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(Whistle) Music Spencer: Hi, I'm Spencer Christian.

On this episode of Tracks Ahead, we'll go back in time for a visit to one day in 1938 West Virginia.

We'll ride both a historic steam train and a riverboat in Connecticut, and we'll experience a delightful lunch as we pass by Seattle's Lake Washington on our way to a historic winery.

For many years, one of the exciting things about a trip to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry was a look at the model train display.

A fixture since the late 1940's, the display has been replaced and updated.

Let's visit the Windy City, and the all new, Great Train Story.

Ancr: Once upon a time there was a little train.

The little train ran with all its might from the Pacific Northwestand across the Rocky Mountains... and the Great Plains... all the way to the broad shouldered city of Chicago much to the delight of young and old alike.

The little train, along with others much like it, are all part of "The Great Train Story" exhibit in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

This incredibly detailed exhibit represents many aspects of the actual two thousand two hundred and six mile trip that real freight and passenger trains make between Chicago and Seattle.

Along the way exhibit visitors learn just how important the railroads are in helping to provide us with so many of the things we take for granted in our everyday lives.

John Llewellyn is the project's principal designer.

John: Naturally, when we developed the exhibit, a lot of people wanted it to include Chicago, So that's a good place to start.

Since Chicago was the railroad hub of the nation, the story begins there.

We feature downtown Chicago created in miniature HO scale where you can see the Sears Tower over 14 feet tall, and look down at the CTA El tracks which form the Loop, which is basically a circle of track with the elevated trains.

And that's how many Chicagoans get to work and to play and get home and travel on a daily basis.

Working our way around the exhibit, we move into the Chicago neighborhood, which we've dubbed Bungalow Square.

And it's kind of a composite of many different Chicago neighborhoods, showing daily life and how the train services the community on a daily basis.

This is where you see the Amtrak passenger trains departing from Union Station and their long, winding route to Seattle, and back.

And you get to see some intermodal traffic.

There's an intermodal yard there.

The train then moves on to the steel mill, which is a big customer of railroad transportation.

That's part of the raw materials story, where we show trains taking coal from a coal mine to a steel mill where it is converted to coke and then is instrumental in the steel making process.

The steel is then even made into automobiles on our layout, at our little car factory.

All that happens in Chicago.

Then we work our way down into the Great Plains, where the agricultural story comes into play.

As you know, grain is one of the main things that is transported in bulk by the railroads, because it's perfect for that, when you're carrying large amounts of heavy materials long distances, trains are the best way to do it.

The town that we have there is Plainview.

It's again a composite of many different towns we visited and photographed and did research.

You can see the train winding onto the flat plains of the Midwest on it's way to the Rockies.

In the Rockies you see the train start to go uphill and start to really load up the engines with the heavy grades.

And you learn about coal mining and how tunnels are made.

There are interactive opportunities for people to get involved with the stories.

There's a place where you can even push a button and make a blasting detonate where a tunnel is being constructed.

The train then works its way into the Cascades, where you see the lumber mill and how the train transports lumber from the forests out west and sawmills into markets around the world.

Then we round the corner into the city of Seattle, which is a great international harbor, where you get to see intermodal containers being unloaded from a container ship and put onto the train for distribution throughout the US.

And then you can walk either way.

You can come back to Chicago from Seattle.

It's kind of a round robin type exhibit where people don't follow a linear path per se.

Ancr: Born as an idea in the mind of the museum's design team in the late 1990s, this project was a monumental design and construction undertaking.

John: The design phase started out with a research process that included the current state of the art of real railroading as well as model railroading.

And I also did some informal surveys on what our visitors expected to see, what they thought about trains, what they absolutely had to see in a new railroad exhibit, and things like that.

We took all that knowledge into basically a box and came up with a number of different design concepts that addressed those needs in different ways.

So I started sketching floor plans, calculating square footage, and decided on the scale.

We decided to go with HO scale in order to fit both Chicago and Seattle in our room.

As any model railroader out there knows, you never have enough space to do what you want to do, so we used a lot of scenic tricks to fold a 2200 mile trip into our room that we have here at the museum.

Using selective compression and different models, I managed to create the illusion that you're actually going from Chicago to Seattle by way of the Great Plains and the Rockies and the Cascades in 3500 square feet.

Which was quite a task designwise, and took a lot of different tries and refinement.

