Our official school year has been coming to an end with all sorts of fun: daily swimming lessons for two weeks, Young Hunters Day, and even a trip to the Railroad Park. Today the kids had their last lessons with the tutor and as a little reward for doing so great on all their testing this year she took them all (including Rose) out for pizza! Since the two year old had fallen asleep I ended up staying home and I’m not sure who is enjoying this special treat more, me or the kids! 😉
Anyways, of all the things I could be doing with this rare quiet time, blogging was the first on my list! I am working on the list of books that are in our June Book Basket, but in the meantime here are some pictures from our trip to the Railroad Park on Memorial Day weekend.
The park is only open to the pubic two Sundays a month from April-October and admission is free. My sister JoAnn and brother David were both home from college for the weekend so they met us there, along with my Mom, brother Brian and his family, and Aunt Bridget. It was packed and hot, but had fun before leaving to pick up Chipotle for lunch and spend the afternoon swimming at Brian’s house.
At the Railroad Park you can ride miniature trains pulled by various “Built to Scale” live steam and “diesel” locomotives over nearly a mile of track. Our group of 16 all piled on the train. You can see my mom waving towards the back! 🙂
We got to see a working exhibit of Morse telegraphy: the way railroads communicated a hundred years ago.
The park has a Willamette Geared Steam Locomotive that has been undergoing extensive rebuilding…
… as well as numerous pieces of full sized railroad equipment, restored or being restored. Three cars are open to the public.
There is a permanent G scale garden railway…
… and the park wouldn’t be complete without Thomas the Tank. Bud was in heaven!
You're making me want to go on a field trip with my family. 🙂
2014-06-03 22:33:26
That looks amazing! Wish there was a railroad park near us SOMEWHERE! Our family is into trains – both model and real. We even spent a yea doing "Railroad History" as our history for school a couple years ago.
2014-06-03 22:36:39
fun! we have been to sonething similar when visiting family in st. louis…but they did not have thomas!!
2014-06-04 05:09:30
So fun!
2014-06-04 13:10:35