 more! Now I only fly if I "have to be there yesterday". Much of the rest I have given to family to use. Now if I can help it, I only ride trains. So it has stayed with me for 50 years.

In fact, many of us on AU may have semi-similar stories!
 
Texan Eagle said:
I guess it is not that surprising that little kids like trains, a lot of kids who like trains, either as toys, or to actually see them, end up forgetting about their "obsession" once they grow up. What I would really be interested in hearing is a story about teenagers/college going kids who became train fans, or continued their passion for trains through the 15 to 25 age bracket. I know we have Johnny here fitting the criteria, but any more stories around?
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I guess I fit in that age bracket, as I was 24 when I was introduced to Amtrak. It was in 2009, my wife was pregnant with our second child, and we were taking a trip to Chicago. Flying was out of the question, and we thought eight hours in a car a bit long for her too. A woman I used to work with had taken Amtrak SED-WAS and back, and spoke so highly of the trip that we decided to give it a try. We too were quite impressed, and since then have preferred to take the train whenever possible. Our kids now insist that Diesel P-42 is the only way to go to St. Louis. It's just too far away to drive. :D
 
Texan Eagle said:
I guess it is not that surprising that little kids like trains, a lot of kids who like trains, either as toys, or to actually see them, end up forgetting about their "obsession" once they grow up. What I would really be interested in hearing is a story about teenagers/college going kids who became train fans, or continued their passion for trains through the 15 to 25 age bracket. I know we have Johnny here fitting the criteria, but any more stories around?
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Here. Started riding as a toddler in the midwest (and possibly out east; family members' memories are hazy or no longer existent). Just finished adolescence.
 
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Wow, I really enjoy this site. Like Grandma I plan on starting a tradition with my adopted granddaughter as soon as I get home. I'm on the 19 now heading to NO. Will take granddaughter on short trip to Jackson, Ms. I think she will love it .
 
Cassie225 said:
Wow, I really enjoy this site. Like Grandma I plan on starting a tradition with my adopted granddaughter as soon as I get home. I'm on the 19 now heading to NO. Will take granddaughter on short trip to Jackson, Ms. I think she will love it .
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A couple decades ago when my kids turned 4 took them from MSP to NYC. Good for me, good for them. My 4 yr old daughter learned that old geezers in the dining car sometimes have no clue. "Daddy, she said those auto racks were cattle cars. I didn't say anything to be polite. What do you do when people say really dumb stuff?"

And the young ones really loved the noisy crowded NYC subway. The DC Metro was kind of boring for them.

A few decades before that my Mom took us (me and my bro) from Minnesota to Rochester, NY to visit Grandmommy. We both still remember that trip.

Take the young ones whenever and wherever you can. I expect it will do them good.
 
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Although I am from a different generation, that which is popularly known as the "Baby Boomers", I started being a railfan at about the age of 4 as I am told. However, I was brought up in a country with a booming passenger rail system and not a shrinking one, and that is where I was until 77 except for one year in the US in the mid 60s. So I've been there and done that for many many years, and even was one of the founding members of the IRFCA (Indian Railways Fan Club of America) which started with its first convention in NJ in 1991.
 
I'm from Generation X, and I've always loved trains. We used to ride the trains at amusement parks and zoos every chance we got.

As soon as I transferred to WMU (when I was 20), I took Amtrak from Kalamazoo to Chicago. I was so excited and happy I started crying, and I haven't stopped taking the train any chance I get. When I started dating my boyfriend, who lived in ABQ at the time, I was thrilled to see the route for the SWC would take me from Chicago to ABQ. I only flew there once, when time was a factor. Every other time, we used Amtrak to visit each other. Now we live just a short block from the tracks, and we still take Amtrak whenever we travel.

My nieces are three years old and six months old. They live up north, so they don't get to ride Amtrak, but they already love the kiddie trains at parks and zoos. I can't wait to take them for a real train ride someday.
 
My first train ride, that I can remember at least, was when I was 11 moving from GA to DE. I was /am a tomboy and liked Matchbox & Hot Wheels. I was not happy that my father had a Lionel set at previous houses but not in the house I grew up in so when we moved to a house that had a train table in the basement I wanted a train set. Didn't get one till I was 19. :eek:

It took me 44 years to ride the rails again (not counting touristy steam engine trains) and I hope to ride at least once a year (would do it more often if I could justify spending the money even for short trips).
 
Well as far as I can remember I had always had a fascination with trains (I'm in the 30-39 age bracket). The highlight of every trip to Kiddieland was riding their miniature train around the grounds. But until 2010 my train riding expierence was limited to taking the CTA L or Metra around Chicago, along with some tourist lines (Royal Gorge Route, Cumbres 7 Toltec, and Durango and Silverson). Then the wife and I decided to the CZ, GJT-CHI, would be a great way to travel home from our honeymoon and we were hooked. We liked to so much we decided to take it again (one way) last year and have now ditched the plane entirely and are taking the CZ round trip CHI-GJT in Sept. We are also have a trip on the Capitol Limited planned for January to see the Blackhawks take on the Caps.

Yes, it's more expensive, yes it takes 10x longer but as most of you realize, there's just something about traveling on a train.
 
I am of the AlanB generation. I/We grew up watching cowboy movies and the inevitable "train robbery" There were western movies/TV programs showing the western life and peopling using trains and stage coaches as their primary mode of transportation. West of the Appalachians as AlanB posted on another thread, towns grew around the train tracks/depot not the other way around.

My great Uncle was a engineer for PRR in Western Pennsylvania for 40+ and his home was almost like a train depot with the regala. I lived in a coal mining town above the Monongahela River in Western PA and the coal train tracks were only about 1/4 mile away. Every one of my friends(males) in our pre-teen yearswanted to be a train engineer, fireman or policeman and NOT a coal miner. Later we just wanted girls, but that is a whole different story altogether.

My (4) year old grandson is a Thomas the train fanatic and when we visit back east near Baltimore, he has me read EVERY Thomas book EVERY day to him. I now know EVERY trains name by sight and let me tell you that is not easy for a 63 year old. He has wanted this one train that also doubles as a crane to lift disabled rail cars/engines back on to the track. My daughter is teaching them financial responsibility so they are doing "chores" (remember that AlanB) to earn money for toys they WANT. He finally earned enough money and got Harvey the crane train. My daughter said on Facebook, that after he was playing with it for about (20) minutes she snuck back in to the family room and saw him holding Harvey in his hands and saying, "I love you Harvey" The boy has the train bug bad. Him and his sister took the train ride out of the Baltimore train museum a couple of months ago. I am looking forward to when he and his sister are old enough that wife and I can bring them both back west by train.

I also found out on my first LD since 1991 from LAX-CHI-WAS in Dec 2011, that train "people" will actually "talk" to you. Not the useless babble you do on the plane or at the airport. Real conversations.Some was humorous and some was heart breaking. Train people feel the need to be "real" They feel they can trust you. My degree is in Economics, but I minored in Industrial Psychology. Talking with train people has taught me more about people than I could ever learn from a book or class. I've meet people from the right and the left, rich and poor, young and old, white and black, newbies and rail fans and there is this sense of happiness that is heard to explain. It is like the bad and the ugly in the world can't find them here. I have heard please, thank you, excuse me more on the train than anywhere in society presently. I guess train riding makes you civil is the only way I can explain it.

NAVYBLUE
 
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