Monday, April 23, 2012

Trains

I love the old steam trains and it’s wonderful some are still in action. I took this photo at the old Zig Zag Railway in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.


I love sushi trains as well (I couldn’t resist).



Have you ever ridden a steam train? What kind of trains do you like best?

The Bookshelf Muse has included in their online setting thesaurus an entry for subway stations if you’re looking for more inspiration.


Note: For the month of April during the A-Z Challenge I am pausing from my usual blogging theme of writing and social media tips. Instead I hope to share with you my photography. Much of it is inspired by the fabulous and helpful site, The Bookshelf Muse. Please check it out and enjoy.

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42 comments:

Cynthia said...

While I've ridden on commuter trains, I don't remember riding on an actual steam train, unless you count the ones at the amusement parks. The first picture you posted reminds me of Thomas the Tank Engine. Thanks for sharing!

Melissa Sugar said...

I have ridden on some commuter trains as well and on Amtrack. I also rode on many trains in Europe with my Eurorail pass, when my ex husband and I backpacked through Europe during law school. I love trains.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Never been on a steam train. Sushi trains - funny!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Actually, yes! We have an old one in our neighboring town that kids can visit and explore. I used to love doing that when I was a kid.

Grover said...

Never been on one myself, but my great grandfather used to drive steam trains :)

Old Kitty said...

Oh yes - I went to the Rail Museum in York and had a ride on their steam train there - it only went for like a hundred yards but it was such fun! And the best was the whistle sound - it really did go "wooo-hooo"! And the smoke! good grief! LOL! Take care
x

DEZMOND said...

I promised myself never to travel by train again, after I travelled by horrible Serbian trains at least 500 times or more during college years. It takes almost 2 and a half hours to cover 200km distance with our trains.
During NATO bombing of my country we even travelled by trains during night with no lights in them so that the Americans won't drop a bomb on us, and I can tell you that travelling by train in pitch dark is a adventure you don't want to repeat :))

Luanne G. Smith said...

Have you ever ridden a steam train?

You have no idea. My son is a TRAIN BRAIN. Mad for trains. We've been on every steam train within the state (there are several! )and a few outside of it. :)

Jessie Humphries said...

I seriously, no joke, want to start a Polar Express business for the Christmas season. There is one in Arizona we've been going on every year for several years, and it is just so magical. I adore trains. I am like a 3 year old boy!

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

My almost-five son is a complete trainiac. We rode on the Leviathan (a replica of the steam engine used to bring Lincoln's body back to Illinois) last year at a nearby railway museum. We saw the Leviathan on display Saturday and visited the Museum of Science and Industry yesterday, so we had quite the train weekend.

Morgan said...

Oooo... can't wait for the social media tips, Lynda. I'll for sure tune in for all of those. And I LOVE steam trains. There's something old-school magical about them. :D

Rosalind Adam said...

I talked about steam trains too. I was remembering the smuts in our eyes when we went through a tunnel and left the window open. I haven't been on a steam train since I was a kid even though there is a steam train that runs quite close to our City every weekend.

S. L. Hennessy said...

I love trains. They're so old-school and make me feel like I've stepped into the past. I just wish I could find platform 9 3/4 so I could hop on the train to Hogwarts!

Miss Cole said...

I LOVE steam trains. I have a tag dedicated to them over on my blog ;) I'm developing a WiP with steam trains as a central theme too!

And sushi trains are so much fun. I love watching my food go round and round :P

Libby said...

I haven't ridden on a steam train, but I have eaten off a sushi train, and it makes me happy!

Theresa Milstein said...

I love hearing the sound of a train in the distance. But I've never been on a steam train.

Nick Wilford said...

I love steam trains! I am not really a geek about them, but the whole experience is nice, like stepping into another world. There are quite a few railways in the UK, notably for me the Bluebell Railway near Brighton and the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway at Lake Windermere in the Lake District (that's a lot of lakes). The latter has the best cream tea I've ever tasted at the station cafe! Not a sushi fan, but the trains look cool. :)

Nate Wilson said...

I like trains of thought. Even if few can ever follow mine.

And if my son turns out anything like his cousins, I'll be up to my ears in trains of all kinds in a couple years.

Becca Puglisi said...

I took a train to a ski trip in high school. It was, quite honestly, pretty seedy, lol. But there's something nostalgic and other-wordly about those old steam trains. I'd love to ride one somewhere sometime.

