Author: jbcowgill

I am one who loves to travel. I enjoy photography. I take many photos of my journeys. I also write short stories and poems.

The J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum, Atlanta, Illinois

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Before the Interstate Highway System, people drove across the United States of America by way of the United States Route simply called the U.S. Route.  The first route ever established was U.S. Route 1 which has its north end at the Canadian Border in the town of Fort Kent in the U.S. state of Maine and its south end in the city of Key West in the U.S. state of Florida passing through the major cities of Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts,  New York City in the U.S. State of New York, Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, Baltimore in the U.S. state of Maryland, Washington D.C., Richmond in the U.S. state of Virginia, and the cities of Jacksonville and Miami in the U.S. state of Florida plus many smaller cities in between.  Other U.S. Routes were later laid out.  One of those routes is the famous route U.S. Route 66 which had a television series named for it as well as a gasoline station.  The route went from the city of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois to the city of Santa Monica in the U.S. state of California.  Today, much of the route was replaced by Interstate Routes, but much of the roads that U.S. Route 66 ran have been preserved.  It passed through major cities and small towns.  One of those small towns is the town of Atlanta, Illinois.  No.  You will not find the Coca-Cola Company here nor did the town ever host the Olympics, and it does not have one of the busiest airports in the world.  Being a small town, it has numerous sites like the American Giants Museum housed in an old Texaco gas station, the Bunyan Giant, and it is the home of the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum.  It is a museum that was erected in the only fully restored wooden grain elevator in the state of Illinois.  When you visit the museum, you will be seeing history.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  A fully restored grain elevator.  This is very nice.  There is a big problem.  This is a museum about a grain elevator and not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I am not elevating myself to visit this museum.”

Yes.  You are right.  This is not a railroad museum.  Why should you visit the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum?

As you drive from U.S. Route 66, you cross a railroad line.  Atlanta, Illinois was never a railroad town, but the railroad does pass through here and it owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that the railroad passes through the town, but what does the railroad have to do with the museum?”

Before it was the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum, it was… a working grain elevator that was built in 1903.  When you arrive at the museum, the first thing that you will notice is the old grain elevator.  Then you notice something that is next to the old grain elevator.  What is next to the old grain elevator?  You will see an old railroad boxcar from the Wabash Railroad.  As farmers brought their grain to the old grain elevator, it was then put on boxcars and shipped across the nation.

It there another reason to visit the museum?  Yes, there is.

One of the exhibits here is the Atlanta Coal Mining Company Historical Mine.  The town had its own coal mine, but before the town had its own mine, coal was brought to the town by the railroad.

The J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum is on the National Register of Historical Places.  It is located 301 SW Second Street in Atlanta, Illinois.  Parking is on site.  Tours are self-guided and can but done at any time, but you can get a guided tour of the museum by going to https://www.destinationlogancountyil.com/grain-elevator-museum.

Visit Atlanta, Illinois.  You will not see the Coca-Cola Company or the Olympics, but you will see the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum.

The Conway Scenic Railroad, North Conway, New Hampshire

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New Hampshire is one of the six states that make up the region known as New England.  It is a state that has much natural beauty.  Its most famous site was a rock formation that, when seen from a particular direction, had the shape of an old man.  Sadly, the rock face eroded years ago, but you can still visit the site where the rock face once was.  Then you have the world famous Mount Washington, the highest point in the state and it known to have the world’s worst weather.  Another popular thing in the state happens to be… a train ride.

Welcome to the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America.  Why is it called the Conway Scenic Railroad?  As you drive to the town of North Conway, you will begin to see the answer to the question.  The scenery will amaze you, and you will be amazed as you see it from the seat of a train.

You arrive in the town of North Conway, and it is an impressive small town.  Then you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad, and you are totally amazed.  What is amazing you?  The first thing you see when you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad is the train station.  Yes.  Most train excursions leave from train stations, but the North Conway Train Station was built in 1874.  As you look at the old train station, you may find yourself in a different time.  You enter the ticket office to buy your tickets, and you walk through the small museum that tells the history of the railroad in the region and the gift shop.

