100 Day Project 2021

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Trains & Boys


wheels
pistons
bells
horns
lights

Those are a few things you'll find at a train museum


along with
rivets
metal
grim
dust
and numerous circles.


Oh, and the textures, they
almost overloaded my mind!




This past weekend
you would have also found my favorite five guys at the museum.

Isaac
Jake
Josh
Aaron
Drew
(starting on the top row, going left to right in photo below)



The lighting in this old building, which was originally a train repair shop, was horrible. The ceilings are very high and the lighting was dim. To complicate things there are windows all around the top that sunlight flooded through. The bottom of the building was dark and the upper part was super bright which totally confused my poor little point and shoot camera!   Since I was climbing up in those trains with the boys, carrying the big camera wasn't feasible. Perfect pictures were not important; family fun together was!


The boys liked the diesels, but me, I liked the steam engines. My favorite was the St. Louis Southwestern No. 819. It was the last locomotive built in Arkansas. The locomotive built in 1943 was retired in 1955 when the newer diesel engines made their arrival. The 819 is called the queen of steam, weighs 368 tons, measures 100 feet, takes 150 gallons of water and 15 gallons of oil just to run one mile of track. I actually got to see this engine run at a festival in 1988. It was an amazing sight to see and to hear!


There was so much to see and do. The boys could climb around and play on most of the engines and train cars. There were a few train races going on as they sat in the windows of the cabs and yelled back and forth. When asked who won the race, Aaron said, "It was hard to tell who won the race since we really weren't going anywhere!!" But, it sure was fun to pretend.


Part of this area is still a working railroad. In one of the shops the train wheels were being refinished and repaired. When the wheels were finished they were rolled down a ramp where they bumped into another set. The boys waited for a good while to see the wheels roll down and bump. The sound they made was similar to a giant bell. BONG!


We had such a fun day.
I love these guys
and cherish every moment I spend with them!!

9 comments:

  1. Look at all those boys having fun with trains and grandma's got her favourites too! Fun shots of the different elements of old trains! I love that old door with the brick wall too!

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  2. That top shot is just so wonderful Cathy, and your GK's such a wonderful experience with them. Boys do love the trains, little ones and big ones. Such great shots in this post.

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  3. You're absolutely right! It's about the memories, not the professionalism of the photos. Such a fun day!

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  4. It sounds like a splendid day, and how fun to sit inside those engines. I would love that too.

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  5. awwwww, such a wonderful entry!!! i too, love trains and boys!!!!

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  6. such wonderful photos
    and a great museum
    love the door photo with all it's colors
    thank you for stopping by and your kind message

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  7. Oh, such darling little boys (as the mother of three sons, I'm very partial to little boys :)...

    Your visit sounds (and looks!) just wonderful!

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  8. The light might have been tough but you made the most of it. Wonderful photos! My ex-husband, son, and grandson all adore trains, especially steam engines, though of course being men (even the seven-year-old) they would never use the word "adore."

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  9. What a super cool place to visit. I loved seeing all your photo memories.

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Thanks so much for stopping by!!