I LOVE TRAINS! An Afternoon of Fun Riding the Burnaby Central Railway

I've always loved trains.  When I was little living on the prairies the train ran through our town, Lloyminster Sask., and I loved watching it pass by from the field where we children played.  We were always warned to run home though when the jigger cars came by as they were usually itinerant workers scouting jobs on the farms and heaven knows who they were or where they'd come from.  I remember a day I was playing in the field across from our house with one came by and my friend called out "Run to beat the band!"  I'd never heard that expression before and thought it sounded very exciting!

When my family moved to Stratford during the years Dad was overseas, we lived at my grandparent's home.  Grandpa was a mechanical engineer and worked for the railway.  I knew he worked at the CNR shops as a foreman but didn't realize til years later that he was actually a mechanical engineer and had some hand in developing the first diesel engine. 

So trains have been in my blood.  And that very long cross-Canada train trip from Stratford to Vancouver when I was twelve years old was the adventure of a lifetime.  And on that trip the historical fiction writer in me was born.

I still like trains, though I seldom get to ride on them.  But this weekend I spent an afternoon Confederation Park in Burnaby where there is a miniature train museum, the Burnaby Central Railway, and miniature trains of every type: diesel, steam, electric.  The engines and some of the box-cars and cabooses are exact models of real trains and in between are seats for passengers.  For $2.50 you get a 10 - 15 minute ride through the woods, over trestles and under tunnels.  Great fun!

At the Rainbow Creek Station you'll find all amenities including a railroad museum with RR paraphernalia.  There's picnic sites and a place for private parties. That day a group were celebrating some children's birthdays. 

The tracks and trains are built and maintained by the BC Society of Model Engineers  www.bcsme.org
The railway is located behind Confederation Park in North Burnaby at Hastings & Willingdon Ave, behind the park on the foreshore area.  The railway operates weekends and holidays 11 am - 5 pm from May to October.  It's not only for kids.  Lots of adults were riding it the day I went there.
Contact 604-291-0922  or www.burnabyrailway.org

It was all a pleasant surprise for me as I didn't even know about this railway.  I've been on the one at Stanley Park and Bear Creek in Surrey.  I thought this was a more exciting ride.  So take some time to visit and enjoy being a kid again!

CASTLES ON THE RHINE

Castles on the Rhine River

The train service in Germany is excellent and because Patrick has a disability card, he can take along a passenger with him free, so all my train and bus rides around the countryside here has been free thanks to my generous host.  On Monday we took the train to the town of Koblenz where the conflagration of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers meet at a place called the "German Corner".  This is marked by a huge statue of Kaiser William on his horse.  We climbed up to the top of the winding steps to get a good viewpoint and took lots of photos.  (Photos will be posted when I return home.)

Where the Rhine and the Mosel Rivers converge



It was a gorgeous trip along the Rhine to Koblenz, the second largest city in Rhineland-Palatinate,  and I noticed the excellent cycling paths all along from Mainz, mainly flat areas that are prefect for biking. There were also lots of walkers and joggers on the paved pathways along the river.  We passed through a lot of lovely little towns along the way.  And after looking around Koblenz and had a nice traditional lunch at an Italian restaurant called "Amalfi". This made up for the schnitzels I couldn't eat the night before due to my stomach upset.  I had "Kleines Putensteakmedalions" Tession in Aprikosen Rahmsauce with Krokettes und Kleiner salat. (9.90 euro) which was chicken done in apricot sauce. Very delicious!

Later we decided to take a boat trip along the Rhine to spot the castles.  We had earlier intended to visit the largest castle, Marksburg, but were unable to make a proper connection as it was Monday.  So we settled on the boat trip which was an excellent decision.  The day was sunny and warm and the scenery along the Rhine is spectacular with the vineyards and orchards terraced on the mountainsides along the river and the many quaint villages along the way.  We spotted several of the castles, but most spectacular being Marksburg.  It is the largest medieval castle in Germany and was never damaged or destroyed. It's located over the village of Brauback.  We got a good view of it from the boat and I took a lot of photos.  It's a real 'fairy-tale' kind of castle in white stone, and it popular in tourist photos.