Saturday's train tour started in Dennison, OH where I got my customary caboose photo and a quick glimpse of the museum and gift shop. I got there early and was disappointed to find the people I had hoped to meet with were not in yet.
It was the drive from Dennison to Orrville that took my breath away. If we hadn't already had plans today I would have repeated the drive. In Orrville I found their caboose, depot and museum all locked. The note on the door said leave deliveries with one of the neighobrs. I went there and they were also locked up. Forty minutes after leaving I got a phone call from their depot and was informed they had seen the Caboosemobile in their parking lot but couldn't find me. Oh well, as you've noticed from my RR costume, I'm probably a hard guy to spot.
The drive from Orrville to Wellington was also beautiful. The train address is listed as Route 18, Wellington, OH. My GPS wouldn't recognize that location and only gave me a choice of two streets for Wellington, OH. I picked one and ended up fifteen miles north of the train in a cornfield. The lady that speaks to me in the GPS isn't always the brightest tree on the bulb (I know you get the meaning.) I resorted to using my Rand McNally and eventually got there. Lorain & West Virginia Railway is the name of the RR in Wellington. It operates sometimes and they have a couple of tables set up in a barn to sell tickets. No museum or gift shop. The train had taken off thirty minutes before my arrival and I got the feeling I was intruding on the ticket person's nap time. I left a book for their future amusement and bed them farewell.
Stop #4 was Peninula, OH. Micki was raised in Ohio and has lots of friends and family here. I've yet to find anyone who has ever heard of the town, which is terrible. It is the cutest town ever. The sign said they have a ski resort (not open yesterday) and a railroad. As I pulled into the middle of town I couldn't believe my eyes. A line of people appeared to stretch a quarter of a mile along the track waiting to board the train. Most had bicycles. I didn't count the passenger cars, but I would guess that had six or eight. They offer rides of various lengths where you get off and hike or bike back to town through rolling hills and (small) mountains. The fall colors must have been the motivation for getting so many families out. The train is run by the National Park Service. It had the most people I've ever seen waiting to board a train. If you ever plan a fall trip to Ohio, this has got to be a MUST STOP AND DO. Rides vary in price from $2 to $16. The RR name is Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and their web site is: www.cvsr.com
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ohio
The rolling hills of the Ohio Valley are a great place to view fall colors while at the same time visiting railroads. I'll post photos later today. The thing I remember most about yesterdays 400 miles plus day trip was the back drop of color with what appeared to be hundreds of Amish black carriages being pulled along two-lane roads. The horses all seemed to have the same brisk gate and the carriage occupants all looked related. Everyone in dark clothes, men with long beards and ladies with homespun dresses and bonnets. I couldn't help but fantasize about how I would fit in their community. I do have a beard.... Maybe I could teach them all to two-step? Maybe they could teach me simplicity?
Friday, October 15, 2010
Hoot @ Little Toot
October 7th … Rolled into Flora, IL. A town of 5,100 and the home of Little Toot Railroad. We were greeted by Clint Green. A man who looked like he stepped out of one of the character rolls of The Red Candy Caboose. Blue stripped overalls and matching railroad cap with the appropriate amount of soot made it clear he was a railroad man. I learned of Clint and The Little Toot earlier in the year while visiting the McCormick Stillman Railroad in Scottsdale, AZ.
No doubt, some day Clint’s story and the Little Toot will be the material for a book and movie. As children, Clint and his wife Shelly both rode the scale RR in the town park of Flora, as did hundreds of other children. Like the main character in The Red Candy Caboose, Clint grew up, went away to school, got married and had his own child. When he returned to his home town, Little Toot was gone. The founder of Little Toot had grown older and found it necessary to sell the train. Clint discovered Little Toot had been sold three different times and eventually ended up at a Christmas Tree Farm in California.
Clint’s initial calls to the farm were to check on the well-being of the little railroad. Not long after making his calls the owners called Clint and asked if he would like to buy the train. Clint soon found others in Flora shared his nostalgia for the little train. Many things happened during that year to make Clint’s dream come true. He was able to buy the train plus support trains and equipment from Michigan and Georgia.
