All About Trains

Today Nicholas and I went exploring in Dallas to learn all about trains. We started off at Dallas Children's Hospital where we got to look at a room full of model trains running around their tracks through mountains, past towns, and over bridges. The detail of the exhibit was impressive. We noticed Spiderman swinging down from a skyscraper by his web. We found the a miniature version of Mount Rushmore in the side of a mountain. We even saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I love that the hospital dedicated an entire room to provide this to the children at the hospital.









We enjoyed the model trains but I think the mountain structures may be just a little too big for children to be able to see all of the trains and all of the detail in the townscapes. Although it is only put up around Christmas time, the Trains at North Park is easier for children to see because the track areas are smaller and closer to the glass so the little ones can see the detail more easily. Also, it was quite a hike from the visitor parking garage to the train room. I asked if there was a closer place to park in case we come back again but I was told that I had parked in the right place.

Next we went to the Age of Steam Railroad Museum. There were rows of old trains that we could look at and many that we could explore inside. There were sleeper cars with rooms set up as they would have looked back in the day. There were dining cars, passenger cars, cabooses, and engines. Nicholas had fun exploring in the trains and he even started acting out scenarios as if we were real train riders. He likes to be a director and tell others what their role is and what their next line is. He always starts with "Pretend you are..." The old trains gave him new creativity for his scenes.

Finally, we took a ride on the McKinney Trolley. Yes, it is not a train per se but it does run on a track and it transports people. Nicholas said that this was his favorite part of the day. He loved the open air car. He waved at people on the sidewalk as we passed. He even had short conversations with a few people in their cars as they were stopped next to us at a red light. But most of all, Nicholas was excited because the driver let him blow the trolley whistle twice during our ride. In talking with the driver we learned that our trolley was 86 years old but there is another trolley that runs daily that is 99 years old. Another neat feature is that when the trolley is ready to start heading in the opposite direction, the backs of the seats can be moved to the other side of the seat so that you can always be facing forward. We had fun just playing with that!