With Emery at the Sacramento Train Museum

Can you take a 6 year-old to a museum?  Guess it depends upon the museum, from Emery's eyes it is apparent that this museum is ok.  She wanted to ride the steam train for the first event, so as soon as we were checked in off we went. About a 30 minute ride, with lots of train horn tooting, signal crossings and some smoky steam from the engine. The car also had a train man riding with us.

Emery is at the exhibit showing the building of the trans-continental line, this train is heading into a Sierra tunnel.

Emery is sitting in the cab of a massive train. She tried both the conductor's and the assistants chairs. Valves and gauges everywhere.

This is the train that Emery was 'conducting'. It is enormous. In the terminology it is 4-8-8-2. Has 4 wheels under the front of the cab, then 8 massive drive wheels and then 8 more drive wheels, followed by a large coal car to provide the required heat for steam.

Emery wanted another train ride, she chose to ride inside this time for the outbound leg and then went into an open outside car for the return. It was now dark and she loved the sights and sounds of the train, and to watch the people who were watching her riding and waving.

This is a Lionel train setup with four trains. Emery is controlling two of them from this console. In a minute she was also showing some older kids how to work the trains. Including the delays builtin to the system.

This had to be included. We have been there about three hours and she is still running. She wanted to see it all. She hardly stopped for the nice dinner, except she wanted her own can of Root Beer.