Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
Santa makes a train ride a jolly good time
By Deborah Williams - SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
MEDINA — Excitement was building as the train pulled into position at the Medina Railroad Museum last weekend. Children, decked out in train shirts and sweaters, and clutching toy trains were wide-eyed as the conductor called out “all aboard.”
Not only were they going to ride the train, but it was a train with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
This two-hour, 34-mile Santa train trip through the scenic Erie Canal Heritage Corridor between Medina and Lockport will be repeated the next three weekends before Christmas. The vintage 1947 New York Central Budd passenger coaches are owned by the Western New York Railway Historical Society and leased by Martin Phelps, founder of the Medina Railroad Museum.
Wearing authentic New York Central conductor uniforms, Phelps and members of the Railway Historical Society serve as conductors and tour guides. They are on hand to stamp tickets, answer questions and pose for photographs with the many young and old train fans on board.
At age 3, William Demars of Hilton is a veteran train passenger. This was his second adventure on the Medina Railroad and he arrived dressed in a train vest and carrying a small train. Andrew, his 1-year-old brother, wore a matching vest.
“Trains, I like trains,” William said with a grin as the brothers met Phelps.
“The boys, especially William, really love trains so this trip is a real treat for them,” explained their mother, Emma Demars.
Later Santa and Mrs. Claus came through the car with candy canes and holiday greetings. Christmas carols filled the air from a singer who accompanied himself on the guitar.
Not everyone brought along a child for the trip. Gerry Farewell and his friend Agnes Werle, both of Rochester, took the ride because they like train rides. They brought along Sandy Gilbert and her father James Gilbert.
“My grandfather was an engineer on the New York Central for 50 years,” Farewell said. “I guess I have the rails in my blood.”
“It’s a good train ride,” Sandy Gilbert said. “You can see the world from a different angle when you take the train. You see the backyards rather than the front yards. I always try to imagine what life was like back when these cars were new.”
The train passes orchards and vineyards. Once in Lockport, it passes through residential neighborhoods and so close to the houses and backyards that it felt as if we could reach out and touch some of the houses. In Lockport the train slows to 10 mph.
We also enjoyed some dramatic views of the Erie Canal and the locks in Lockport.
The passengers who had boarded in Lockport disembarked, and Santa made a return visit as we traveled back to Medina.
Phelps recently bought two New York Central E-8 Locomotives and four passenger cars and is planning dining services in his newly refurbished cars next spring.
Train lover
The story of how the museum came to be is the story of a hobby taking over a house.
“I have always loved trains and started collecting model trains and they filled my basement,” explained Phelps, a retired Batavia city firefighter. “I guess I never grew up. Then people started bringing me their train related items. The collections were taking over my house and I started looking for someplace to display all these cherished items.”
He heard about the old New York Central freight depot in Medina and bought it and transformed it into the Medina Railroad Museum. It is the largest freight depot museum in the country. The building was built in 1905, and at 301 feet by 34 feet is one of the largest surviving wooden freight depots in the country.
Phelps and Linda Klein, promotions director, live above the museum. At age 65, Phelps is living out his fantasies. His father was a train fan and bought Phelps his first Lionel train set six months before he was born.
The museum exhibits and interactive displays show how the railroad influenced our culture, industry and history. The refinished freight depot office area now serves as the museum lobby. The desk and two typewriters are those used in this office during New York Central times.
There are more than 4,000 historic prototypical HO scale cars including many famous trains, such as the Black Diamond, Phoebe Snow, the 20th Century Limited and the Empire State Express.
The museum features one of the largest collections of train artifacts and memorabilia known to exist under one roof. The HO scale layout is the longest all on one floor, an immense 14 feet by 204 feet. Construction of the model train layout continues.
The museum is a couple of blocks from downtown Medina. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the finest examples of 19th century commercial architecture on the Erie Canal. Today the buildings house stores and restaurants.
Many are built of the now famous Medina sandstone that was mined in the area. It was shipped around the world and used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and Buckingham Palace in London.
If you go
The Medina Railroad Museum, 530 West Ave., Medina; (585) 798-6106, www.railroadmuseum.net.
Train rides sell out, so reservations are a must. The Santa trains will be running on Saturday and next Sunday, plus Dec. 15, 16, 22 and 23. Trains depart Medina at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and depart Lockport at noon. Lockport passengers board at the Michigan Street Yard at the corner of Michigan and Park Streets. Medina passengers board at the Railroad Museum. The cars are heated and each one has a restroom.
The cost is $18 adults, $13 for ages 3-15. Train fares include free museum tours. Snacks and beverages are available on board the train and at the museum.