The train station is amazing, but you did not come to the town of North Conway, New Hampshire to just see the old train station.  You came here to ride the train.  This is not just any train.  This is the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the nation.

The time has come.  The vintage train pulls into the station, and you board one of the vintage train cars.  From your seat, you are already seeing the beauty of New Hampshire.  The train begins to pull out of the station, and you are shortly out of the town.  You cross over rivers and streams and see fields and mountains to include the world famous Mount Washington.  You ride to the end, and you return to the station.

The Conway Scenic Railroad has numerous excursion routes.  This means that you will need to return again.  After your first train ride, you will want to come back to ride the other excursion trains.

The Conway Scenic Railroad is located in North Conway, New Hampshire at 30 Norcross Circle which is just off of U.S. Route 302 and New Hampshire Route 16.  Parking is on site.  Please note that due to the age of the facility and the trains, they are not wheelchair accessible, but they are happy to assist those with mobility issue in any way they can so that they can enjoy the ride.  Learn more about the excursions, the train schedules, buy tickets, and read more into the railroad at https://www.conwayscenic.com/.

Why is the Conway Scenic Railroad one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America?  The best way to answer this question is to make your way to the small New Hampshire town of North Conway and to ride the train.  Once you ride the train, your question will be answered.

The Fort Smith Trolley Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

When you think about trolleys in the United States of America, you think about the big cities particularly the city of San Francisco in the U.S. state of California, a city that is famous for its trolleys.  Very few people would ever think of smaller cities like the city of Fort Smith in the U.S. state of Arkansas.  When you think of Arkansas, you think of its natural areas and not its urban areas of which there are very few with the state capital of Little Rock and the metropolitan area of Memphis in the U.S. state of Tennessee.  The city of Fort Smith is located in the western part of the state on the Arkansas River and across the river from the U.S. state of Oklahoma.

Some of you are saying, “Well, it is called Fort Smith, but there was never a fort here.  They just named the city Fort Smith.”

Well, you are absolutely wrong.  The city of Fort Smith, Arkansas is named after Fort Smith, and you can visit the fort as it is a National Historic Site that is owned and operated by the National Park Service.  Very few people think that trolleys ever ran here, but it was once a trolley town where trolleys ran on the streets.  That is why you have the Fort Trolley Museum.

What is the Fort Smith Trolley Museum?  It is a small museum that tells the history of trolleys in the city of Fort Smith.  Although there are very few trolleys on display here, there is a restoration shop.  The museum has artifacts to include work tools and old paintings, and, if you are fortunate enough, you can even take a trolley ride on one of the original tracks.

The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is located at 100 South Fourth Street in Fort Smith, Arkansas next to the Fort Smith Historical Park just blocks from U.S. Route 64 and the bridge crossing the Arkansas River.  You can read more about the history of the trolleys and get museum hours which vary throughout the year at https://www.fstm.org/.

The city of Fort Smith, Arkansas may be named for an old fort, but it was once a trolley town.  The Fort Smith Trolley Museum keeps the memory of Fort Smith Trolleys alive for many years to come.

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum, Portland, Maine

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Maine is the largest of the New England States, the states that make up the northeastern region of the lower 48 states.  The state is famed for its wild open wilderness, its coastline, its lighthouses, and, for you seafood lovers, its lobster rolls.  One thing that the state is not known for is its railroads of which there are many in the state.  In the city of Portland, which is the most populated city in the state.  It is here where you will find the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum.

What is the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh!  It is a narrow gauge railroad company in the state of Maine that has a museum.”

Yes.  It is a narrow gauge railroad company in Maine, but why would you want to visit this railroad?

Let us first ask what a narrow gauge railroad is.  Yes, it is a railroad with a narrow gauge, but what do we mean by narrow gauge?

