Train Ride!
Aug. 7th, 2005 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
navygreenI didn't tell the boys about our plans to ride the train until I was tucking them into bed at night after Jack's birthday party. They both just kept saying, "We're going on a train? A REAL train?" and didn't believe me. I think both of them were then up at the crack of dawn, ready to start choo-chooing. ;-)
Heather arrived at my house just after 11am, and she put the extra seats back in my van while I finished getting myself and the boys ready. Jack picked out one of his new birthday shirts from Heather to wear - the 'Medusa Jellyfish' one from Gymboree (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tabbyfoo and lesliepear, I thought specifically of you both). We left the house just after 11:30, and then we headed into Omaha to pick AnnieMcFranniePants up. Then we started on our way! The drive was about an hour, and the kids - whether surprised by the addition of the middle seat or just finding themselves with nothing to say [which never happens] - were quiet the entire ride. Not a peep, and they didn't fall asleep, either - amazing! We arrived in Fremont, grabbed lunch at Runza and then went on to the train station. Heather went in and bought the tickets for us while we finished eating in the van.
About 1:15pm, it was time to board the train!
A.J. poses next to a great tree after the ride.
I was the last one to board the train. Of course, the boys clambored onto the train quickly!
A.J. and Jack wave back while boarding the train.
Once we were inside and had found seats, I went back off the train to take a few more pictures. It was a short train, only 5 cars in length, and we were in the last car on the ride out. Even still, with such a short train, it was hard to hear the whistles from the back car, and I was surprised at that.
The engine.
The guide came back and told us a little about our ride, and then we were off! The train was set to travel from Fremont, NE to the little town of Nickerson, NE - about 10 miles away. Our highest speed was only 15mph, so it took just under an hour to make the ride out.
Jack looks out excitedly from his window seat.
It was a lovely little ride through pretty countryside. The boys loved it when the whistle blew - they knew then that we were going to cross a road or street and that they could wave out the window at the stopped cars. We saw a lot of railroad signs, of course. The seats would lean back, and I found that - after a few minutes' of initial queasiness - I could have fallen asleep to the natural rocking of the train's rhythm.
Pretty soon, we were slowing down to stop in Nickerson. The little town has a population of 311, and there was only a handful of buildings on a dusty street. We stopped in a little pub for Jack to use the restroom, and we passed the new post office on the way - a one-room building with one blue mailbox outside and a flag in front of it.
The boys posed on the crumbling steps of the old town bank:
A.J. and Jack at the old bank.
We only had a 20-minute stop in Nickerson, but we were able to see most everything in under 5 minutes. We walked right down the middle of the street, joking that we'd be able to get out of the way ifthe town's "one horse" a car were coming up behind us. The conductor had moved the train a little ways down the track to then switch the engine from one end of the train to the other. Once done with the transfer, he brought the train back to pick us up, and we found our seats again - this time, we were the car right behind the engine, so we were able to hear the whistle well. :-)
I doubled back to the refreshment/dining car, and I ran into "Grandma Heather" looking guilty and holding two railroad hats for the boys. *shakes head* I bought drinks for the boys, Annie and myself, and A.J. picked out some SweetTarts while I chose a RingPop for Jack.
We made ourselves comfortable for the return trip, and the boys ate their snacks.
Jack eats his RingPop.
A man in the seats across from us shared his popcorn and Cheetos with the boys, too. It seemed like the return trip was over so quickly, and then we were back at the station in Fremont. Once the boys de-trained, I took a few pictures of them in their hats in the yard:
Off the train.
We went back into the station then. Of course, there was a little Thomas the Tank Engine® train playstation set up, and Jack was elated to have a few minutes to play. Finally, it was time to go, and we piled back in the van. Jack fell asleep on the way home, so it was another peaceful ride back. We dropped Annie off at her house, and then came home. Heather left in her car, and that was the end of our Fremont Railroad experience. :-)
Heather arrived at my house just after 11am, and she put the extra seats back in my van while I finished getting myself and the boys ready. Jack picked out one of his new birthday shirts from Heather to wear - the 'Medusa Jellyfish' one from Gymboree (tabbyfoo and lesliepear, I thought specifically of you both). We left the house just after 11:30, and then we headed into Omaha to pick AnnieMcFranniePants up. Then we started on our way! The drive was about an hour, and the kids - whether surprised by the addition of the middle seat or just finding themselves with nothing to say [which never happens] - were quiet the entire ride. Not a peep, and they didn't fall asleep, either - amazing! We arrived in Fremont, grabbed lunch at Runza and then went on to the train station. Heather went in and bought the tickets for us while we finished eating in the van.About 1:15pm, it was time to board the train!
A.J. poses next to a great tree after the ride.
I was the last one to board the train. Of course, the boys clambored onto the train quickly!
A.J. and Jack wave back while boarding the train.
Once we were inside and had found seats, I went back off the train to take a few more pictures. It was a short train, only 5 cars in length, and we were in the last car on the ride out. Even still, with such a short train, it was hard to hear the whistles from the back car, and I was surprised at that.
The engine.
The guide came back and told us a little about our ride, and then we were off! The train was set to travel from Fremont, NE to the little town of Nickerson, NE - about 10 miles away. Our highest speed was only 15mph, so it took just under an hour to make the ride out.
Jack looks out excitedly from his window seat.
It was a lovely little ride through pretty countryside. The boys loved it when the whistle blew - they knew then that we were going to cross a road or street and that they could wave out the window at the stopped cars. We saw a lot of railroad signs, of course. The seats would lean back, and I found that - after a few minutes' of initial queasiness - I could have fallen asleep to the natural rocking of the train's rhythm.
Pretty soon, we were slowing down to stop in Nickerson. The little town has a population of 311, and there was only a handful of buildings on a dusty street. We stopped in a little pub for Jack to use the restroom, and we passed the new post office on the way - a one-room building with one blue mailbox outside and a flag in front of it.
The boys posed on the crumbling steps of the old town bank:
A.J. and Jack at the old bank.
We only had a 20-minute stop in Nickerson, but we were able to see most everything in under 5 minutes. We walked right down the middle of the street, joking that we'd be able to get out of the way if
I doubled back to the refreshment/dining car, and I ran into "Grandma Heather" looking guilty and holding two railroad hats for the boys. *shakes head* I bought drinks for the boys, Annie and myself, and A.J. picked out some SweetTarts while I chose a RingPop for Jack.
We made ourselves comfortable for the return trip, and the boys ate their snacks.
Jack eats his RingPop.
A man in the seats across from us shared his popcorn and Cheetos with the boys, too. It seemed like the return trip was over so quickly, and then we were back at the station in Fremont. Once the boys de-trained, I took a few pictures of them in their hats in the yard:
Off the train.
We went back into the station then. Of course, there was a little Thomas the Tank Engine® train playstation set up, and Jack was elated to have a few minutes to play. Finally, it was time to go, and we piled back in the van. Jack fell asleep on the way home, so it was another peaceful ride back. We dropped Annie off at her house, and then came home. Heather left in her car, and that was the end of our Fremont Railroad experience. :-)
