When my nephew was in his toddler train mania stage, my sister-in-law kept a schedule of the local commuter lines in her car, so if they were out and about she could find a real live Thomas the Tank Engine for him. Of course, while we have plenty of trains that pass through these parts, I don’t know of any available schedules, other than the Amtrak variety. Unfortunately, most of those come through town at inconvenient times (too early or too late).
There are plenty of decent train-watching spots to be found, even if it might be a crap shoot that you’ll actually see one. We hit one the other day when we had dinner at Friday’s and snagged a table in its greenhouse area. Peanut was delighted to see the choo choo go by, a real live freight train, just like in her book. The Culver’s on South Neil is good for up-and-close train viewing, but often times the trains go too fast for the little ones to get a really good look.
As for taking her to the Monticello Railway Museum, I’m not sure if we’re ready for that. But this would be a good weekend for it, as it is open Memorial Day.
12 responses so far ↓
kfan // May 21, 2008 at 9:53 am
Try the Sonic on South Neil. Sit outside with your lemon berry slush, and you’ll see trains go by, all manner of trucks on 45, and the occasional plane heading in or out of CMI. It’s like a crackhouse for toddlers.
Jenna // May 21, 2008 at 11:49 am
We’re fortunate to have train tracks right in our backyard…the kids love to watch and wave to the conductor.
(we strongly enforce safe train watching rules…they have to come back to the porch when they hear it coming)
Leeanthro // May 21, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I think she’s ready for the train museum. The ride isn’t too long and when you get to the other station downtown, you can get out and play at the playground, walk downtown to lunch at Dairy Queen, or just hop back on the immediate return trip. (Just check the schedule.) We started taking our daughter at 2 and she loves it.
They also have several themed trips and trains throughout the season.
Cynthia // May 21, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I have spent what feels like a large percentage of my adult life at the Monticello Railway Museum. We go on the train ride once in a while but mostly we just drive up and down the roads staring at the trains….which I might note…is free. Whenever we go to Allerton we MUST stop and admire every single train while Leo spouts train information like the little geek he is….
Jason // May 21, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I second the Sonic recommendation. We live near there (east of the tracks) and see/hear the trains come by all the time.
fyic // May 21, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I am confused by your book link…are you trying to tell us something???
lbotp // May 21, 2008 at 2:35 pm
fyic — That’s funny. I fixed it. No I was cutting and pasting some stuff to a friend …
I wish …
Deborah // May 22, 2008 at 7:38 am
If you’re up Chicago way and want a slightly different take on train encounters, the Choo-Choo restaurant in Des Plaines is a true classic. It was a favorite childhood treat of mine, and it seems to be still going strong.
Deborah // May 22, 2008 at 7:41 am
Sorry, I didn’t realize that URLs wouldn’t take. It’s a diner, with a model train that runs around the inside of the booths (at eye level) and delivers the food to their inhabitants.
Rayne of Terror // May 22, 2008 at 8:17 am
We walk around the trains at Monticello for free too. And sometimes you can catch guys in the barn working on trains and they’ll tell you loads of info about them.
The Normal Children’s Discovery Museum has windows facing train tracks, so we usually see an Amtrak train while we play.
M_Six // May 23, 2008 at 12:18 am
Train traffic down here in Chucktown has really increased. We used to get one or two a week rumbling through, but now it’s two or three per day. And usually during sleeping hours. Not sure what the deal is there. Maybe more companies are shipping by rail to save money?
Billy Hoffman // May 31, 2008 at 9:49 pm
train watching? Wow, I thought I was the only one (not even being sarcastic!) I have been wanting to go to that Train Museum for years but all of my friends refused. Next time I am Champaign I will try the Culvers to try to do a little train spotting.
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