As you see trains today, they are what you called a standard gauge railroad.  On a standard gauge railroad, the rails are four feet and eight and one-half inches apart.  In the early days of railroading, there was what was called a narrow gauge railroad where the rails were three feet apart.  Although the narrow gauge railroads were cheaper to fund and faster to build, they could not carry the weight that a standard railroad could carry.  Today, narrow gauge railroads only exist as tourist railroads like the East Broad Top Railroad in Rockhill, Pennsylvania and the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad that runs between the U.S. states of New Mexico and Colorado.

The state of Maine had many narrow gauge railroads where the tracks were two feet apart.  Like other narrow gauge railroads, they went into decline.  While some of the railroad equipment was destroyed, some of the equipment was spared.  Some of this equipment was bought by a man named Ellis D. Atwood.  It is the equipment that was owned by Ellis D. Atwood that ended up at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company which began operation in 1992.

What is special about the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum?

Let us first begin with the route itself.  The original route was a standard gauge built by the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad in 1846.  In 1853, the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad leased the section going to the city of Portland, Maine to the Grand Trunk Railway.  Even though the Grand Trunk Railway was nationalized into the Canadian National Railway, it was still referred to by the locals as the ‘Grand Trunk’ line.  It is this very route that the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad follows today.

As you arrive at the train station, you find yourself within a short distance from the harbor.  You enter the train station, which does not look like your average train station, but it houses a small museum and the gift shop, and it is here where you buy your ticket.

You did not come here to see the harbor or the gift shop.  You came to ride the train.

Yes, you see a narrow gauge railroad line, but before it was the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, it was a standard gauge railroad.  The train comes, and you get aboard.  The train pulls away from the station.  You have been on many railroads that follow rivers and pass by big lakes.  With the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, its entire route, following a route originally laid out by the Canadian National Railroad, you get a view of Casco Bay.  Yes, you see a large body of water along the entire route.  The ride ends at a place where you can see an old turning drawbridge where the railroad crossed the bay.  (Only the drawbridge remains as the rest of the bridge has been demolished.)  It is a short ride, but it is definitely a ride that you will enjoy.

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum is located 65 Thames Street in Portland, Maine.  The train runs seasonally between May and October with Christmas trains in late November and December.  The train is wheelchair accessible.  Please note that they do not have their own parking.  Parking is only available on the street or at nearby parking facilities.  You can read more into the history of the railroad, get tickets and directions, and get more information at https://mainenarrowgauge.org/.

The state of Maine has natural beauty.  It has lots of coastline and lighthouses.  You can enjoy the lobster rolls.  Most important of all, it has many railroads, and you will enjoy your ride on the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum.

Calvin B. Taylor House, Berlin, Maryland

by jbcowgill, posted in Historic Site, Historic Structure

The U.S. state of Maryland is a state that is famous for many things.  It has the Chesapeake Bay which splits the state in two parts.  Baltimore, the state’s largest city, is famous for the National Anthem of the United States of America, known as the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, which was written by Francis Scott Key as he was a prisoner of war as he watched the British Navy bombard Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 only to see the flag still waving.  Baltimore is where the oldest Catholic Church in the nation, and it was here where the first railroad began operation in the Western Hemisphere.  In College Park, the home of the University of Maryland, is also the home of College Park Airport, the oldest continuous operating airport in the world.  You have Annapolis, the state capital, the home of the Naval Academy and the only capitol dome made with wood and has no marble or stone like most capitols.  The state of Maryland is loaded with historic sites, and it has small towns.  One of these small towns is the town of Berlin.  Located on the Delmarva Peninsula near the coastline, the town is considered as one of the best small towns in the nation.  The movie ‘Runaway Bride’ starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was filmed here, and Seabiscuit, a famous racehorse who won the Triple Crown (meaning that he won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in the same year), was raised in a barn in the area.  (The barn is now on a golf course and houses a restaurant.)  One thing you will not see in this town is the Berlin Wall, but you will find the Calvin B. Taylor House.  What is the Calvin B. Taylor House?  Yes, it was the home of Calvin B. Taylor who was the second owner of the home.  After Calvin B. Taylor’s ownership, the house was divided into apartments.  It was saved from demolition, restored, and made into a museum which is seasonally open for tours.

