Model Trains

Trains are like magnets, you can't help but look at them. Unless you've been closer than being stopped at a railroad crossing or seeing them from a distance, you have no idea how big they are. And, how fast they travel.

Many people are killed in train/car accidents for that reason..."I don't want to wait for 100 trains cars to go by, I'm in a hurry....so, I'll beat the train to the crossing" Some times they do...many times they do not.

Ken and I went on a 9 day train trip from Chicago, making a round-about journey and going through, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, California, Oregon, Montana and back to Chicago. When we were going through a portion of Nevada, nothing around for miles...we hit a truck.

The young pickup truck driver decided to either try to beat the train to the crossing, or just was not paying attention to his surroundings, which BTW were perfectly flat, no trees, nothing. There was no way he could have NOT seen this enormous train coming down the track. Plus, the engineer was frantically blowing the whistle.

He almost made it. The Amtrac engine hit the back end of the truck and spinning it around, flinging it off the track. We all held our breath, fearing that someone had been killed, praying that wouldn't be the case.

The young man obviously had his guardian angel with him. He was not hurt but his truck wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time.