Selective compression is a commonly used scenic trick in both stagecraft and model railroading.

In order to put all of downtown Chicago into our museum, it would take up a good portion of our footprint.

So I had to do a lot of picking and choosing as to what buildings and what blocks we would present, both to fit what we have into the space that we have, and to preserve the illusion that you're actually looking at downtown Chicago with the skyscrapers, all the way down to the street level.

We hired outside firms to do the construction itself, one of which was Scenic View here in Chicago.

They did the scenery, and they were the general contractor on it, and put everything together.

And SMARTT down in Miami, Florida, did the electrical engineering as well as the construction of the benchwork, the track, and the electrical systems.

Ancr: And just what does it take to maintain a layout this extensive?

Joe: The major consideration is track cleaning.

With all the track, we do that on a regular basis, start at one end and work around and start all over again at the other side.

We do a combination of hand cleaning and railcar cleaners that we use behind the locomotives.

We replace couplers on a regular basis, we do wheel sets on a regular basis, motors in an extreme case.

If its something that we're really attached to, we'll go as far as we have to keep the train going.

Pop ups are located throughout the exhibit, with the main amount of them being in the downtown Chicago area.

They were built in to allow access to places where you normally wouldn't be able to reach from the outside of the layout.

Ancr: Once upon a time there were many little trains, running back and forth from Chicago to Seattle.

much to the delight of young and old alike.

And thanks to the efforts of a team of dedicated individuals, they are all living happily ever after.

Spencer: While you're at the museum, be sure to check out the Pioneer Zephyr exhibit to see one of America's first streamliners.

Now we're going to visit Dan Zugelter in Florida, where Dan gets to experience his idea of heaven every day in his own train room.

Ancr: Wouldn't it be great to take a ride in a time capsule to see what the old steam engine days were really like, if only for a day?

Right now, that's still the stuff of science fiction.

But Dan Zulgelter can still take us for a ride into the past.he can recreate an entire day.

The year is 1938.

The country is caught in the grips of the Great Depression.

The location: Hinton, West Virginia on the western base of the Allegany Mountains.

It was a critical time and place for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad company.

Zugelter: Hinton was a very busy place because in the days of stream, every engine and every crew was changed in Hinton.

In other words, what they had to do was put bigger, heavier engines on the trains going over the mountains as compared to the New River subdivision which they could use smaller, more efficient engines.

So it was a very busy place, in fact about 75 to 100 trains and crews changed hands every day in Hinton.

So it made a neat place for a model railroad.

Ancr: All the engines, cars and structures in this layout are authentic because they're based on original plans that were saved by the C&O Historical Society in Clinton Forge, Virginia.

In fact, it was through this historical society that Dan found the steam engine design that would fuel his modeling dreams for many years to come.

Zugelter: I guess I was first attracted to the headlights on the C&O engines, which were down low, as opposed to most other railroads, and I thought that was a very cool look.

The Chesapeak and Ohio was very profitable and the employees took great interest in their equipment.

Everything was spit and polish and I liked that look a lot.

And of course that was the best job in West Virginia in those days, was working for the railroad.

Ancr: In the 1930s, the C&O Railroad began building larger engines to pull bigger, heavier trains.

They had to be powerful enough to haul coal from the mining towns over the mountains to the big cities.

But the existing tunnels couldn't accommodate engines that had bulky air pumps on their sides.

That's why C&O installed boilers on the front of the engines, forcing the headlights to take a lower position.

Even after upgrading the entire railroad throughout the 1930s, C&O kept the low headlight design as a kind of trademark look.

Zugelter: And then just one more touch, the feed water heaters were also mounted above the front of the engine, so you had what is fondly known maybe as a Georgian look, if you can call a steam engine Georgian.

Ancr: Dan runs the layout almost everyday and sometimes has operating sessions with friends.

The train room was especially built with coving to avoid the appearance of hard corners in the walls and ceilings.

Although Dan doesn't consider himself to be a "true collector," he's proud of the overall realistic look and authenticity of his layout, especially the lighting.

Zugelter: The lighting in the room is over the aisleways, and I like it because it gives us nice light on both sides of the aisles on the layout.

Many modelers put their lighting behind a valence which I think disrupts the view of the railroad a little bit.

So I've been very happy with this.

Now these lights are also tied in to our fast clock.

Ancr: The Fast Clock enables Dan to simulate a 24-hour period in only one to four hours, depending on the settings.