Who is Calvin B. Taylor?  That is a good question.  Calvin B. Taylor made a big influence on the town of Berlin.  He was an educator and a lawyer, and he was the founder of the Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company in the town of Berlin.  Today, his home is a museum that tells the story of the town of Berlin.  If you want to learn more about an amazing small town, you must visit the Calvin B. Taylor Museum.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  Every time I think about Berlin, I think about Germany and the Berlin Wall.  I would not think about a small town in Maryland.  As for the Calvin B. Taylor House, well, it is nice to see that he was a great man who did great things for the town.  There is a very big problem.  Calvin B. Taylor is not a railroad man and has nothing to do with the railroad, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I will not be running away to the town of Berlin, Maryland to visit this house.”

Calvin B. Taylor was not a railroad man, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum.  Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland?

What is now the Calvin B. Taylor House was built in 1832.  Before it was called the Calvin B. Taylor House, the home had former owners.  One of the former owners is a man named Robert J. Henry.  Who is Robert J. Henry?

When you visit the town of Berlin, Maryland, you see a charming small town with historic buildings.  Although a railroad line passes through the town, the town has never been a big railroad town nor does the town have a big history of the railroad.

So what is the big deal?

In the early days of railroading, the railroad served many cities and towns.  Robert J. Henry was the man who was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the town of Berlin.  Being on a large peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, you wonder if anybody rode the train here.

Well, they did.  Where did they come from, and where did they go?

The town had a train station that was called Berlin Union Station.  Why the name Union Station?  It was located at a junction of another railroad line.  People came from Baltimore by way of a ferry that went across the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore Harbor and Love Point, a point on the east side of the bay near where the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  Others came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and rode a train down the peninsula.  The Baltimore, Chesapeake, and Atlantic Coast Railroad and the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad had passenger service to the town.  Today, the train station is long gone, and there is no passenger railroad service on the Delmarva Peninsula. Only freight service by Norfolk Southern and smaller railroads today.  Today, you can ride a rail bike along the tracks through the town.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that the man who brought the railroad to the town once owned the house, but that is not a reason to visit.”

Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House?  The home is left in the way it is as the second owner, Calvin B. Tayler, left it as he added additions to the home.  With a tour of the house, there is an exhibit gallery that displays artifacts and items from the town of Berlin.  There is a small exhibit on the old train station to include a sign from the station, the only surviving part of the station, and pictures of the train station.  There are also old train schedules on display.

You see.  You do have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House.  While you are here, you will find other reasons to walk around the town and maybe visit the Mermaid Museum and the Old Atlantic Hotel where many of the railroad passengers spent the night.

The Calvin B. Taylor House is located in the town of Berlin, Maryland at 208 N. Main Street (Maryland Route 818) just north of the town center and one mile south of U.S. Route 50.  It is open seasonally from April to October on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm.  Only street parking is available.  Due to the age of the home, it is not wheelchair accessible.  You can read more into the history of the house and checkout the events at https://www.taylorhousemuseum.org/.

Now you have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland.  It is a great place to runaway to.

The National Museum of Transportation, Saint Louis, Missouri

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The city of Saint Louis in the U.S. state of Missouri, a city located on the Mississippi River, is commonly known as the ‘Gateway to the West’.  The city’s most famous landmark, the Gateway Arch, is a monument to those who went west to seek opportunities.  It is here in this city that you will find the National Museum of Transportation.

What is the National Museum of Transportation?  Well, of course, it is a museum of transportation from automobiles to planes to boats, but the majority of what you will see here is trains.  As you enter the museum parking lot, you must cross a set of railroad tracks.  This is just the beginning.

You park your car and walk to the Visitor Center where a Wabash Railroad Caboose sits outside.  You enter the museum, and you see automobiles on display.  Yes, it is a transportation museum.  As you walk around, you see a model train display, and you see model trains encased in glass.

Be warned.  You have not seen anything yet.

