As I was pulling into the parking lot, I saw people getting on board a train and suddenly remembered there were train rides every 2 hours, so if I missed this one I'd most likely miss taking the ride. I barely took the time to open the RV's windows for the pets and raced over to ask the conductor if I was too late, and he said he'd hold the train if I'd hustle. So I hustled and they started right after I was on board.
The train makes 2 loops around the rail yard and down the river a little way - I think 2 loops partly to give us a longer ride and partly because they've got so much to tell us about they couldn't cram it all into 1 loop.
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| hobo symbols |
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| more hobo symbols |
The hobo culture began after the Civil War; soldiers were released from service where they'd last been fighting, and they had to find their own way back home. "Hobo" is short for "homeward bound" and the ex-soldiers either had to walk home or jump on the trains. They developed a language to pass on information to others on the rails, and the symbols shown here are only a few of them.
The symbols above from left to right:
* Boxcar Betty was the nickname of a hobo - many of them created their own personas and left a sign to show where they'd been
* Danger - Water to show the water near where the symbol was found wasn't good to drink
* Enthusiastic cops and jailers - who were happy to find and jail hobos for any or no reason
* that upside down Y shows a place that isn't hobo friendly
* shows where the train will slow down enough that someone can hop on safely - at a curve or crossing, for instance
* Bozo the Clown was a real hobo (not just the TV character we saw in the '60s) and this was his personal symbol
The photo on the right was taken when the train crossed a bridge, known as a "flying bridge" because we couldn't see the ground or the rails underneath and, when the train was going 50 mph, the passengers would have felt like the train was flying. In fact, Seaboard Airlines was the name of a train.
Our train didn't have a caboose, though there were several at the museum. They were used until the 1980s.
Our conductor, who was full of information, told us people would sometimes have weddings here, and they'd get a special train ride for the wedding party. I love trains, but it seemed like this would be a little dirty for traditional wedding attire. But lots of fun.
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| example of a standard station |
This exhibit explains that the railroads eventually found it less expensive to have one standard type of station and build that same building along the routes.
This photo doesn't show the ball that hung from a pole near many of the smaller stations as a way of communicating with the engineers. When the ball was at its highest point it meant there were no passengers or freight to pick up, and our language added the phrase "highball it," meaning full steam ahead.
When the ball was dropped to the ground, it meant the train needed to stop to pick up waiting passengers.
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| rear of the train |
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| front of the Aerotrain |
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| half of Aerotrain explanation |
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| 2nd half of Aerotrain explanation |
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| explaining how cars phased out passenger trains |
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| rest of explanation |
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| I think I rode in a car like this in the '50s in Texas |
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| the engine of our sightseeing train |
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| a gen-u-ine Silver Streak |
There's far more at this museum than I took the time for, and quite a few exhibits that I haven't bothered to post here. It's a great place for families and train enthusiasts - not so great for pet owners, because they restrict pets to one small area off to the side, so I drove the critters to a nearby neighborhood and we walked along the sidewalks. Otherwise, I'm really glad I went.
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