During the daytime hours, the layout is lit brightly as if it's a sunny day.

But as evening draws on, those bright "sun" lights go down and the dim lights of buildings, streets and engines come up.

In the softness of twilight, the muted colors of reds and golds simulate a sunset on the horizon.

And at night, you can almost reach out and touch the stars.which are cleverly hidden Christmas tree lights located behind the coving.

In just four hours, you can experience a whole day on the C&O Railroad in the steamy summer of 1938.

Spencer: You probably noticed the millions of trees.

They're all just clumps of polyfoam, spray painted black, and then dipped in ground foam.

In a moment we'll be off to Renton, Washington for a real feast.

Or, to be more precise, a feast on tracks!

But first let's go to Essex, Connecticut, once home to American writer Mark Twain.

There is a train there, of course, but there's more.

Ancr: Hey!

What's this?

Looks like a number of tourists getting off a steam locomotive train and boarding a Mississippi style riverboat.

You might think we're at some Florida amusement park.

But the truth is we're near Essex, Connecticut, witnessing the operation of an actual railway that's been running since 1871.

The Essex Valley Railroad runs along the banks of the Connecticut river, in one of the most pristine natural settings remaining in the northeast.

And the railroad - riverboat combination makes it one of the most unique tourist experiences in the country.

Rob: Visitors that come along on our trip get a real treat, coming through the lower Connecticut River Valley countryside.

We take them across meadows, across farms and old farmhouses.

We take them through protected woodlands and across some of the tidal estuaries of the Connecticut River.

We give them some of the most spectacular views of the Connecticut River.

They can see Gillete Castle up on the hill, just a real combination of sights and sounds of the lower Connecticut River Valley.

What we specialize in is our natural setting here in the Connecticut River Valley.

Again, we've got farmhouses that we go past, beautiful views of that, of the marshlands, Track Cove, which is the largest tidal estuary on the lower Connecticut River.

The views that we have of the river, as we proceed north are spectacular.

You see recreational and some of the commercial vessels out on the river.

The Connecticut River is one of the last great places and it's an American heritage river.

So our ability to come up very close in many sections of the railroad to the river and give folks a view of that is probably our greatest asset.

We receive about a 140 to 150,000 visitors per year here at Essex Steam Train.

They either ride the steam train and riverboat, or they come down to ride the Essex Clipper Dinner train.

Come down for special events, such as a day out with Thomas, the North Pole Express, or they may come here to partake in our guest engineer program, "Your hand on the throttle."

Ancr: The Essex Valley Railroad is a living restoration of a line from times long past.

J. David: The Valley Railroad was started in 1869 and completed in 1871, and it provided freight and passenger service between Hartford and Saybrooke.

It also had an extension to Fenwick which was a resort town.

That was abandoned early on.

Passenger service ended on the railroad in the 1930's and freight service continued on until 1966.

One of the reasons that the railroad never was really a big success was that there's no industry on the lower end of the Connecticut River.

The present operation started in 1971.

The railroad was abandoned in the late 1960's.

It was purchased by the State of Connecticut because so much of the railroad fronts up against the Connecticut River and other state properties and the state wanted to protect all it's frontages.

So the state purchased it and a group of local railroad enthusiasts, historians and business people, created the Valley Railroad Company, obtained a lease from the State of Connecticut to operate on the state's track and started operating in 1971.

And the operation continues to this day.

Ancr: Okay, but what's the deal with that riverboat?

J David: We acquired the riverboat because about 70% of our riders in the summer time prefer the train/boat combination.

The train hauls people to our dock in Deep River and then you transfer on to the riverboat Becky Thatcher.

The riverboat is really the best way to see the Connecticut River.

You're right on it, and spectacular views and it's definitely one of the more popular portions of our attraction here.

The Becky Thatcher is a Mississippi style riverboa It was built in 1961 and it's 79 feet long, weights about 45 tons.

It has 3 decks and of course has to have a crew to operate it, has to have a captain and 3 deckhands.

Ancr: Obviously it takes a lot to refurbish and maintain all this.

Just what is it that drives the people of the Essex Valley Railroad and Riverboat, many of whom are volunteers, to work this hard?

Rob: We like people to have the experience of coming here and allowing us to shut off the 21st century for a little while.

We don't go over 20 miles per hour with the train.

Not going over 20 miles is almost unheard of today.

