I should have known; it was Mark’s idea!
We arose at the usual insane time of 6:00 a.m. to get ready to be at Colleen’s at 8:00 a.m. While Mary was getting ready to go, I ordered the owner of the Inn two Halloween shirts from High Seas Trading Company. He expressed great interest in the shirts I wore during the visit.
I sat on the porch, awaiting the kids to arrive.
Taking life easy!
The kids picked us up at 8:00 a.m. We drove 90 minutes to the Conway Scenic Railway. The drive was lovely, especially after the fog lifted.
We drove north from Dover.
We had breakfast at a small bakery adjacent to the train station. Mary wore her new sweatshirt for the first time.
It was time for breakfast and dressed for the occasion.
We have a full tummy and tickets; the day can start!
Enjoying the nick-nacks around the bakery
Colleen met a new friend!
We named him “Bones.”
On the way to the station, we saw an older engine used on their longer routes. It’s an F7 EMD engine circa 1950s. It was in beautiful condition for a fifty-year-old engine.
Old trains were everywhere.
Our train arrived when we entered the station; we were on board in fifteen minutes. No. 573 is a former Maine Central unit; it came on the property in 1995 from the Springfield Terminal. It was named in honor of longtime engineer Gordon Lang in 2021. This unit is typically assigned to the Heritage Excursions.
Here comes our engine!
Our car was nearby, so we only had to walk about 200 feet to board for the 90-minute excursion. Although we wanted a longer ride, everything was already sold out.
Halloween was confusing. My parents always said, ‘Never take candy from strangers.’ And then they dressed me up and said, ‘Beg for it.’
Our car follows closely behind, a good thing!
We boarded and were on our way a few minutes later. I was advised NOT to make my standard choo-choo sounds, so I behaved!
I wanted to put together this list of funny train puns a while ago, but I kept getting sidetracked.
Just us.
We went over the water and through the woods to grandmother’s house. It was an eleven-mile journey to the end of the tracks! We zipped along about twenty miles per hour, crossing through several towns and over five highways where the Engineer got to blow the horn.
We had a fine view of the scenery as it passed by.
We all had a super time!
You wonder where I am? They got me a special seat to be up close and personal.
Two longs, a short, and another long means the train will cross an intersection!
The rivers were more like streams and provided some super photo-ops.
We crossed several bridges before arriving at the end of the line.
Colleen took great pictures as we journeyed down the tracks. The scenery was spectacular and displayed the local farms quite well.
I once asked a conductor how many times a train he was on had gotten derailed. He told me it was hard to keep track.
The farmland was immaculate.
The White Mountains are in the background. The White Mountains cover about a quarter of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. They are part of New England’s northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains. Several of the higher peaks contain an Alpine tundra.
The Engineer told us that driving trains is a lot more difficult than it steams.
There is peace in the valley, for sure. This was the athletic field of the local high school!
The sand bars move around as the river gets more active in the wintertime. These streams will get covered in ice toward January.
The ticket inspectors came by. You’ve got to hand it to them…
No shortage of water.
We attempted to count the mosquitos but quickly ran out of fingers. While quite beautiful, we are staying away from the mosquito havens.
Blood money – What mosquitoes use as currency.
Like a jungle!
The engine detached from the train at the end of the line and moved to the opposite end of the train. We then switched car seats to view both sides of the rail lines as we returned to the station.
Did you notice the snow plow on the front of the engine?
The engine changed positions.
Our car was nearly 100 years old but was quite comfy for an hour’s tour. The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central, Jersey Central Lines, or New Jersey Central, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976, along with several other prominent Northeastern United States bankrupt railroads.
Our car was 100 years old!
The station was beautiful in the sunlight.
We departed the train and walked across the parking lot to the local emporium that sold knives and kitchen equipment. We saw the stove below and took a picture to forward to Dianne.
The stove was in excellent condition!
Seeing a Five & Dime, we had to visit the building. The building’s original construction date is estimated to be about 1840, but its present appearance dates to a significant renovation c. 1900. The rear expansion was added about 1940.
The false front is the only one of its type in North Conway. The store has been in continuous operation since 1939 under several different owners. At the time of its listing on the National Register in 2004, it was one of only two known 5 and 10 stores in the state.
I was brought back to my childhood!
The goods were generally displayed in bins separated by glass with price tags on each bin. I remember making these bins with my father in the 1950s. The counters were changed especially around the holidays. Every once in a while, we could tear out the existing bins, vacuum underneath, and re-lay them out.
Just like my Dad’s dimestores in the 1950s in LA.
I loved the license plate!
The store is on the National Historical Register and featured in the newspaper’s March 31, 2004 edition.
I plan to read more about this later after we get home.
The display of their wares was identical to what we had in LA in the 1950s. I remember when Dad brought “pegboard” into the stores. According to Merriam-Webster, ‘pegboard‘ was first used in 1952. It is often used in garages, retail stores, and other places.
It enabled stores to have a lot more space for their wares.
The glass used in the bins was hand-cut (I probably cut 50,000 pieces myself over ten years). Score the glass, and it was snap!
Memories of days gone by!
Mary had to buy something, so she found a neat cookbook. We saw goodies that reminded us of the old stores but did not get them; we have too much stuff already!
Great find!
The plaque was located on the wall as you enter the store.
We were feeling hunger pangs, and fortunately, there happened to be a restaurant located right next to us. We were thirsty, so we went to the bar and had a wine since it was 5:00 p.m. somewhere in the world.
Just us!
The restaurant was called Horsefeathers! The food was superb, and the company was fantastic!
Almost 50 years in business!
After walking back across the street, we headed home. The kids dropped us off at the B&B, where we freshened up and packed for our trip to Orange tomorrow.
We have invited the family to join us for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Our departure to the airport is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. for a noon departure. Our flight includes one-stop, and we will arrive in Orange at 7:00 p.m.
The city is indeed cute!
At 5:00 p.m., we headed back to Chez Perry for a family get-together as we wanted to visit with the grand and great-grandchildren before we headed home. Cassie had to work, but everyone else was present and accounted for! The fire kept us warm all evening long.
Mary, Sarah, Colleen, and Jon got away from the smoke!
We sat outside until 9:00 p.m. and then headed for home.
The girls had a super time together; Mary fits right into this group of crazies!
We were home at about 9:00 p.m. and made some calls, arranging to be picked up tomorrow at OC Airport. Robin plans to come and get the van; Irene can come along or head for her home after almost a week and a half away.
