If you want to see a
real train, head over to Skull Valley or, better yet, to Flagstaff on the main line where a long coast to coast freighter rolls through town every few minutes. In our town, where the Santa Fe was once the
king of the road, we're down to one little segment of track on an
isolated bridge plus assorted toys and nostalgia in big and bigger packages.
Toys for sure. At any event that attracts the carnies, little kids relive the romance of the rails. Here at the recent
Air Show.
For adult play, there's the Prescott trolley, which ferries tourons around town during summer events. More recently, it's been parked over by Chuy's on Miller Valley...
...promoting an even more playful role in life. When I passed by Chuy's yesterday, the trolley was missing. I wonder if it's retired to the barn, up in Jerome with a carload of batchlorettes, or what?
Another plaything, this little fellow, suitable only for parades and such, is back at its post along Miller Valley Road outside the costume store.
Now here's a reminder of what serious business railroading was once upon a time. An engine serving local mines, this piece of rolling stock is located in the upper Sharlot Hall parking lot along with a lot of other heavy iron from mining days.
This is a serious, if grounded use for old rolling stock -- as a big storage bin. I always dreamed of owning four such freight cars, preferably refrigerated units, which I would locate in a square, creating an atrium and a spacious well insulated home.
To those of us old enough to have enjoyed railroad travel, this old depot really plucks the heartstrings. It remains the town's most visible remnant of a bygone age. There's one other -- those very strange diagonal property lines still found between the old fairgrounds and the depot. One of these days, I'll map out where the railroad tracks went through town.
Toys for sure. At any event that attracts the carnies, little kids relive the romance of the rails. Here at the recent Air Show.
For adult play, there's the Prescott trolley, which ferries tourons around town during summer events. More recently, it's been parked over by Chuy's on Miller Valley...
...promoting an even more playful role in life. When I passed by Chuy's yesterday, the trolley was missing. I wonder if it's retired to the barn, up in Jerome with a carload of batchlorettes, or what?
Another plaything, this little fellow, suitable only for parades and such, is back at its post along Miller Valley Road outside the costume store.
Now here's a reminder of what serious business railroading was once upon a time. An engine serving local mines, this piece of rolling stock is located in the upper Sharlot Hall parking lot along with a lot of other heavy iron from mining days.
This is a serious, if grounded use for old rolling stock -- as a big storage bin. I always dreamed of owning four such freight cars, preferably refrigerated units, which I would locate in a square, creating an atrium and a spacious well insulated home.
To those of us old enough to have enjoyed railroad travel, this old depot really plucks the heartstrings. It remains the town's most visible remnant of a bygone age. There's one other -- those very strange diagonal property lines still found between the old fairgrounds and the depot. One of these days, I'll map out where the railroad tracks went through town.
The last train my wife and I rode was from Bavaria to Switzerland. A nice scenic trip.
ReplyDeleteOh, those trains in Europe are a treat. We traveled by Eurail pass on our one trip to Europe. Had a fantastic meal on a train from Innsbruck, Austria, to Florence, Italy. And beautiful scenery with it.
ReplyDeleteI had my first smoke of weed on the Orient Express between Budapest and Vienna -- it struck me as a suitable venue for the experience... Of course, the problem in the USA is that for the most part, our cities are so spread out, unlike Europe, where cities are not days apart. When I was a young, Mom and the two of us kids, would board the train in Jax Florida & 4 days later be at our destination in Calif. I suspect that Europeans would also fly if their distances were like that!
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