Remember when you crossed the railroad tracks as you entered the parking lot?  Well, you can take a ride on the miniature train that circles that parking lot.  You see aircraft on display and a tanker truck.  As you take a ride, the narrator tells you of each locomotive, mining equipment, and rolling stock you pass by.

In case you are wondering, there is much more to see.

You walk through the Earl C. Lindberg Automotive Center seeing the old cars, and then you see an old train station.  On the outside, you see a model train display.  On the inside, you see models of locomotives and rolling stock to include a model of the ‘General’, a steam locomotive that was part of a chase in the U.S. state of Georgia during the American Civil War.

Now you think that you have seen a lot of trains so far.  At this point, you have not seen much.

Why should you visit the National Museum of Transportation?  Ladies and gentlemen, this museum boasts a large collection of railroad rolling stock.  No, it is not just from the railroads that are particulate to the Saint Louis region.  You have rolling stock from the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the Georgia Railroad, the Northern Pacific Railway, the Burlington Route, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad, the Norfolk and Western Railway to include Locomotive Number 2156, a locomotive that was originally at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia, and the Santa Fe Railroad just to name a few.  The collection includes locomotives, boxcars, passenger cars, trolleys, and other rolling stock.

The National Museum of Transportation is located at 2933 Barrett Station Road in Saint Louis, Missouri.  It is open year round, but the miniature train only runs seasonally.  The entire museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information about admission, hours, and events at https://tnmot.org/.

The city of Saint Louis, Missouri is the Gateway to the West, and it is the home of a great museum known as the National Museum of Transportation.  Let us say that it is a gateway to transportation in the nation.

Maybrook Railroad Museum, Maybrook, New York

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New York is known as the Empire State.  Why?  Most people would think that it is because of the World Famous Empire State Building located in New York City, but the name was actually coined by George Washington, a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War because of the role the U.S. state played in the war to include the Battle of Saratoga which was the turning point of the War, and the name stuck as New York City remains the financial capital of the world, and, in the early years of the twentieth century, was called the Gateway to North America with the influx of immigrants entering the city.  Most people think about New York City as it is the most populated city in the United States of America and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, but there are other famous cities in the state like Rochester and Buffalo where, in the suburbs, you will find one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, Niagara Falls.  The state has many great small villages.  One of this villages is Maybrook.  Located in the southeast region of the state about seventy miles north of New York City, the small village of Maybrook is a small, charming village that makes the state of New York special.

Some of you are saying, “I love New York.  There is so much great history and nature area in the state.  I enjoy the skyline of New York City with the high rise buildings to include the Empire State Building.  I love Niagara Falls.  There is so much in this state.  As for Maybrook, there is really nothing to see there.  Therefore, I will not be visiting this village of Maybrook.”

So, you do not see a reason to visit the small village of Maybrook.  What is special about this small village?

As you exit Interstate 84 and drive south on New York Route 208, you come upon a caboose from the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.  I know.  There are many lonely cabooses on display across the country, but this is not your average lonely caboose.  What makes the village of Maybrook so important?  It was here where the largest railroad yard in the state of New York where the town saw the largest number of trains, about fifty two trains a day, during the height of World War II which had to move quickly to supply the troops.  Sadly, the yard nor the Maybrook Railroad Line no longer exists.  The old railroad line crossed the Hudson River going towards Connecticut.  The bridge, called the Walkway over the Hudson, is now a pedestrian bridge where you can get exceptional view of the Hudson River.

Some of you are saying, “Well then.  If the railroad yard is no longer there, there is no reason to visit Maybrook.”

Ladies and gentlemen, there is more to the story.

Drive one mile south on New York Route 208 into the village of Maybrook, and you will see the Government Center.  Yes, it is where the government of the village of Maybrook meets, but there is also another important place here.  What is this important place?

