Union Station

We had visitors this last weekend! My sister Jamie, Danny, their three kids, and my Mom came to see us. It was so much fun to have them with us.  

Jamie and Danny headed out to do some Christmas shopping, while my Mom and I watched the kids. My nephew loves trains, so I took them to Union Station in Ogden, which houses the Utah State Railroad Museum. 

We didn't want to pay admission (even though it's not much) so we didn't get to go inside the actual museum. But, they have plenty of trains on display for free outside the building...and that's what we were really there to see.

Everyone's favorite train was this Union Pacific Railroad steam locomotive, a 0-6-0 steam switcher (No 4436) built in 1918 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was really impressive...and so big.

My nephew knew everything about the train. It made me laugh when he matter-of-factly pointed out and identified the locomotive's couplings. He's a smart little guy. 

 

There are a couple of cars connected to the locomotive, and we had fun walking down the length of the train, checking everything out. 

We walked over to the other side of the station's main building to see the other trains. These engines were much more modern. Connected to each was a line of cars including freight cars, passenger cars, boxcars, mail cars, and cabooses. 

Running down the side of each train is a narrow sidewalk. We had fun walking down between each train, looking at all the details. I just couldn't get over how big they were. The wheels on the engine in the picture above where taller than me. They made me feel so small. 

The doors to the cars were locked, but I think if you pay admission you can take a tour and get a peek inside the cars. I'll have to look into that, because one of the cars was an older ambulance car with a red cross painted on its exterior. We peeked in the windows, and could make out  a counter with a sink in it. I'd be interested to see inside that one, and also the mail car.

It was a fun way to spend part of the afternoon, and the kids had fun seeing the trains and exploring the area. I would definitely recommend a visit to anyone with kids, especially ones who love trains. I'd even recommend it to those without kids. It was really interesting, and we didn't even go inside the museum. I want to come back and bring Brian sometime to tour the museum.