NOTE: This story is based on a real experience. For many, many years I felt it was too personal to share, even with my closest, trusted friends. So it remained trapped deep within flash memory as a bunch of digital ones-and-zeros. Some of the details have been modified to avoid giving away too much personal info. Enjoy!
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It is a beautiful fall day as we begin the enjoyable hour and a half drive to the Transportation Museum. Along the way we banter back and forth noticing different sites along the way. A car with a big smiley face on the back window; a group of five or six deer prancing across a field; a pasture where a herd of cows are sleeping; a gas station with Regular for under two dollars! Whoa! It has been years since I have seen gas for under two dollars -- I snap a picture. She and I are looking forward to a fun day walking the grounds and seeing all the trains in various states of (dis)repair. We may even learn some trivia or perhaps some useful information. Who knows?
Temperatures in the low forties, a tad cooler than we would have preferred but not unreasonable. Getting out of the car she asks, "Don't you want to bring your jacket?"
"No. It's not a very big place. I can come back for it if I get cold," I reply.
Crossing the grounds we take note of a number of vintage locomotives -- diesel, coal and electric -- on the property, as well as a number of rundown warehouse-type buildings and one, large diameter circular building, the, 'Roundhouse.'
All of the trains outside appear to be permanent fixtures. Rather than using huge cranes to move them into place I imagine that they temporary rails were laid down and later removed, so that they could slowly chug, or more likely tow the various locomotives, coal tenders, passenger coaches and others to their permanent resting places. Now they sit, wheels welded in place on short sections of rail.
Spinning around slowly, surveying from horizon to horizon in all directions, I notice a rail loop running completely around the outer perimeter of the property. Later we learn that the loop is almost two miles long and several times a day they offer train rides with several antique passenger coaches, pulled by an antique steam locomotive. But for now I am left wondering whether any live trains -- ones that actually run -- are kept here.
Arriving at the museum office we step up to the counter where I request, "Two, 'Senior,' tickets please."
"That will be thirteen sixty-three," Ruthie, the older woman behind the counter says without asking for ID to verify my age.
I am proud of myself for remembering to request, 'Senior Tickets," but then realize we only saved a whopping sixty cents on each ticket. Oh well, every little bit helps I guess.
My lady friend asks Ruthie for suggestions on what to see and in what order. She starts her spiel telling about the Roundhouse. It is the biggest one on the east coast, at least according to her memorized script. Inside, many volunteers regularly work on restoring the coaches, cabooses, locomotives and tenders. There is a lot of work being done today and she suggests that we tour that first. Then there is the museum which consists of three interconnected buildings. Even though it is a cold day and the buildings are unheated, she recommends that we should take our time and tour all three buildings. Then she encourages us to buy tickets for the train ride around the grounds, "They are only $6.50 each and well worth it," she says.
We think a train ride is rather childish for two adults with no kids in tow but we do not want to offend Ruthie, so we decline with a sincere, "Not today, thank you."
Taking our tickets and a brochure we head toward the Roundhouse. Along the way my lady friend says, "That's the first time I ever got a, 'Senior,'anything!"
I just smile. Being a, 'Senior,' is nothing new to me -- I have nearly a dozen years on her and so have had plenty of time to get comfortable with it. As a side note I get the sense that she is scared to death, pun intended, about getting old but that's a story for another place, another time.
The Roundhouse was quite intriguing. There were twelve tracks running out of the building, like spokes of a wheel and in the middle there was a working Turntable. All but three of the twelve tracks had some type of train on them with walkways alongside. A man is welding a part on one locomotive. There are a half dozen coaches inside and someone is replacing a window pane on one of them. On another someone is touching up the, 'Old New England,' logo on the outside with green and blue paint. A man is removing the cow catcher from the front of another locomotive. And several people are working inside another coach. The windows are severely scratched and stained making it is hard to see inside but it appears that they are repairing the seat upholstery.