Welcome to the Maybrook Railroad Museum.  When you arrive, you will not see a locomotive or a caboose or any kind of rolling stock.  Why visit the museum?  As a place where the largest railroad yard in eastern America was once located, the small museum tells the story of how this small village played a big role in the railroad history of the United States of America.  Although you cannot see the actual railroad yard itself, you can see pictures and artifacts and books of the railroad yard.  Yes, it is a small museum, but there is much railroad history inside, and for a little excitement, there is a model train that runs road above you.

The Maybrook Railroad Museum is owned by the Maybrook Railroad Historical Society, and it is operated by volunteers, and they are open to anyone who is willing to volunteer.  It is located inside the Maybrook Government Center located at 111 Schipps Lane just off of New York Route 208 and a short drive south of Interstate 84.  It is open seasonally from the first Sunday after Easter April to the Last Sunday in October from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Admission is free, but they gladly accept any donation to keep the museum open for many generations to come.  Parking is on site, and the museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can read more about the Village of Maybrook and it role in the region at https://www.villageofmaybrook.com/.

Maybrook, New York is a small village with a big railroad past.  The Maybrook Railroad Museum preserves and honors that past.  You love New York, and you will love the Maybrook Railroad Museum.

Hawks Nest State Park, Ansted, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Some of you may have heard of a place called Hawks Nest State Park in the U.S. state of West Virginia.  What is Hawks Nest State Park?

Some of you are saying, “Well, it is a nest that was created by a hawk, and the great people of West Virginia made a state park out of it.”

How the park got the name is unknown at this point, and there may be a hawks nest here, but when you come here, you get a hawk’s view into the New River Gorge.  You stand at the overlook and lookout over the gorge and see an amazing view.  A visit to Hawks Nest State Park is a place you will want to see again and again.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice.  I have heard great things about the state of West Virginia, and I am aware of the natural beauty of this state.  I am pretty sure that there is a lot of beauty here, but because this park has no railroad, I will not be making my nest here.”

Why visit Hawks Nest State Park?

As you arrive and walk to the overlook and look down into the New River Gorge, you see the great gorge with the New River flowing through the bottom.  You see a dam of which, sadly, was a site of the worst industrial disaster in the state’s history during the construction of a water tunnel.  As you look into the New River Gorge, you see a railroad line.  The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway built the railroad through the gorge to mainly transport coal from the coal mines to the ports of Norfolk in the U.S. state of Virginia, but that is not that main reason for visiting the park.  The main thing you will see has been the number one view in the park.  As you look into the gorge, the number one view is the view of the railroad bridge crossing the New River.  Originally built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and now owned by the Chessie Seaboard Transportation Company (commonly known as CSX), it is still in use today.

Now you have a reason to visit Hawks Next State Park.  When you come here, you may have a problem leaving.

Hawks Nest State Park is located in Ansted, West Virginia on U.S. Route 60 ten miles west of U.S. Route 19 and the World Famous New River Gorge Bridge and the New River Gorge National Park.  The overlook is open from sunrise to sunset, and it is completely wheelchair accessible.

Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted, West Virginia is a great park to visit.  You may not see any hawks or hawk’s nest, but you will get a great view of the New River Gorge and a railroad bridge crossing the New River in the gorge below.

The National Postal Museum, Washington D.C.

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Here comes the mailman bringing the mail.  Regardless of the weather (except during dangerous conditions), the mailman has delivered the mail to every address in the United States of America.  Although technology has changed, the mailman continues to deliver the mail.  The United States Postal Service which has been delivering the mail in the United States of America since the nation’s beginning employs the mailman.  Today, you can see the entire process of mail delivery in the United States of America by simply visiting the National Postal Museum in Washington D.C.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  I tip my hat to the mailman and the work that he, or she, does.  As for the National Postal Museum in Washington D.C., well there is a problem.  The museum is about the United States Postal Service in the United States of America.  In this museum, you see things about the post office.  This is not a museum about the railroad.  Therefore, I will not be delivering myself to this museum.”

Yes, this is that National Postal Museum.  Yes, this museum is about the United States Postal Service.  No, this is not a railroad museum.  So you are wondering why a railroad fan would want to visit this museum.