The museum is open yearround, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It opens at 9:30 a.m. on train days.
http://www.buffalonews.com/lifearts/travel/story/219858.html
By Deborah Williams - SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
MEDINA — Excitement was building as the train pulled into position at the Medina Railroad Museum last weekend. Children, decked out in train shirts and sweaters, and clutching toy trains were wide-eyed as the conductor called out “all aboard.”
Not only were they going to ride the train, but it was a train with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
This two-hour, 34-mile Santa train trip through the scenic Erie Canal Heritage Corridor between Medina and Lockport will be repeated the next three weekends before Christmas. The vintage 1947 New York Central Budd passenger coaches are owned by the Western New York Railway Historical Society and leased by Martin Phelps, founder of the Medina Railroad Museum.
Wearing authentic New York Central conductor uniforms, Phelps and members of the Railway Historical Society serve as conductors and tour guides. They are on hand to stamp tickets, answer questions and pose for photographs with the many young and old train fans on board.
At age 3, William Demars of Hilton is a veteran train passenger. This was his second adventure on the Medina Railroad and he arrived dressed in a train vest and carrying a small train. Andrew, his 1-year-old brother, wore a matching vest.
“Trains, I like trains,” William said with a grin as the brothers met Phelps.
“The boys, especially William, really love trains so this trip is a real treat for them,” explained their mother, Emma Demars.
Later Santa and Mrs. Claus came through the car with candy canes and holiday greetings. Christmas carols filled the air from a singer who accompanied himself on the guitar.
Not everyone brought along a child for the trip. Gerry Farewell and his friend Agnes Werle, both of Rochester, took the ride because they like train rides. They brought along Sandy Gilbert and her father James Gilbert.
“My grandfather was an engineer on the New York Central for 50 years,” Farewell said. “I guess I have the rails in my blood.”
“It’s a good train ride,” Sandy Gilbert said. “You can see the world from a different angle when you take the train. You see the backyards rather than the front yards. I always try to imagine what life was like back when these cars were new.”
The train passes orchards and vineyards. Once in Lockport, it passes through residential neighborhoods and so close to the houses and backyards that it felt as if we could reach out and touch some of the houses. In Lockport the train slows to 10 mph.
We also enjoyed some dramatic views of the Erie Canal and the locks in Lockport.
The passengers who had boarded in Lockport disembarked, and Santa made a return visit as we traveled back to Medina.
Phelps recently bought two New York Central E-8 Locomotives and four passenger cars and is planning dining services in his newly refurbished cars next spring.
Train lover
The story of how the museum came to be is the story of a hobby taking over a house.
“I have always loved trains and started collecting model trains and they filled my basement,” explained Phelps, a retired Batavia city firefighter. “I guess I never grew up. Then people started bringing me their train related items. The collections were taking over my house and I started looking for someplace to display all these cherished items.”
He heard about the old New York Central freight depot in Medina and bought it and transformed it into the Medina Railroad Museum. It is the largest freight depot museum in the country. The building was built in 1905, and at 301 feet by 34 feet is one of the largest surviving wooden freight depots in the country.
Phelps and Linda Klein, promotions director, live above the museum. At age 65, Phelps is living out his fantasies. His father was a train fan and bought Phelps his first Lionel train set six months before he was born.
The museum exhibits and interactive displays show how the railroad influenced our culture, industry and history. The refinished freight depot office area now serves as the museum lobby. The desk and two typewriters are those used in this office during New York Central times.
There are more than 4,000 historic prototypical HO scale cars including many famous trains, such as the Black Diamond, Phoebe Snow, the 20th Century Limited and the Empire State Express.
The museum features one of the largest collections of train artifacts and memorabilia known to exist under one roof. The HO scale layout is the longest all on one floor, an immense 14 feet by 204 feet. Construction of the model train layout continues.
The museum is a couple of blocks from downtown Medina. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the finest examples of 19th century commercial architecture on the Erie Canal. Today the buildings house stores and restaurants.
Many are built of the now famous Medina sandstone that was mined in the area. It was shipped around the world and used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and Buckingham Palace in London.
If you go
The Medina Railroad Museum, 530 West Ave., Medina; (585) 798-6106, www.railroadmuseum.net.
Train rides sell out, so reservations are a must. The Santa trains will be running on Saturday and next Sunday, plus Dec. 15, 16, 22 and 23. Trains depart Medina at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and depart Lockport at noon. Lockport passengers board at the Michigan Street Yard at the corner of Michigan and Park Streets. Medina passengers board at the Railroad Museum. The cars are heated and each one has a restroom.
The cost is $18 adults, $13 for ages 3-15. Train fares include free museum tours. Snacks and beverages are available on board the train and at the museum.
The museum is open yearround, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It opens at 9:30 a.m. on train days.
http://www.buffalonews.com/lifearts/travel/story/219858.html
