My train boys

So some people have heard and maybe understand the train thing in our family and some haven't, but let me try to explain. My father-in-law and my husband are what is referred to as "railfans." There are all types of railfans, some collect railroad paraphernalia, some build model railroads in their basement, some are even actual railroad employees, and some are railroad photographers. Each of these fine hobbies (like any hobby) can cross the line into obsession pretty easily. My father-in-law and my husband are both in the railroad photographer category (as well as the obsession category frequently), although they dabble in the other areas as well. It's been a fun hobby for the family because my husband, his dad, and his brother all really enjoy doing it together. A typical train chase can last anywhere from under an hour, to all day, to a multiple day trip. Having tracks right by our house has been nice for that, although the trains are pretty irregular and often run at night. We're probably one of the only families around that want to live near train tracks.

I remember when we were dating, Steve told me he had a confession to make, as though he had some deep, dark, secret. So I said, "I'm listening. What is it?" Steeling myself for the worst, I heard him reply, "I take pictures of trains." Ummmm.... okay. Yeah, I had no idea. But one great thing is that this love of trains has passed on to Kevin. He likes Thomas the Tank Engine and everything, but he actually loves real trains more. Steve has been taking him on train trips and train chases since he was a year old.

This past Saturday was a day-long train chase. Sometimes these train trips are planned around some special train that's coming through town but this time it was just a fun day out for Steve, Kevin, and Steve's brother Craig and Craig's son Ben. They all left at about 7:30 in the morning to go down to Helper (near Price) and take pictures of trains coming up through Spanish Fork Canyon. They all had a great day. Especially when the crew of one of the trains stopped and offered them a cab ride. Craig had to drive the car but Steve, Kevin, and Ben got to go on a 60 mile ride in the cab of the locomotive. Kevin apparently fell asleep after about 10 minutes, but he got to sit in the engineer's seat and everything. Getting a ride basically never happens anymore because of security concerns but this particular train crew was familiar with railfans and they were very friendly. Steve and Kevin got home at about 7:30 that night. Whenever they go on a big train chase, they try to dress appropriately. This is before they left:

Once in a great while, one of the railroads will fire up one of their old steam engines and run them across the country. Steve took this picture during one of those trips. Kevin was only a few months old when this was taken. I think Steve won an "honorable mention" award for this picture at the state fair. It was taken near McCammon, ID.

So hopefully that sheds a little light on the whole train thing in my family. Judging the twins' reactions anytime we're around trains, I think we have two more railfans in the making.