The town of Flora is fortunate to have Charlie Brown Park. This is a large park that any town in America would be proud to have. Charlie Brown Park includes fair grounds, arena, community swimming pool, a lake, hiking trails, and even facilities for 75 RV’s with water and electric hook-ups. Charlie Brown Park had been the original home of Little Toot and it seemed things fell into place almost as fast as waving a magic wand. The town struck a deal; they provided the land and Clint provided the train. Running and maintaining the train is a fulltime job, but Clint and Shelly make it happen by contributing endless hours of their own time along with a crew of volunteers that would be an asset to any company.
Clint and Shelly live two hours west of Flora and make the drive every week to keep the little train operating. One of the old steam engines was cranked up for the first time the evening before I arrived. The excitement was contagious as the little engine was put on line and pulled its first load of passengers in many years.
We spent four days at Little Toot starting with a reading and Kahuna/Micki performances at the local retirement home. Clint and Shelly were the perfect hosts, giving a tour of Flora and sharing the history and how the town’s development sprouted around the railroad industry. The beautifully restored depot/museum in the middle of Flora is well worth a stop for anyone with a love of history.
While there we were part of the ground-breaking ceremony which will double the track size of Little Toot. PBS Television was on hand to complete many days of documenting the Little Toot Story and it looks like October 9th was a record breaking day for the train, hauling an estimated 500 passengers.
Before coming to Flora I assumed Little Toot to be entertainment for the local residents, but I expanded my view to recommend it to anyone coming within two-hundred miles of Flora. The community, park, local history and of course Little Toot make it a destination vacation for anyone in this part of the country.
No doubt, some day Clint’s story and the Little Toot will be the material for a book and movie. As children, Clint and his wife Shelly both rode the scale RR in the town park of Flora, as did hundreds of other children. Like the main character in The Red Candy Caboose, Clint grew up, went away to school, got married and had his own child. When he returned to his home town, Little Toot was gone. The founder of Little Toot had grown older and found it necessary to sell the train. Clint discovered Little Toot had been sold three different times and eventually ended up at a Christmas Tree Farm in California.
Clint’s initial calls to the farm were to check on the well-being of the little railroad. Not long after making his calls the owners called Clint and asked if he would like to buy the train. Clint soon found others in Flora shared his nostalgia for the little train. Many things happened during that year to make Clint’s dream come true. He was able to buy the train plus support trains and equipment from Michigan and Georgia.
The town of Flora is fortunate to have Charlie Brown Park. This is a large park that any town in America would be proud to have. Charlie Brown Park includes fair grounds, arena, community swimming pool, a lake, hiking trails, and even facilities for 75 RV’s with water and electric hook-ups. Charlie Brown Park had been the original home of Little Toot and it seemed things fell into place almost as fast as waving a magic wand. The town struck a deal; they provided the land and Clint provided the train. Running and maintaining the train is a fulltime job, but Clint and Shelly make it happen by contributing endless hours of their own time along with a crew of volunteers that would be an asset to any company.
Clint and Shelly live two hours west of Flora and make the drive every week to keep the little train operating. One of the old steam engines was cranked up for the first time the evening before I arrived. The excitement was contagious as the little engine was put on line and pulled its first load of passengers in many years.
We spent four days at Little Toot starting with a reading and Kahuna/Micki performances at the local retirement home. Clint and Shelly were the perfect hosts, giving a tour of Flora and sharing the history and how the town’s development sprouted around the railroad industry. The beautifully restored depot/museum in the middle of Flora is well worth a stop for anyone with a love of history.
While there we were part of the ground-breaking ceremony which will double the track size of Little Toot. PBS Television was on hand to complete many days of documenting the Little Toot Story and it looks like October 9th was a record breaking day for the train, hauling an estimated 500 passengers.
Before coming to Flora I assumed Little Toot to be entertainment for the local residents, but I expanded my view to recommend it to anyone coming within two-hundred miles of Flora. The community, park, local history and of course Little Toot make it a destination vacation for anyone in this part of the country.
October 6th… Having a pleasant journey across the Midwest, when the Caboosemobile started sounding like it swallowed a cat. Made it to Springfield, MO and spent the day at the local Ford dealership. A new water pump, and alternator took care of the cat sounds. The bill was large enough to make the service manager feel obligated to buy a copy of The Red Candy Caboose
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