[sparklite2]

One of my earliest memories is from being three years old, standing in the front seat of the car, which was first in line at a grade crossing. A steam locomotive came thundering down the track, bells ringing, whistle blowing and drivers churning. A magnificent sight in 1945.

[Bon of Babble]

You must have been in awe. I remember my dad speaking of those trains as they crossed the midwest where he lived.

Those old trains were magnificent.

At our county fair, LA county, there is a section where old trains are parked and you can climb all over them. We'd go in them, sit in the engineer's seat and try to imagine what it was like to drive those old trains that were nothing but power.

Our favorite was this one, we climbed all over it, I have a photo of my son, aged four sitting in the engineer's seat. One of our favorite photos.

It was a beast!

It was hauled out of California and sent off to Wyoming to be re-fitted. We met the (young) guys who were getting her ready to be hauled out - they were extremely excited to be working on her and spoke to my son and husband for over an hour.

I was sorry to see it leave California - the young mechanics told us that most of these old beauties had been torn apart for scrap and there were IIRC, only three or four left.