Loco Motives

 Loco Motives

My earliest recollection of riding a train was in Kiddie Land, a part of the Amusement park called Idlewild, near Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Several child sized passenger cars followed an electric version of a red and silver diesel engine that ran on a circular track. Kids were placed single file in the open air passenger cars for the short trip. It was one of the many kid enticing rides of Kiddie Land.

My next memory was of a trip, an actual excursion on board a real train. The engine was a huge black B & O locomotive. I was in the first grade of elementary school and it was our field trip. We were bused to Connellsville, Pennsylvania to begin our journey. I can remember how massive the cars seemed. The porter was there to help us board. Eager faces of my classmates soon were pressed against windows and the hiss of the engine became louder with the whistle announcing that we were off. Views of the water and rocks of the Youghiogheny River, trees, and hills sped past us until we reached our destination in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. There was no tour of the waterfalls. There were far too many kids for the teacher to keep track of. We were hustled into a waiting school bus and shuttled back to school.

The next trip on a train was in Elkins West Virginia. A travel companion and I decided to escape for a mini-vacation. We stayed in a motel over night to limit the stress on our aging bodies. The tour was a six hour trip to Spruce, West Virginia. Spruce is a ghost town. The buildings of this old lumber town were razed long ago, but placards explained the businesses and locations. It was a pleasant train ride that had several interesting stops along the way to Spruce.

With the latest train ride I was able to eliminate an item from my bucket list. I was able to enjoy another train ride, but the difference was it was riding first class with meals and snacks served in the dining car. The Potomac Eagle left the town of Romney, West Virginia. The route followed the South Branch of the Potomac River. The tour director shared a wealth of information of historic homes and sites along the trail. The engineer stopped to allow passengers to ride in a gondola car to view a stretch of the river where bald eagles nest. I wasn’t disappointed and we saw several. 

The meals, snacks, and service were great. It was a truly memorable way to cross off another item from my bucket list.