The National Postal Museum is, of course, about the United States Postal Service.  The museum has exhibits on every factor on the United States Postal Service from the beginning to the present day.  From the very beginning of the United States of America, the mail was delivered by a person called the mailman or the mailwoman.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice, but how could they deliver the mail if they did not have a mail truck?  The automobile was not invented until the late nineteenth century.”

When mail delivery began, the mailman rode a horse, or if they were in a town, they walked to each address similar to what they do today.  So, not much has changed.  The mailman went from a horse to a horse and buggy between the different towns.  As many of you know, it took many days to ride from town to town.  In 1927, something began in the United States of America.  It had been running in Great Britain, but it made its way to the city of Baltimore in the U.S. state of Maryland.  What was it?  The railroad had come to the Western Hemisphere.  The railroad started with horsepower.  How much horse power?  One horse power.  Well, it was one horse pulling a car on a set of railroad tracks.  When the steam locomotive arrived, cars were no longer pulled by an actual horse but by an invention that had the power of many horses.  Instead of taking days to get from one town to another, it just took a few hours.  After the American Civil War where the railroad was used to transport soldiers and supplies, the United States Postal Service took advantage of the railroad, and the Railway Post Office was born.  What was the Railway Post Office?  It was simply a Post Office in a railroad car.  You can see an old Railway Post Office car at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and at other railroad museums in the United States of America.

One of the exhibits at the National Postal Museum in Washington D.C. features the ways the United States Mail was transported.  You see the common mail truck.  You see an old carriage.  Then you see a replica of a Railway Post Office Car without the wheels below, and you walk in on floor level.  (Great for those in wheelchairs at the old post office cars were not wheelchair accessible.)  On the inside, you see exactly what you would have seen in a real post office car.  You will see the old mail slots and replica mail bags.

Is that all?  Nope.

The Railway Post Office had a mascot.  Who was their mascot?  Meet Owney, the mascot of the Railway Mail Service.  He lived from 1888 to 1897, but during his life, he was a very famous dog as he rode along in the postal car across the nation with different mail carriers.  When you visit the museum, you can see Owney, the actual dog, inside a glass enclosure.

Now you have a reason to visit the National Postal Museum.  It is owned and operated by the Smithsonian.  It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue across the street from Union Station.  It is open every day from 10:00am to 5:30pm, and admission is free.  However, you will have to pass through a security checkpoint.  Please note that that museum does not have its own parking, and the street parking is very restricted with meters with limited hours and permit only parking, but the Union Station Parking Garage is within walking distance.  There is plenty of transit buses that pass by the museum and the Greyhound Station is nearby, and you can also arrive by the Metrorail subway, Amtrak, the Marc Commuter Train, and the Virginia Railway Express.  (Yes, you can take the train to the museum.)  You can learn more about the museum and the current exhibits at https://postalmuseum.si.edu/.

So, visit the National Postal Museum.  See the history of mail delivery in the United States of America.  See how the railroad played a role in the delivery of the United States Mail.

Waiting in Shamrockville

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Saint Patrick was sitting on a bench at the train station in Shamrockville.  Lenny the Leprechaun saw him sitting and walked up to him.  “Where are you going?” he inquired.

“Shiver me timbers.  I am riding the train to Goldsburg.”  Saint Patrick eyes glowed as he saw Lenny standing near him.

“Nice.  I have always wanted to go to Goldsburg,” Lenny said.

“Why don’t you join me?”  Saint Patrick welcomed him.

“Sure!”  Lenny sat next to Saint Patrick.

Phoebe the Fairy was flying by and saw Saint Patrick and Lenny the Leprechaun sitting on the bench, and she flew over to them.  “You two must by taking a train ride.”

“Oh we are.”  Lenny was very excited.  “We are going to Goldburg.”

“Why don’t you join us?”  Saint Patrick urged her.

“Gladly!”  She smiled as she flew over and sat next to them.

There was a toot of a whistle.

“Here comes the train.”

The train pulled up to the station, and they boarded the train.

Wishing everyone a HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!!!