On the Monday before Thanksgiving, I have been given 30 minutes to read a story to my daughters 4th grade class. I'm looking for a good, train-related, short story to read.
The Polar Express comes to my mind immediately, but thought I'd ask all you fine railroaders if you know of another book. Maybe one that deals with a child receiving a model train as a gift or one that is about setting up your trains for the holidays. I volunteer as a motorman on a local streetcar - so I have a motorman's uniform that I could wear - maybe a streetcar related story?
My hope is to have a loop of O-27 track on a piece of white-felt covered plywood and run my 2026 with some rolling stock around it ... you know - get the smoke puffing really good and blast the whistle.
Given the tough economic times - I know my daughter said that there are two girls in the class that are living in a homeless shelter ... .
I'm hoping "trains" can brighten their day and send them off into a brighter Thanksgiving weekend!
Your ideas are greatly appreciated!!!
One thing about trains: It doesn't matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.
I don't know any real good one's off hand, and I suppose that they are to old for "The little engine that could"?
At least you could look at it as a motivational story for what it's worth. Im sure a Streetcar named Desire is totally out?
You could try to do something with the tale of the N.Y.C. train walk story.
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
I just googled "railroad short stories" and the following link came up.
http://home.mindspring.com/~railroadstories/scrapbook/anthologies.htm
Might be something on the list that fits your requirements.
Brad, perhaps this is too heavy for 4th graders, but maybe folks here will appreciate it:
" It's about an engineer who, back before automation and computers made his job obsolete, spent every day operating a drawbridge that spanned a mighty river. He used a control panel of levers and switches to set into motion a huge set of gears that either lifted the bridge so that boats could pass underneath, or lowered it back into its original position so trains could cross the river. He, of course, had a set schedule that he followed day in and day out.
One day this bridge operator took his son to work with him. He delighted in telling his little boy how everything worked and how important his job was, since hundreds of people relied on him to raise and lower this bridge so they could travel safely from place to place. The little boy beamed with pride as his father explained his job. He also greatly admired all of the switches that controlled the huge gears. But after a couple of hours of observing his father work, the boy grew bored, so his father sent him out to play. A short while later, the bridge operator realized that it was almost time for him to lower the bridge so the 5 p.m. commuter train could cross. But, as he was about to pull the switch that would lower the bridge, he glanced out the window to see that his son had apparently been climbing on the gears; and his foot was stuck. In fact, he was wedged between the huge gears--;alive, but trapped--;and unable to free himself. The engineer was about to hurry to help his son when he heard the train whistle in the distance. Suddenly he realized that he did not have sufficient time to free his son, return to the control box, and lower the bridge in time for the passenger train to cross safely. But if he pulled the switch to lower the bridge, his little boy would be crushed in the massive turning gears in which he was entangled. He was forced to make a horrible choice: either his son would be killed, or a trainload of passengers would plunge to their deaths in the river below. This dilemma mandated an impossible decision, but the engineer knew what he had to do; so he reached for the lever and pulled it; and, in so doing, sacrificed the life of his son so that the people on the train would live.
As he agonized over His son's death, he looked up to see the passenger train rumble by. With tears streaming down his face, he looked through its windows to see hundreds of people oblivious to the sacrifice he had made on their behalf."
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
Well, I agree THAT one won't brighten up the fourth graders' Thanksgiving holiday!
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
Angella Trotta Thomas has a wonderfully illustrated book: The Mighty Santa Fe. (edit: I just Googled the book and the author is William H. Hooks) A young child goes with his parents to his grandparents'house for the holidays and discovers a train set in the attic. There is a great grandma (I think) who lives in the house too. During the night the great grandma comes to his bedroom, leads him to the attic and they magically ride the train on the layout. I think the children will enjoy it. I know my children did, and so do I.
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
Many, many Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!!!
I was able to find The Mighty Santa Fe out on Amazon.com for $4 including shipping - can't beat that price! Thanks for the suggestion Northwoods Flyer! I've already placed the order.
This book looks to be the perfect send-off for the Thanksgiving weekend ... not to mention that we'll get to run a few trains after I finish reading the book!
I don't have a Lionel Santa Fe F3, but I suppose my Marx Santa Fe F3 would work just fine with some passenger cars behind it.
If I get some pictures of the event - I'll post them later!
John Blair and the Great Hinkley Fire - Joi Nobisso illustrations by Ted Rose - a good grade school book about Blair - a conductor on one of the trains that saved the residents of Hinkley during the firestorm back in the 1880's.
While not a fictional short story - the short article about Kate Shelly in the book Railroad Avenue is a pretty good read. I've read it to 4th graders and they certainly seemed to like it.
If you are going to go with the railroad theme you could also read them Robert Louis Stevenson's poem. If you read it in the cadence of a train that is just pulling out from the station and then gathering speed I guarantee you will hold their attention.
From a Railway Carriage Faster than fairies, faster than witches, Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches; And charging along like troops in a battle, All through the meadows, the horses and cattle: All of the sights of the hill and the plain Fly as thick as driving rain; And ever again, in the wink of an eye, Painted stations whistle by. Here is a child who clambers and scrambles, All by himself and gathering brambles; Here is a tramp who stands and gazes; And there is the green for stringing the daisies! Here is a cart run away on the road Lumping along with man and load; And here is a mill and there is a river: Each a glimpse and gone for ever!