Oh, and my 2 1/2 year old is obsessed with trains. If he could read, he'd love your post ;).

Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse

Joanne said...

We have an old steam train out our way. They run family trips every weekend - the sound is quaint and beautiful! When I was in China we rode the Mag-Lev train (magnetic levitation), similar to a bullet train - the most hairy, scary, thrilling, dizzying ride ever. I will never do it again!

Jay Noel said...

My youngest is obsessed with trains. We have yet to ride an authentic steam train. We have ridden on a smaller scale replica of one...and it was indeed steam powered.

Carrie Butler said...

I'm loving all these photos!

Hmm, I think I took a ride on one when I was little, but the memory is fuzzy now. :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

wow! What an experience! I can understand why you wouldn't want to repeat that.

I think my craziest train experience was in India. It was the night train to somewhere, crossing a desert. The train was an old rattler and I had the top bunk. I had to hold on while I 'slept' because I was certain I'd end up on the floor if I didn't, lol.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

hahha, sounds brilliant! Think of all that material you'd have for a story based around steam trains! ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Oh my gosh! That sounds wonderful! We don't have anything like that in Australia (not that I'm aware of)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

aw, so lucky to have so much history over there! I'll have to visit the UK again soon.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'd love to experience the mag-lev train. Sounds so cool.

anthony stemke said...

Have never ridden a steam train, all I've ever seen are diesel. Have a railroad track 100 meters away, love to hear the freight train going by. No intersection by my house, so no annoying whistle.
Have never seen a sushi train but would love to climb aboard that.

Denise Covey said...

Hi Lynda. There is a steam train in Brisbane that runs every weekend for the enthusiasts and one on the Sunshine Coast. This one can be hired for special events which is fun. I went to a birthday party trip once. Great. But my favourite trains are the TGV and other fast trains across Europe. London to Paris in 2 hours. Sweet. Takes me 2 hours to go from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, lol! I wish our blinkered Australian government had moved in this direction years ago, instead of chugging along at snail's pace.

Denise

Teresa Cypher said...

In eastern PA, USA, there is a town that is devoted to trains. Their tourist income depends on it. That is where I rode a shortline steam train. I still recall the very first time ever I stood beside a steam engine that was running. Like a mighty black beast breathing hard, waiting to be set loose. I felt so tiny--had no idea how big they actually were!

Wonderful post--thank you for the memory prompt :-)

Mary Aalgaard said...

I'm going on a trip in my imagination, riding on a steam train, eating sushi, riding through the mountain tunnels.
Whoo. Whoo!

Play off the Page

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yeah, I know what you mean about our slow governments.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I love your description of the beast. Very apt.

Neurotic Workaholic said...

I ride the El train almost every day because I commute everywhere, but I don't like it very much; today a creepy guy kept following me around on the train platform, even though I ignored him when he first spoke to me.
I like riding trains to different cities or different states, though. They're cleaner and you can move around in them, and I like it when they have dining cars. It's much more comfortable than flying, even though flying is faster.

Loree Huebner said...

We have a steam train museum not far from us. They have the real locomotives out and pulling the cars. Passengers can take a ride. Fun stuff!

Rachna Chhabria said...

As a kid I used to love trains. I think I may have been on a steam engine.

Unknown said...

My father LOVES taking train rides, so when he was up to see me (I live 8 hrs away from my parents) two years ago, I booked a short jaunt on a steam engine in NH. It was a blast.

The Bookshelf Muse is a rockin' site. I take advantage of them ALL the time.

Thanks for sharing the pics!

P.S. You can have the sushi train. Can't stand the stuff. ;)

Liza said...

I took a long, long trip by train up the coast of Australia many years ago. Started in Melbourne, got off in Sydney for a week, the climbed back on and took it to Brisbane. Not sure it was a steam train, but it was about fourteen hours to Sydney and another 17 after that and for some reason, I feel like we could open the windows. I do remember seeing the most amazing sites, sunrises, sunsets, and hundreds of kangaroos hopping across the bush in the early morning.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

yep, you can open the windows in many of our trains. Particularly the older ones. I think the longest I've been on a train in Australia is 2 hours.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

yay! More suchi for me! ;)
Thanks for popping on over :)

Botanist said...

I've always loved trains. There are several steam railways, run by enthusiasts, in Britain. I've ridden on several - in the south-west and up in Yorkshire.

Suze said...

Ah, I am mad about trains!