Trains

Me with Jensen in 2012.
As I was writing about my vacation with my grandparents, it made me realize that I had a love of trains.  Not only did my Hatch grandparents work for the railroad, but so did my Grandpa Close.  One thing that I left out from the trips, was that we did stay here in Mesa between our travels from California, Northern Arizona, and Utah.  My grandpa Hatch would always take me down to Pioneer  Park and they had a train engine there, and I climbed all over that train inside and out.

I think it that next Christmas that he got me a train set that had and engine that blow smoke.  I had that train until I think the second move out to Arizona.  But I have always enjoyed model trains.  One of the things I really enjoyed about going to the State Fair was going and seeing the model train set below the grandstands.  And then seeing the exhibit in San Diego in 2007.

Living in Chattanooga was great as well.  During the Civil War, Chattanooga was the major train hub for the south.  They had three major battles that happened in this area alone, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Chickamuaga.   But one of the attraction in Chattanooga is the Choo Choo.  This was the terminal station that was built in 1909.  But, growing up I knew it as a Hotel and a fancy place to eat.  They had a lot of old trains and train cars, as well as a model train collection.  The is also the Incline that goes up to the top of Lookout Mountain, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, a place that has a lot of old trains.

On my mission riding the train was part of the moves.  There was nothing  worse then having to travel by bus or car.  If you were moving inside Dublin, from area to area, it was by the zone leaders car.  But if we move north or down south, it was the train you took.  My first train experience in Ireland was moving from Cork to Limerick.  Then I got moved up North to an area called Carrickfergus.  But we did not live in Carrick, we live in a little place called Green Island Station.  So how did we get to Carrick, we took the local train in everyday.   My Companion got to know the train workers up there pretty good, that one day they let us ride up front with the drive. 

As I was thinking about this, it brought to my nephew Jensen.  Jensen is autistic, and one of the things that he can not get enough of is trains.  It started with Thomas the Tank Engine, videos and toys, to videos of real trains. His parents have given many opportunity to ride trains.  And every time he see me, he grabs my Iphone and find YouTube and looks up train videos.  You can see that we are related.


Comments

  1. BevJuly 18, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    You really have had an interesting life! so glad you're sharing it with us!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. undergroundcarguyJuly 19, 2013 at 11:40 PM

      Well Bev, I really do not know how interesting it really is. You did only get to see me grow up for 5 years of my life.

      Delete
  2. undergroundcarguyJuly 19, 2013 at 11:38 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No one really knows the really me!

Image
After having a interview with a church leader last weekend, I am tired of people assuming that they know me.  That I keep on being told, I am make poor decisions in my life, when they have no I did what I have gone through or what I am dealing with now.  Really did not need this in my life right now, when in just a few weeks I come out of training and start my normal schedule for the next few months.
Read more

Feeling left behind

Over the past month I have been to two baptisms, two farewells and a home coming.  It reminds me of what I do not have in my life, children.  I also have had my 44th birthday, which I spent on my own.  My marriage of 22 years is gone, and I really have nothing to show that I am here. But I have been living some what an oddity in the Mormon Church.  Having been married for so long, with no kids, you just don't get the feeling that you are part of the church family.  I have set in many a Priesthood Class, hearing the teacher tell how special it is to be a father, and how closer to God you are.  I really have not made a lot of friends in these wards, because I have no  kids that are in the same Primary Class, Sunday School Class, or Mutual. It even feels like the newly married couple, when they do get pregnant, that they are now one up on me. A few years ago, our Ward did away with the Family Camp Out.  But what stayed were the father/daughter and the father/ sons camp outs.  For
Read more

My Political Life.

In 2008 I received a degree in Political Science from Arizona State University.  When I was think back in high school what I would major in, it was down to history and political science.  I did not see very many career opportunities.  With political science, I could see myself serving in the Government.   I really want to work for the State Department, hopefully in an embassy some where around the world.  Plus I always had been interesting in politics. In 1976 I wrote then, new elected Jimmy Carter a letter, saying so much congratulating him for becoming the President.  OK,  I was seven, and I thought it was great that a guy from Georgia, at that time the state next door to Tennessee, was President.  I got a note back from him, thanking me writing.  OK, so the signature probably was done by auto pin, and some how a chocolate stain got on it, probably from a fudge bar, this is still one of my priced pieces. All through school, I wanted to serve as one of the class reps to Student Co
Read more