~Grammy on the Go~
Train Time! All Aboard for Fun
By Karen Shadrach
Most children love trains, and what could be more fun than riding a miniature train through the woods and fields? Northeast Ohio has three miniature train clubs made up of friendly people who enjoy sharing their hobby and offering free train rides to the public. Riding on the steamers is a wonderful family event. Here’s where to find them before wintry weather shuts down the tracks:
The Lakeshore Live Steamers in Kirtland is located at the Penitentiary Glen Reservation of the Lake Metroparks. Their club is 50 years strong and what began as a simple track laid out around a floral shop in the early ‘50s is now thousands of feet of track winding through the woods of Penitentiary Glen. The live steam hobby consists of modeling steam locomotives that actually run off steam.
The remaining public train ride yet this year is a Christmas run on December 5. Reservations and tickets for these events may be obtained at lakemetroparks.com. Rides are always free of charge, but donations are gratefully appreciated.
All can board these miniature trains. Riders sit atop the cars, straddling them with their legs on either side. Small children must be able to sit on a seat. Infants unable to sit by themselves can still ride, but must be held centered in front of an adult. The trains do not exceed 5 mph. The young and young at heart love to hear the sound of the train whistle, smell the steam and enjoy the clickety-clack of the rails.
The Northeastern Ohio Live Steamers is located on Medina County Park District land at Lester Rail Trail. Trains are 1/8 scale with a 7.5-inch track gauge model railroad. They are open for public runs October 15 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and October 16 from 2-4 p.m. and 6:30-8:30. p.m. No reservations are required. The runs in October are Halloween-themed. Children can wear costumes, but for safety, avoid something long and flowy. Passengers can ride more than once and often on different trains, as the club runs several at a time. The Halloween train rides are fun, but the daylight session at 2 p.m. may be less scary for smaller grandkids.
The local train enthusiast club in Sandusky is the Erie Metro Live Steamers located at the East Sandusky Bay Metropark in Huron at Eagle Point (off US 6). Members spent their downtime in 2020 further developing the East Bay Railway. They also did a lot of maintenance and improvements. So far, they’re up to 9,000 feet on a 1/8 scale track layout.
This railway consists of three tracks with each route lasting seven to eight minutes. The lines were built over the course of a decade and the railway is funded exclusively by donations and run by volunteers of the club. Rides are given on a first-come, first-served basis. One remaining public run for this year is October 16 from 3-5 p.m.
The railroad lines loop around and over bridges to Eagle Point, crisscrossing through magnificent scenery of colorful wildflowers, shaded wooded areas and tall, mossy tree groves.
All of the clubs are open to new members of all ages. Everything about the railroads — the rails, loading platforms and trains — are all built by club members or donated. Members enjoy sharing their love of trains.
This fall, hop aboard a mini locomotive and take a peaceful, scenic trek through the woods with the grandkids.