Faster than fairies, faster than witches, Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches; And charging along like troops in a battle, All through the meadows, the horses and cattle: All of the sights of the hill and the plain Fly as thick as driving rain; And ever again, in the wink of an eye, Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles, All by himself and gathering brambles; Here is a tramp who stands and gazes; And there is the green for stringing the daisies! Here is a cart run away on the road Lumping along with man and load; And here is a mill and there is a river: Each a glimpse and gone for ever!
That's interesting that you should mention John Blair and the Great Hinkley Fire. I now recall that this book sits on our bookshelf at home. An interesting point to this book is that the city of Hinkley is in Minnesota, which the kids might adhere to from a familiarity stand point.
The poem is phenomenal!!! ... I will definitely start out by reading it in the cadence of a train that is just pulling out from the station and then gathering speed. This will be a nice touch. Thank you.
I have a book full of train stories at home that I would recommend getting from your library through inter-library loan or just buying.
Short Lines: A Collection of Classic American Railroad Stories, by Rob Johnson. It would offer you some outstanding choices...Let's see if this Amazon link works: http://www.amazon.com/Short-Lines-Collection-American-Railroad/dp/0312140460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224868500&sr=8-1
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Doug - Again this book was available for under $5 on Amazon.com
... so I bought one of these books too!
It's great when you can get recommended items at a great price!
Amazon.com loves me today!
I am looking forward to your 'review', Brad.
For 4th graders I'd guess the stories in the book Short Lines most likely to hold their interest would be Smart Boomer, The Nerve of Foley, and Night Operator.
If you think any of these might be of interest you might also want to check out The Wiper's Story and The Yellow Mail Story in the book Held for Orders by Spearman. Of the group, I think Night Operator might resonate the best with the kids because it is about a "kid" learning railroading. If you choose that story you should also have a picture of the old style tall switch stand with the oil light so that the kids can picture the scene and understand why a short person would have trouble getting to the lantern to change it and you might want to have a picture of a telegraph office as well.
Simple props like pictures or artifacts go a long way towards keeping the kids interested. Some time ago I read an abridged version of the Cantor poem about Kate Shelley to a group of 4th graders. Before I read the poem I talked a little about railroad hand lanterns and the different colors and what they meant. I also brought a lantern with a red globe as a prop and when I got to the line
"Nothing but wheels which tightened down when crimson lanterns waved;"
I pointed to the red globe and then when I got to the final stanza
"But if you go to Honey Creek in some dark summer storm,
Be sure you take a lantern flame to keep your spirit warm.
For there will be a phantom train, and foggy whistle cries-
And in the lightning flare you'll see Kate Shelley on the ties."
I pointed to the hand lantern again. They got it and they it was obvious they enjoyed the reading.
Dennis: Wow-That's the Christmas Story, too!
I read "John Blair and the Great Hinkley Fire" and "The Mighty Santa Fe" to my daughter last night.... And the book she chose to have me read is ... drum roll please...
"The Mighty Santa Fe" !!!
I think the Angela Trotta Thomas illustrations helped her in making a decision.So we are planning to build a small O-27 circle of track on a white-felt covered piece of plywood. We'll then bring it into her classroom, put a few buildings on it and then cover it with a white sheet - to parallel the book. I don't have a Lionel Santa Fe F3 unit, but I do have a Marx Santa Fe F3 that should work just fine to run around that loop of track along with some passenger cars.
How about the story of the lawsuit between MTH and Lionel? That should put all the little children to sleep.
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
Brad,
Somehow I had a feeling it might be "The Mighty Santa Fe". I hope that you are able to get some pictures of that day.
Here's a idea why don't you make your own story. Thomas the Tank Engine was based on stories a father told his son at bedtime. I think it might be more special if you told one of your own. Maybe one of your own experences as a motorman.
Well, yesterday went absolutely PERFECT! I had 30 minutes which went by very fast.
My daughter and I mounted a circle of O-27 track on a piece of white-felt covered 1/2" plywood. In her classroom, she helped me put the train on the tracks under a white sheet. I could hear the kids in the class mumble - "It's a train ... I know it!"
Anyhow a special Thank You to Northwoods Flyer for recommending the book "The Mighty Santa Fe". And thank you to other forum members for your reading suggestions. The book kept the kids attention and when we got to the part where the great grandmother lifted the sheet off of the attic layout - my daughter and I unveiled our classroom layout. As I kept reading I could hear kids saying - "I knew it! ... I knew it was a train!".
Anyhow - I think there were a few kids asking their parents last night if they could set their train up for the holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Looks like you really had a fun and great day Glad it came out so great for you like you conductor offit it added so much to it
Yeah!, the conductor's hat was a great touch. I may try the same in the future. While I don't have a conductor's hat, I do have my old "Class A" uniform from the FD. I can shake the dust off her and change out the Lt's badge for a "NYC" badge.
Also a great idea to spread the interest to the next generation of this great hobby!
You are very welcome. I am glad that the book worked out. I can just imagine what the reaction of the kids was like. (Any pictures of their reactions?) I took trains to school on several occasions for our children. I remember one particular time when our son's class was supposed to do some kind of project on what they wanted to do for a career. For our son there was no other option than to be a train engineer, so we took an oval of Flyer S gauge to school and a steamer and passenger cars. To say the least his presentation was a big success.
I think its great that you share your hobby with your children. And maybe this will spur you on to play with your trains now that Train Season is offically here.
Have a great Train Thanksgiving
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