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Greetings ~

I can remember growing up in the 1950s and seeing trains and remember how grand they looked. At that time they were still using a caboose at the end of each train and it was neat sitting at the railroad crossing in the car and then waving to the man on the caboose as it went by. He always waved back. It seemed there was always a guy standing on the little platform on the back of the caboose.
I also remember the old passenger cars. In the '50s they weren't as fancy as they had once been. At the time, the railroads were trying to make the cars more modern and much of the classy designs were gone. But I always imagined how cool it must have been to ride on the passenger trains with the dining and sleeper cars and, of course, the observation cars.
When I was a young boy in the early 1960s, we used to visit cousins in Berwick, Pennsylvaina. There was a railroad yard right across the street from their house and a cousin of mine, about the same age and I would go over there and walk through some of the old train cars that were parked and waiting for demolition. It was so cool walking through some of the old, old passenger cars from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. It was a little spooky too but I had a blast. Maybe it was then that I got interested in the older train cars. Also cabooses always held my interest. I stood on the rear platforms of the caboose and thought of the man that I waved too at the railroad crossings.
In the 1800s rail travel was a pretty new concept and more and more people were riding trains. At the time it gave many folks a chance to travel from town to town at a time when other ways such as covered wagons and stagecoaches were too bumpy and rough. Trains afforded it's passengers a more comfortable ride and were much faster.
This blog showcases some of the old trains from the 1800s through around the 1950s. There are also some photos from the 1960s. So sit back, relax and check out how our ancestors traveled all those years ago. And have your ticket ready for the conductor to punch.