Just kind of give people an experience of sitting back and relaxing, enjoying the quality of the time they're spending instead of trying to get through something very fast which seems so commonplace today.

Ancr: So, one thing we've learned here in Connecticut's Essex valley is that while amusement parks are great fun, sometimes the most astonishing of fantasy lands has been constructed by none other than old Mother Nature herself.

Music Ancr: Where can travelers experience a bit of lost American history.

discover cultural and scenic beauty.and enjoy a three-course gourmet meal in just over three hours?

The Spirit of Washington Dinner Train.

The journey begins approximately 12 miles Southeast of Seattle in the city of Renton, WA.

Originally home to Duwamish Indians, this old coal-mining town is the perfect starting point for a trip by antique railway.

Stepping out into the depot is like opening an old photo album.each car a distinct member of an adopted family with their own birthplace and unique history.

First to greet the anxious travelers is one of two F9 locomotives.

Originally owned by the B&O Line, these diesel electrics carry their family of dinner cars 44 miles roundtrip along the Pacific Northwest track.

Some of the siblings include twin sisters, the Cascade and Chateau Ste.

Michelle, both built for the Santa Fe Railroad in 1937.

The three show-offs of the family are the dome cars, named after the trips scenic views.

Mt.

Rainier was built for the Union Pacific in 1952.

The City of Renton super dome was built to unite cities along the Pacific, St. Paul, Chicago, and Milwaukee Railroads.

And the City of Seattle car was used on the Super Chief train, which ran between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Lonely twin of the family, the Columbia Winery car, was built in 1938 for the Santa Fe Railroad.

It is the only remaining model of one of two of its kind ever built.

But what about the journey of the Spirit and how this dinner train came to find a home along the Burlington-Santa Fe Railroad?

Gary: Back in 1988 the Temple Family, who owned Washington Central Railroad in Yakima, Washington, decided that on Labor Day they were going to run a small dinner train on Rodeo Weekend.. Due to the success of that weekend they decided to run it more often on the weekend between Yakima and Ellensburg.

Eric Temple, one of the sons, decided it would be very successful in a larger community so brought it up here to Seattle in 1992 and we've been running ever since.

Ancr: Now operating year round, the dinner train can carry as many as 370 passengers each trip.

Starting at the southern end of Lake Washington, the locomotive winds along one of the Pacific Northwest's most scenic shorelines.

As passengers unwind, the smell of apple horseradish and apricot ginger glaze fill the cars.

Dinner choices attract every palette, from prime rib and oven-roasted chicken breast, to cherry-smoked salmon and polenta marinara.

As beautiful as the plated presentations, the views along the fresh water lake are just as breathtaking.

Connected to the Puget Sound by ship canal, Lake Washington stretches its' arms 27 miles long and 3 miles wide, and protects the inhabitants of Mercer Island.

After dinner it's a bit of a thrill crossing the Mercer Trestle bridge.

Built in 1891 and with a 102-foot drop, respect for the timber and its builders can be felt on-board.

or perhaps passengers are silently praying for solid construction, as the train rumbles along the 975 feet of wooden trestle.

As the train pulls closer to its final stop, travelers are treated to the State's historical and cultural beauty.

not only in the scenery, but also again through their tastebuds.

For a 45-minute stop in Woodenville, there's time to sample wine and tour the cellars of one of Washington state's first premium vineyards.

Ron: This winery was founded in 1962 by a group of 10 local gentlemen, 7 of whom were University of Washington professors, three local Seattle businessmen.

So in 1962 they founded Associate Vintners which is now known as Columbia Winery.

David Lake joined us in 1979.

David is our winemaker.

He holds a certification of Master of Wine, only one of approximately 300 plus people that have passed this certification process since 1953.

Ancr: After savoring the final stop of their journey and happy to stretch their legs, passengers are ready to climb back on-board the Spirit of Washington.

This family of cars, full of history and now new memories, seems ready to return home.

Rail riders, are greeted by a final delicious choice.should it be Chocolate Paradiso.. or Washington Apple Crisp?

Spencer: One thing that might be of interest is that several of the adjacent buildings were where the original witch hazel astringent was made.. Well, that's it for this episode.

Be sure to join us next time for more, Tracks Ahead.

Music Ancr: Tracks Ahead.

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Helping hobbyists design and build their own miniature railroad empires inside or outside, big or small.

(Whistle) Music